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The Columbia County Board of Commissioners have approved the Port of Columbia County’s application to rezone 837 acres at Port Westward from Primary Agriculture to Resource Industrial Planned Development.
Port Westward is a deepwater port with existing dock facilities and direct access to the 43-foot navigation channel in the Columbia River.
Courtesy from Port of Columbia County
The approval came at the county commissioners regular public meeting Wednesday, Sept. 22. The decision follows deliberations on the rezone efforts during the board of commissioner's July meeting.
The commissioners previously approved the rezone application in 2014 and 2018.
In its 2018 ruling, the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) remanded the application back to Columbia County for additional information on one point, asking for further analysis that the five allowed uses for the rezone property can be reasonably compatible with neighboring farms.
“We are pleased that the Columbia County Commissioners continue to agree with the Port’s assessment that responsible industrial and agricultural uses can exist together as good neighbors as they have historically,” Columbia County Port Executive Director Doug Hayes said. “The Port has effectively answered the question of compatibility and now looks forward to moving in a positive direction for economic development in north Columbia County.”
Port Westward is a deep-water port with existing dock facilities and direct access to the 43-foot federal navigation channel in the Columbia River. The 837-acre expansion area at Port Westward will address the need, both at the local and state level, for industrial land.
Prior to the rezone, there was no developable acreage at Port Westward that was not encumbered with wetlands, conservation easements, existing rural industrial facilities, transmission lines, or long-term leases.
In its application the Port identified the deep-water port at Port Westward as the “unique resource” justifying the rezone, as specifically allowed in Oregon Administrative Rules. As a result, any business wanting to locate on the rezone property must be significantly dependent on the river port.
The Port further limited the rezone property to five allowable uses:
Forestry and Wood Products processing, production, storage, and transportation
Dry Bulk Commodities transfer, storage, production, and processing
Liquid Bulk Commodities processing, storage, and transportation
Natural Gas and derivative products, processing, storage, and transportation
Breakbulk storage, transportation, and processing
“It’s worth noting that LUBA has never denied the Port’s rezone application,” Hayes said. “The application was remanded by LUBA, which means they sent it back for additional information, analysis, and consideration at the local level. This is a common process for significant land use decisions.”
While there has been support for the rezone based on its economic opportunities, there has also been opposition based on concerns about farm land erosion and environmental issues such as flooding and pollution.
Environmental watchdog Columbia Riverkeeper's Conservation Director Dan Serres said in a published interview in The Chief in July following the commissioners deliberations about the rezone, that his group will appeal the commissioner's decision to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.
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1. Be Civil. No bullying, name calling, or insults.
2. Keep it Clean and Be Nice. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
3. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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