The Clark County Council has signed off on a report and model for vacant property in the county which eventually will help the county make changes as it plans for growth.
During its June 21 meeting, the county council voted 3-2 to approve a Buildable Lands Report and Vacant Buildable Lands Model. The process to create the report and model played out through a monthslong hearing, which finally concluded earlier this month.
Generally, the model and report analyze the types and amount of buildable land available in Clark County through 2035. According to the analysis, the county has sufficient land for residential, commercial and industrial development through that timeframe.
Not everyone with a stake in the model and report’s development believes that conclusion to be the case. Clark County Council Chair Karen Bowerman, who voted against its approval, pointed to a number of points in the work which caused her concern. A number of those issues were raised by representatives of building, real estate and economic development interests in the county.
“There are many things that I find inappropriate or unacceptable for Clark County in this buildable lands report,” Bowerman said.
Of those issues, she said the report looks into 2035 population estimates, which is in conflict with the report’s ostensible focus on past development. She also took issue with the report’s conclusion that the county will be able to accommodate the growth with the land designations it has.
“No way in my judgment from our accommodating … the employers who have an interest in coming to Clark County, does that statement fly,” Bowerman said.
She also said the report’s methodology isn’t in sync with what economic development organizations see when they try to find land that meets specific market criteria for businesses looking to set up shop in Clark County. With regard to residential development, she said the model eliminates opportunities “for equity and associated appreciation and generational wealth.”
The report and model, as approved, feature a few adjustments requested by the project’s advisory committee. Bowerman said input from a coalition of building industry interests “is almost completely stripped” from the report, and suggested it was refined from the coalition that was omitted.
Clark County Community Planning Director Oliver Orjiako responded to Bowerman’s concerns, which he said could largely be addressed during the county’s 2025 update to its comprehensive growth management plan.
“Nothing in this report prevents us from having conversations on what to do with land for jobs. Nothing in this report prevents the county and the cities addressing affordable housing,” Orjiako said.
Bowerman was joined by Richard Rylander in voting against the approval. Councilor Gary Medvigy, who alongside councilors Temple Lentz and Julie Olson voted for approval, said “nothing has been lost” from the past year of input by building real estate and economic development interests.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us … and a lot of policy decisions yet to be made,” Medvigy said.
The county was just shy of the June 30 deadline to submit the report to the Washington State Department of Commerce.
