🔥“Why Are They Here?” - Skamania’s Fiery Land-Use Showdown at 10/7 Planning Meeting
“Why are they here, when we own the land?” After years of lawsuits and debate, Skamania’s Planning Commission voted 5–2 to open part of Underwood’s ridge to residential use, rejecting Friends of the Gorge’s bid to keep it forest-zoned.
🏛 Skamania County Planning Commission – October 7, 2025
Topic: Zoning of Unmapped Lands near North Underwood
Outcome: Commission voted 5–2 to recommend Option 1, rezoning part of the land as Residential (R10) and retaining the rest as Commercial Resource Lands (CRL40).
🗺 Background: 13 Years of “Unmapped Lands”
This hearing was the culmination of a zoning process that has stretched since 2012, when Friends of the Columbia Gorge (Friends) and Save Our Scenic Area sued Skamania County, claiming the county was out of compliance with the state’s Planning Enabling Act and Growth Management Act for failing to designate all privately owned “natural resource lands.”
đź”— Columbian coverage of the legal case (2020)
To avoid further litigation, the county began zoning all unmapped private lands in 2016. By 2019, nearly all were designated except for about 2,028 acres near Underwood, previously tied up in the Whistling Ridge Energy Project. That wind-farm proposal kept zoning changes frozen under state law (RCW 80.50.090) until the project was formally terminated in July 2024.
This area lies outside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (NSA) - yet Friends of the Gorge has continued to intervene in these local zoning proceedings, a point of ongoing frustration for county staff and property owners.
🧠The Four Zoning Options Considered
Lead planner Josh Neblock summarized the choices:
- Option 1 (Recommended & Adopted) – Split zoning: ~240 acres R10 residential, remainder CRL40 forestry.
- Option 2 – Forest Agriculture/CRL40 mix (maintains working forest use).
- Option 3 – Same as 2, but extends forestry zoning to adjacent DNR land.
- Option 4 – All lands remain CRL40 (the strict conservation option).
Option 1 was supported by landowners and Broughton Lumber Company; Options 3 & 4 were backed by Friends and other conservation groups.
đź—Ł Public Testimony: Local Frustration vs. Outside Influence
The hearing drew about 28 attendees, with more landowners speaking than at July’s meeting. One Underwood landowner spoke emotionally:
“My dad bought our property in 1957. It has been destroyed for us and my family because of all the regulations that have been put on us. Why are [Friends of the Gorge] here, when we own the land? Us that live here.”
Friends of the Columbia Gorge attorney Nathan Baker and planner Nick Kraemer again urged the commission to reject residential zoning, arguing that Option 1 violated the Growth Management Act and that “the Comprehensive Plan is your Constitution.” They insisted that zoning must follow “natural boundaries” and long-term conservation policies, not landowner requests.
By contrast, local residents and several commissioners pushed back on the continued interference by organizations not based in Skamania County like Friends of the Gorge, especially given that these parcels are not subject to the NSA’s federal oversight.
🔥 Key Themes in the Discussion
- Wildfire Risk: Some residents raised concerns about adding homes to steep, fire-prone ridgelines, referencing the Tunnel 5 Fire. Commissioners noted that private owners bear responsibility for infrastructure and fire access in such areas.
- Infrastructure: Commissioner Paul Hendricks questioned who pays for long-term maintenance of roads and power if development occurs; others countered that homes would be self-financed, some even off-grid.
- Property Rights: Commissioner Anita Gahimer-Crow emphasized the need to respect private ownership: “It’s very wrong to not recognize private owner rights when we don’t have a firm justification for doing so.”
⚖️ The Vote
After limited debate, Commissioner Ann Lueders read a prepared statement arguing that “Skamania County has been hamstrung by lawmakers and interests external to our community.” She said Option 1 best “balances protection of resources with economic opportunity.”
Lueders motioned for approval, seconded by Ray Broughton, and the motion passed 5-2 (Perry and Hendricks opposed).
The decision officially ends more than a decade of limbo for these parcels, and represents a significant pushback against Friends of the Gorge’s influence in local land-use decisions.
đź“ś Next Steps
The Planning Commission’s recommendation will now move to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for final approval. If adopted, it will complete the county’s zoning of all previously unmapped lands, a process delayed for 13 years by external litigation and the now-defunct Whistling Ridge project.
At a glance:
- đź—“ Hearing date: Oct. 7, 2025
- 🗳 Vote: 5–2 for Option 1 (R10 + CRL40 mix)
- đź“Ť Area: ~2,000 acres west of Underwood Mountain (outside NSA)
- 🏛 Next step: Goes to BOCC for final action
Credits: Documenter notes by Caroline Elliott for Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
See the full report here → upliftlocal.news/underwood-zoning-decision-shows-strong-us-and-them-feelings-over-land-use