By Kevin Hanson, The Courier-Herald

If there's one, single document that spells out how a city should grow and evolve, it's the municipal comprehensive plan. Enumclaw has one, but it's nearly 10 years old and the time has come for a review.

The city wants the public to be involved in the process of drafting a new comp plan, and the first step comes Jan. 29. A meeting has been set for 6 p.m. at the community library, 1700 First St.

"We want to hear from everybody who has an interest in planning for the future of Enumclaw," according to Les Johnson, community development director for the city.

Johnson has been charged with directing the review process, which is expected to take most of 2004 to complete. It's a multi-faceted effort, and the city has hired outside consultants to assist with the process, which was funded to the tune of $100,000 by the City Council.

"The real focus is to plan for the future of the community," Johnson said, noting the comprehensive plan addresses everything from land use and transportation issues to parks, utilities and housing. Optional items covered in the plan, Johnson said, can include economic development, cultural issues and human services.

The workshop on the Jan. 29 is just the first public meeting of the year. City officials have indicated they're planning an extensive community outreach program to get the public involved in the comp plan review process.

The city's initial comprehensive plan was completed in 1995 and this is the first full review. From now on, state law dictates that Enumclaw will review the plan every five years, Johnson said.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com