White Salmon Zoning Map and Some Current and Planned Subdivisions Now on the Web

Check out the color coded map of the zoning of White Salmon on the link to the right. This may help you think about what may be coming next to you. The map is from 2004, so is a bit out of date. For example, the Melby annexation on the north side of Spring St. is not indicates. The map is slightly off as well, specifically where is says C-2 near the hospital is alledgedly R-3 and encompasses the new Salmon Run. City hall has a giant one that may be a bit more helpful. We are hoping for a new map that shows the existing lots as well.

We are also in the process of putting up some images of the Salmon Run development as well as the Spring St. Matt Melby development. Its kinda takes your breath away to see the density of the Salmon Run right off of a busy street like Jewett.

The Melby development was scaled back due to citizen and planner concerns from 5 to 4 units, based on the storm water run-off problem. Spring St. is a steep and busy collector street with poor visibility and is not up to state fire code. This is still a concern to citizens, especially in the light of cumulative effects of the developers alleged plans to develop on the north side of the street as well as all of the upcoming development up Spring St.

The City council is holding a hearing on the development next Wednesday, June 6 at 6 pm at the Fire Hall.

Comprehensive Plan and the Role of the Planning Commission

So we are ALL INVITED to find out what the heck is the use of a Comprehensive Plan for Towns in Wa. State. Maybe we can start thinking about its purpose and how we can use it to benefit ALL of White Salmon residents. Our Comp Plan was last written in 1991! Its probably out of date big time. I've looked at it. Its pretty cool. For example. It calls for *increasing* lot size to 7,500 sq ft (from 3-5,000) to sustain the rural character of the town. Alas, this has not happened and new lots are being annexed in at R2 (allows Townhouses on 3,000 sq ft) and R3 (Apartment buildings). How about affordable housing?

The Planning Commission is getting a presentation on "The Legal Basis of Planning in Washington State: Comprehensive Planning Basics and the Role of the Planning Commission". This Wednesday at 6 pm at the Fire Hall. We all should get trained on this one. Rumor has it that is being presented by Jim Kucena, real estate attorney and former planning commissioner for White Salmon, and original developer of the Salmon Run subdivision on Jewett. Should be interesting...

Finally, Klickitat County will hold next vote by mail

Hopefully it will encourage all you guys to vote that tend to leave our beautiful gorge for the winter to go to some place warm and sunny (who would want to do that?) and forget to ask for an absentee ballot. Maybe this will encourage actual involvement! Especially when we see the county becoming more like Hood River, where 75% of the homes are second homes. I wonder what their voting rates are, with Oregon's all vote by mail?

This is good news for the county and the city financially too. Of course, folks had been calling for this for some time. One of the reasons we didn't get it before apparently was that the county got some grant to put in Diebold electronic voting machines that would help the disabled vote at the poll. One poll observer mentioned that no one used the machines all day. The other benefit is a rather large savings to the county. Maybe some of the savings could be used for say, voter education. So Yay! for Klickitat county, no longer in the minority in Wa. State. Only three counties now remain under the polling-place system -- King, Pierce and Kittitas.

What's Happening at the Broughton Mill Site?

Broughton Mill is the site of a controversial development project in Underwood Wa. near the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery State Park and world famous windsurfing site. This is an issue of vital concern to everyone interested in maintaining the natural beauty of the Gorge, and who wish to continue enjoying this beautiful stretch of the Columbia River. Let us not allow this to become one more huge sell-out to huge developers at the expense of the majority of State Park users.

The property is owned by the Stevenson family, owner of the SDS lumber company and the Broughton family. The site was zoned to include 35 units and an RV park nestled in the woods. The current proposal is to expand it to almost 250units (it was going to be 450 units), that is over ten times the size that was planned in 1986 under the Columbia Gorge Scenic Act. A destination resort. It is being developed by a destination ski area. Think Aspen. Right here where we sail. Why did they call it a scenic area when they don't plan to keep it scenic? Our White Salmon City council has endorsed it as well as the Klickitat County Economic Development commission. Keep that traffic coming our way! Heck, there are 3 other 'commercial recreation' sites left to develop in the Gorge after this one. Lets add a Casino while we're at it. Think how valuable our land will be when we can sell out and move away. The Columbia Gorge Windsurf Assoc. CGWA is hoping to get some scraps from SDS by 'asking' for parking space for RVs so they won't be parking at the Hatch.

Check out this link to a local website on what's happening from a local point of view: http://whitesalmon.freeservers.com/

Here's a link to the p.r. from SDS/Broughton that the CGWA has posted on their website. http://windsurf.gorge.net/cgwa/broughtonlanding.pdf

Broughton has information at http://broughtonlanding.com/

Here's a write-up on one of the Gorge Commission hearings: http://www.topix.net/content/newwest/2753007227266627404028909111400544457783

Check out the discussion among windsurfers at:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/GORGEwindsurfer/

To get on the Gorge Commissions mailing list go to: http://www.gorgecommission.org/

Great News! Lyle Point goes back to the Yakama Nation.

Nanainmi Waki Uulktt-- place where the wind blows from two directions.This is Lyle Point -- where the Klickitat and Columbia rivers meet.For thousands of years area tribes called it their own--Then---the developers came.
But wait, this story has a happy ending. Heard on the net today:

Lyle Point, a culturally significant 33-acre peninsula on the
Columbia River, considered sacred by the Yakama Nation, will be returned to the
Nation. The conveyance will end a decades-long effort by the Yakama to regain
land they have used for fishing for thousands of years, The Trust for Public
Land announced Tuesday. “Today, marks the return and protection of sacred land
known as Nanainmi Waki ‘ Uulktt (place where the wind blows from two directions)
to the Yakama people”, said Charles F. Sams III, Director of TPL’s Tribal &
Native Lands Program.
“Lyle Point, was once a village of the Cascade and Klickitat bands and is now a protected burial site of the Yakama Nation.”
"This is a great day for the Yakamas--to get the land returned back for
access to our fishing right areas. The younger generation will continue to
exercise their Creator-given right to our very important salmon. The U.S.
government Trust for Public Land (TPL) began its effort to protect Lyle Point in
1992, in response to a controversial proposal to build a 33-unit gated housing
development on the scenic promontory. When Klickitat County approved a
subdivision of the site into 33 lots, Tribal members and environmental groups
began a series of protests that included a nine-month encampment on the site and
litigation. In 1994, the Yakama and Warm Springs Tribes filed a lawsuit against
the landowners.
Protestors organized large marches in the state capitals of
Oregon and Washington and picketed the offices of realtors listing the lots. TPL
continued negotiations with the landowners, Klickitat Landing Partners, and held
discussions with Tribal members to investigate potential options to protect and
steward this sacred site.
In 2000, TPL acquired 27 of the lots from the original owner, and two years later, TPL acquired the remaining four lots from another party. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purchased two lots for an in-lieu fishing site for Columbia River Tribal fishermen as part of the
settlement of the litigation. After TPL acquired the majority of lots in 2000,
Klickitat County passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of this property for
park purposes. TPL and the Yakama Indian Nation have entered into a contract to
convey Lyle Point to the Nation..

I don't yet know all the details, but it looks like the Gorge 1, Developers 0.

Affordable housing?? Sale of trailer park??

SqueekyWheel asks: "Does anyone know anything about the plans for the Washington Street Trailer Park? It has a sale pending and I was just wondering if there are plans to move all the mobiles out from there and build condos? What will happen to all those people if they do that? Where is our affordable housing?"

That's an excellent question. Are there any readers who know the story is about this trailer park, (or other trailer parks), and what is happening to the former residents? Are they being forced to emigrate to other communities? What is White Salmon's policy re: affordable housing?

Organizing Grant Comes to White Salmon Bingen

Thanks to the largess of the North West Area Foundation (JJ Hill money see: http://www.nwaf.org) we have an opportunity to get a bunch of people trained in local organizing/activism/leadership to fight POVERTY. Right on. (See May 10 post here: seeking-volunteers-for-ws-poverty)
Tell everyone you know. Stay tuned.

Horizon's Local Leadership Training Schedule
June 11 to 15, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., probably in White Salmon
Saturday afternoons, 2 to 5 p.m., June 2 to July 28, in Bingen
Tuesday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon, 9 weeks beginning May 22, White Salmon.
Thursday evenings, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., 9 weeks beginning May 24, White Salmon.
CALL Zoe Campbell at: 509-493-8202

On Blogging and Rumours

Wellcome to the BlogoSphere!
Anon. commented yesterday that SteelHead's post about the reason for Kucena's resignation from the planning commisson contained some NON-FACTUAL (good gawd) information, and brought up the issue of credibility. Right on. I can't agree more, especially if the poster is trying to maintain that they are an expert. The poster and /or commenters should clearly state that this is their personal understanding. Or at least they should indicate that this is a current rumour going around. Frankly, if I were the one being talked about, esp. if Iwere a public official, I'd kinda like to know its happening. And if someone actually knows that something isn't factual that has been posted, it is great if they can bring it to our attention. What is or is not in the muni code is an excellent example. It can be looked up.

I haven't myself seen the muni code (I don't live in a library- the darned code isn't online.)Certainly many people believe that only one out-of-towner is allowed on the planning commission. I myself don't even know if Kucena did resign for that matter. I myself 'heard' more stuff on how the resignation came about than Annon has referred to but that might be beating a dead horse so to speak. I also 'heard' yesterday that he sold out of The Salmon Run. Don't know fer sure. Just a rumour.

This issue of course is about blogs vs letters to the editors or 'articles' . Timing is often important in public issues, or current events. The turnaround in a weekly paper like the Enterprise is often just too long. In this case, maybe they have already appointed someone for the commission before anyone even knows there is a vacancy.

My biggest concern is that people get involved for accountabilities sake. I want a dialog to go on around here. Most people weren't party to the goings on about the Mayor Holen issue and felt pretty out of the loop and could only peer through the 'window' of the letters to the editor. If rumors are flying around, lets get them aired out and be refuted.

Planning Commission

Jim Kacena, developer on the White Salmon Planning Commission, was forced to resign from the planning commision last week because it was revealed that he is not a citizen of White Salmon. Kacena is the brains and money behind the Salmon Run (off) development on that steep hillside on Jewette Ave.

If you are a citizen of our town now is the time to think about stepping up to the job. It is now more important than ever too help shape the living future of our town - the way it will grow for all its citizens - not just out of town developers.

Standing Up to the Developers

Local folks are beginning to wake up to the what has become a stealth attack on the quality of life in the White Salmon by outside developers. Residents of Spring Street had been broad-sided by the White Salmon Planning Commission's staff approval of a wall to wall high density subdivision on a city lot on a very narrow steep and high traffic volume street.

Now the word is out, and residents are pushing back by are showing up at meetings and writing letters demanding a sensible approach to city development.

Showing up and getting informed is the least we can do.

Check out this story in the Enterprise:
http://www.whitesalmonenterprise.com/WSENews2.shtml

Welcome to Our New Community Blog!

We are a bunch of local citizen editors who are interested in having a two-way discussion with the White Salmon, Bingen and wider Klickitat county community. This is a trial balloon for open communication. How it works: An editor posts a discussion topic and readers are invited to post a reply comment which they do by clicking the word comment. Another window opens up and the writer is prompted to sign in either anonymously or with a Google account if they have one. To view all of the comments at once click the title of the post.

Seeking volunteers for W.S. Poverty initiative

The Horizon Project is a White Salmon initiative to address the issue of poverty in the area. They are seeking volunteers to participate. The next step is a training program scheduled for May 2007. Help make a difference. Call Zoe Campbell with questions... 509-493-8202