Land Use Watchdog

Friends consistently reviews and comments on all proposed land use and development activities in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, applying our legal staff’s knowledge and expertise to ensure compliance with the applicable law. Often, our comments result in positive changes to projects to protect the vital resources of the Gorge. 

For example, Friends’ comments on multiple applications in Hood River County resulted in the applicants relocating proposed dwellings to decrease their visibility. In one of these cases, the relocated dwelling site also avoided an unnecessary stream crossing, plus the applicant abandoned plans to build a 1,500-square-foot residential accessory building in a sensitive area. Based on comments from Friends and others, Wasco County denied an application for a home business that would have required extensive infrastructure, including several new buildings, in a visually sensitive area. 

The applicant eventually set up the business outside of the National Scenic Area. Through our comments in another matter, Friends convinced Wasco County to reject a legal parcel determination that would have allowed a dwelling on a non-legal lot in a sensitive area. Friends’ comments to the Washington Department of Natural Resources resulted in the removal of a timber harvest unit to avoid the crossing of a stream that provides critical Coho salmon habitat.

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