The county receives $10,000 a year from the Washington Legislature to defray the costs of processing development permits, but officials say it is significantly lass than the actual cost given the detailed documentation and legal review the Columbia River Gorge Commission mandates to support land-use decisions.

Only about 2% of the nearly 300,000-sf Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area lies within Clark County's purview. All told the scenic area covers parts of six counties in Washington and Oregon that border the Columbia River Gorge. The revocation of a governing ordinance has never happened, though adoption of them is optional.

Klickitat County is the only affected county that has not adopted a zoning ordinance for its portion of the scenic area. In that instance, the gorge commission itself acts as the land-use board, and Klickitat is not eligible to receive money for economic and recreational development in the scenic area. Clark County officials are now wondering if that isn't a small price to pay.

Clark County's ordinance went into effect in 1996. Lately, its enforcement has caused the county some problems. Last month, the county was served with a notice of violation with regard to its review of an application for a nonfarm home on agriculturally-zoned land east of Washougal. The county last week approved it anyway, following the lead of its hearings examiner.

The county did the same thing last summer for another house east of Washougal, and the gorge commission put forth a similar protest due to its visibility from the Oregon side of the Columbia River. The county and the homeowner are still negotiating how to disguise the home from the Oregon side.

Greater discussion of the options – and the costs -- will likely occur in late February or March, after the county's Department of Community Development prepares a income-versus-expense report, as well as the legal issues associated with the ordinances enforcement. Other options include converting to a more traditional hearings examiner approach to enforcement, contracting out enforcement to another county, giving back to the gorge and the obligatory do-nothing option.

Instant Insights /

Clark County Looks for Solution to Costly Zoning Enforcement in Gorge National Scenic Area

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