New comp plan adds to urban areas
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Clark County’s urban areas will grow by a total of 19 square miles under the 20-year comprehensive land use plan approved Sept. 25 by the Clark County commissioners.
Changes to the cities’ urban growth boundaries will become effective in January 2008. The plan adds 12,000 acres to urban areas.
County Commissioner Betty Sue Morris said, “It’s an excellent plan. I’m very pleased.”
“People and the press keep talking about 19 square miles, but there are 656 square miles total in Clark County. It’s a big county,” she said.
Commission Chairman Steve Stuart said, “There are some really good aspects of this plan, but I have some concerns about how it will play out over the next 20 years.”
Annexation of the urban growth areas cannot take place until cities have provided infrastructure to the areas, but Marty Snell of the county’s community planning said that cities can begin annexation processes before January.
The cities are expected to update plans showing how they will provide facilities and infrastructure to the new urban growth areas.
Two organizations originally said they would appeal the new plan. Futurewise, a statewide organization that works to protect farms and forests, said that it would wait 30 days before deciding on an appeal, giving the county time to prepare a plan to protect farm land.
“At this time we’re considering an appeal,” said April Putney, a field organization for Futurewise. “We won’t file until after a hearing on the transfer of development rights.”
Stuart has proposed that the county impose a transfer of development rights (TDR) fee to be paid by developers and go to farmers to supplement agriculture income. Stuart has said the plan would allow farmers to continue farming without serious income losses.
“We see a loss of 3,600 acres of farm land to urban uses. That may be an 8 or 9 percent loss,” Putny said, adding that approval of TDR “could” make a difference.
Stuart said he hopes to have a TDR plan ready for consideration by the commissioners in about a month.
“I’m concerned about a loss of farming. Farming was at risk before the urban boundaries were moved,” he said.
Morris, however, said the plan does not necessarily result in a loss of farm land.
“If anybody has any farm land inside the urban growth boundaries, they can continue farming. The (farming) parcels that came in were added at the owners’ request.”
John Karpinski of the Clark County Natural Resources Council has also indicated that he will appeal. Karpinski could not be reached for comment before The Reflector deadline, but Snell said he believes that the Resources Council will also wait until a TDR plan is discussed.
Morris said she has not decided whether to support the TDR plan.
“TDR is a potential success or a potential boondogle,” she said. “I’m going to do a lot of reading about it.”
Dave Andersen of the state Department of Community Trade and Economic Development said the county’s comprehensive plan converts more acreage to urban use than other plans around the state.
“It’s unusual to see something of this size,” Andersen said. “This plan was done on the heels of the 2004 expansion plan. It’s pretty unusual that you see two big expansion plans so close together.”
Like Futurewise, the state Department of Trade and Economic Development has concerns about the prospective loss of farm land and has recommended that the county look at TDRs as “one method to more adequately protect the many acres of prime agricultural lands found in Clark County.”
The county’s 2004 comprehensive plan was overturned by the commissioners in 2005 when work on the current plan began.
The county will examine rural areas and agriculture in 2008, Snell said.
The commissioners also approved new transportation impact fees (TIF) Sept. 25, establishing a fee for rural lands near urban areas and rural lands away from urban areas.
“We raised the TIF substantially,” Morris said. “We feel this plan is funded more than the 2004 plan was funded.”
Spokespersons for the north county cities said they were generally satisfied with the county’s plan. Battle Ground, Ridgefield and La Center will see increases to their urban growth areas, with La Center more than doubling in size over the next 20 years.
La Center Planner Dale Miller said the city had hoped for greater acreage for industrial use under the plan, and the city lost land that could be used to develop a second bridge across the East Fork of the Lewis River.
“We got almost everything we asked for,” Miller said. “We have some capital facilities development issues.”
The loss of the Eagle Crest subdivision, zoned for five acre lots, and the surrounding area could prevent the city from building the second bridge, he said.
A portion of the property on both sides of the I-5 interchange has been zoned for employment center-business park, commercial and high-density residential. The city had asked for more industrial zoning.

Groundbreaking set for new BG library
Fundraising continues, goal in sight
A groundbreaking ceremony is set for Thurs., Oct. 4, for a new home for the Battle Ground Community Library.
Construction of the new building will not actually begin until sometime next year because the building drawings are not finished and building permits have not been obtained.
The project received a boost last week with the announcement of a $50,000 grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. That grant was in the works for about a year.
About $287,000 remains to be raised for the $3.4 million project, but enough money is in hand for the construction of the building shell. The remaining funds will be used primarily for interior finishing and inventory.
Don and Jane Higgins, who co-chair the fundraising effort, said the the Paul Allen Family Foundation grant is contingent on a local match of the same amount. The match money must be raised by Oct. 1, 2008, to obtain the Allen grant money.
The fundraising group has another $51,000 available in uncollected pledges, leaving the remaining balance to be raised at about $236,000.
Fundraising for the new library building began in February 2004. The Fort Vancouver Regional Library District pledged the value of the sale of the 1st and Clark Building ($563,000), which was acquired as a possible site for the new library but sold for use as a church. The Library District also pledged the value of the current library building, estimated at $150,000, and additional funds from the District budget ($750,000).
Developer Dennis Pavlina, whose Battle Ground Village development on SE Grace Ave. will be the library’s new home, committed $951,400.
Other funding has come from the Meyer Memorial Trust ($250,000), an anonymous donor ($100,000), and New Tradition Homes ($15,000 plus a $45,000 pledge). New Tradition will construct homes in the Battle Ground Village development.
About $212,000 has come from pancake breakfasts, book sales, gifts and miscellaneous fundraisers.
About $62,000 in interest will have been earned by the end of 2007, with more interest expected before the accumulated funding is actually spent.
Public invited to buy bricks
A sale of bricks has begun, said Jane Higgins. Bricks will be engraved with the name(s) of the donor and installed in the sidewalk around the outside the new library building. A 12-inch square brick will sell for $100, and a 4-inch by 8-inch brick will sell for $50.
Those buying multiple bricks may request that their bricks be assembled in groups such as families with names of children or grandchildren on each brick. Each brick may contain three lines of type with 15 letters or characters per line, including spaces.
People interested in buying a brick or bricks may fill out forms available at the current library, or by calling Jane Higgins, 666-5865.
Major donors can choose to have their name attached to library features. Items remaining to be named include the fireplace for which a $25,000 donation is sought, a recorded books area at $10,000, a microfilm cabinet at $1,000, and numerous benches, chairs, rooms, reading areas, and more.
Architects have developed depictions of the exterior of the new building, revised somewhat from previous drawings. In more recent drawings, the main entrance door has been moved from a corner to a more central location.
Drawings of the exterior of the new library may be viewed at the current library, located at the corner of Main St. and Parkway Ave., Battle Ground.
Drawings, permits not ready
Dennis Pavlina said architects continue to work under the guidance of officials of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Pavlina estimated that completed plans could be submitted to the city of Battle Ground for review in 2-3 weeks. The city’s first review period could require six weeks, said Pavlina, followed by 4-6 weeks of revisions and resubmittal to the city. The city’s second review period would also be 4-6 weeks, predicted Pavlina.
Building permits could be in hand by March 2008, said Pavlina. At that point, the start of construction would depend somewhat on the weather, he said.
“I’m being told by Bruce (Ziegman, director of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District) and his team that they want to occupy the building by the first of 2009,” said Pavlina.
Ziegman said it would be more realistic to forecast opening the library by spring or summer 2009.
Pavlina said he could cut the sub-grade and bring in base rock for the library building this fall under existing permits. “I have already submitted (to the city) civil engineering plans for parcel 7 which will contain the library,” said Pavlina. Once those plans are approved, said Pavlina, he would be able to proceed with utilities, parking lot and landscaping.
Pavlina said he expects civil engineering approval in two more weeks.
Agreement addendum underway construction
Pavlina said Ziegman is working with legal counsel to develop an addendum to the current agreement between himself and the Library District.
The current agreement gives the Library District an option to purchase 13,000 square feet of a 22,000 square foot building. The purchase option is set to expire on March 1, 2008.
The addendum will recognize that the library building will be only 13,000 square feet, and that the Library District would have an option to purchase contiguous bare land.
The public is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony set for Thurs., Oct. 4, 10 a.m., at the new library site which is about two blocks east of SE Grace Ave. near Rasmussen Blvd.