1. City staff prepares the draft
Planning staff combines state requirements, technical studies, environmental review, public comments, and direction from City boards and elected officials.
Who decides Spokane’s plan?
City staff writes the draft. The public comments. The Plan Commission recommends what should change. City Council makes the final decision.
How does the plan become official?
2. The public builds the record
Workshops, surveys, written comments, and hearing testimony can identify problems and propose changes. Participation informs the decision, but it is not a public election on the plan.
3. Plan Commission recommends
The Commission holds a public hearing, questions staff, considers the record, and recommends approval, changes, or more work. Its recommendation is not the final law.
4. City Council decides
Council holds the final City hearing and can adopt the plan, amend it, or send work back. Later zoning and development-code changes determine how the plan becomes rules for individual properties.
Did public engagement choose the Preferred Alternative?
No, not by itself. In one fall 2025 “first reaction” exercise, 33 responses were recorded: 25 for Alternative 2, seven for Alternative 3, one between Alternatives 1 and 2, and none for Alternative 1.
Staff then proposed a combination of Alternatives 2 and 3. The City says that recommendation also drew from written comments, environmental analysis, other engagement, and Plan Commission input. The 33 responses were one part of the record, not a citywide vote or the formal decision.
The Plan Commission later voted 5 to 1 to recommend the Preferred Alternative. City Council selected it by resolution on May 18, 2026, directing staff to use it to prepare the Final Environmental Impact Statement and comprehensive-plan documents. That selected direction is still not the final adopted comprehensive plan.
What power does the Plan Commission have?
The Plan Commission does not pass the final law. It holds public hearings, questions City staff and applicants, recommends changes, and sends a recommendation to City Council. The Council makes the final decision.
The mayor nominates members and a majority of City Council confirms them. Terms are generally four years, and a member may serve no more than two consecutive terms.
City code calls for ten unpaid members from different neighborhoods, council districts, and professional backgrounds. The City currently lists eight members and two vacancies.
Who serves now?
The City roster gives names and terms, but no member biographies or occupations. Professional experience can add useful knowledge and shape perspective. An employer or affiliation alone does not prove a conflict or explain a vote.
Jesse Bank
Commission: President, second term. Term ends Dec. 31, 2027.
Publicly documented work: Executive director of the Northeast Public Development Authority, a City-County public corporation focused on economic development in northeast Spokane.
Ryan Patterson
Commission: Vice president, second term. Term ends Dec. 31, 2029.
Publicly documented work: Lists OpenEye as her employer. The public source reviewed does not show an exact current title.
Kyle Madsen
Commission: First term. Term ends Oct. 20, 2029.
Publicly documented work: Associate at Bernardo Wills, a Spokane architecture and land-use planning firm.
Tim Williams
Commission: Second term. Term ends Dec. 31, 2027.
Publicly documented work: Retired affordable-housing developer and former senior housing developer at Community Frameworks.
Amber Lenhart
Commission: First term. Term ends Dec. 31, 2028.
Publicly documented background: Public health, policy analysis, research, evaluation, and community engagement. A current employer was not confirmed in the reliable public sources reviewed.
Jill Yotz
Commission: First term. Term ends Dec. 31, 2028.
Publicly documented work: Community Frameworks, a Spokane nonprofit that develops and supports affordable housing.
Tyler Tamoush
Commission: First term. Term ends Dec. 31, 2028.
Publicly documented work: Government affairs manager for the Spokane Home Builders Association. The association says its government affairs committee advocates for a growth-friendly environment and pro-housing policies.
David Rasanen
Commission: First term. Term ends April 12, 2030.
Publicly documented work: A current employer or professional affiliation was not found in the reliable public sources reviewed.
What should the public watch?
Ask what experience each commissioner brings, which public comments they address, what changes they recommend, and why. When a specific matter creates a possible conflict, City ethics rules apply to appointed officers.
This page reports public professional context. It does not claim that an occupation creates a conflict or that a commissioner votes for an employer’s interests.
Last checked Aug. 10, 2026. The City roster supplies commission roles and terms. Linked public sources supply professional context. “Not found” means no reliable current source was found; it does not mean the member has no employer or affiliation. Send corrections to editor@spokane2046.com.