Okay. Good evening,
commissioners. Planning
Commission, public and staff. I
would like to call this hybrid
public hearing to order for
Thursday, March 19th, 2026. My
name is Carl Johnson. I'm the
chairman of the Clark County
Planning Commission. The role
of the Planning Commission is
to review and analyze
comprehensive plan amendments,
zoning changes and other land
use related issues. We follow a
public process, including
holding hearings, during which
the public has the opportunity
to provide additional
perspectives and information
and legislative matters. The
role of the Planning Commission
is advisory. The county Council
will hold separate hearings,
consider our recommendations
and then they will make the
final determination. The
Planning Commission will
conduct a public hearing
tonight and take testimony. All
public comments received before
tonight's hearing have been
sent to PC members and entered
into the public record. County
staff will first present first
and then the Planning
Commission can ask questions.
Next, we'll invite the
applicant to speak if there is
one, and then the members of
the public who wish to provide
testimony. When we get to the
public comment portions of our
agenda, we will provide more
information on how to
participate, vote virtually and
in person. However, if you are
in person tonight and wish to
provide a comment on a hearing
agenda item, please sign up via
the sign in sheet at the back
of the room during public
testimony. You have three
minutes to speak and remarks
should be directed to the
Planning Commission only.
Please do not repeat testimony
that has already been provided.
At the conclusion of the public
testimony, staff and the
applicant may respond to the
comments and the public portion
of the hearing will then be
closed. The Planning Commission
will then deliberate and make a
recommendation to the City
County Council for both virtual
and in-person members of the
Planning Commission and staff.
Please ensure that your
microphones are muted unless
you are speaking. Planning
Commission members. When you
make a motion or a second
motion, please state your name
for the court. Reporter.
Conflicts of interest. Do any
members of the Planning
Commission have any conflict of
interest related to tonight's
hearing items? No. Hearing or
seeing none. We will move on to
a roll call and introduction of
guests. Did I miss one? Okay,
Jeff, can we get a roll call
right now?
>> Ryan Halbert. Here. Mark
Bergfeld. Here. Kyle Vanise
here. Ron Barker, Jack Roeun
here. Ayisha Doerk. Montgomery
here. Carl Johnson here.
>> With that said, we'll move
into general business. Can I
get approval for the agenda?
Excuse me. A motion and a
second for the approval of the
agenda for March 19th, 2026.
>> Commissioner Montgomery, I
will move.
>> Commissioner Halbert. I will
second that motion.
>> We have a motion and a
second. Jeff, can we get a roll
call, please?
>> Brian Halbert. I Mark
Bergfeld. I Kyle Fadwa's I.
Jack Karen I Alicia Montgomery.
>> I.
>> Carl Johnson A60.
>> Motion passes. Next up, can
we get a motion and a second
for the approval of minutes for
January 15th, 2026?
>> Commissioner Bergthold, I'll
make a motion to approve those
minutes.
>> Commissioner Roeun. I'll
second.
>> We have a motion and a
second. Jeff. Can we.
>> Brian Halbert. I Boerke
Bareford. I Kyle Fadwa's I Jack
Karen I Alicia Montgomery
abstain.
>> I don't think I was there.
>> Carl Johnson I50 with one
abstention.
>> Finally, can we get approval
for the minutes for January
29th 2026.
>> Commissioner Bergthold again
I'll go ahead and approve those
minutes. Motion to approve.
>> Commissioner, in a second.
>> We have a motion and a
second. Jeff, can we get a roll
call?
>> Brian Halbert. I Mark
Bergthold. I Kyle Vanise I.
Jack Karen. I Alicia Montgomery.
I Carl Johnson I60.
>> Motion passes. Next section
is communication from the
public. This is for items that
are not listed on our agenda.
Is there anybody from the
public that wishes to speak on
any items that are not listed
on our agenda? I don't see now,
is there any from there? Okay,
Jeff, we'll skip the section
right now and move on to the
next part. Again. We are now
going to the main section of it.
If you are providing public
testimony in person, we need
you to sign up in the sheet in
the back of the room. If you're
joining remotely, instructions
will be provided at the
appropriate time by staff. So
first up, we have open space
applications staff present
presenters will be Hunter
Decker, Clark County Forester.
Gentleman.
>> Good evening, Planning
Commissioners again. My name is
Hunter Decker, the Clark County
Forester for Public Works. And
tonight I'm presenting the 2025
Current Use Assessment request
for the Open Space
Classification, which will
become effective for the 2026
assessment year. If approved by
council, I'll briefly go over
the program background and the
applicable criteria, and then
the three applications that
staff reviewed this year. Next
slide please. So the open space
program originates from the
Open Space Taxation Act, which
was created by the Washington
state legislature to maintain,
preserve and conserve open
space lands for the benefit of
natural resources, scenic
beauty, and the overall
well-being of the public. The
program is governed by state
law under our c, W, 84.34 and
Wanke 458 dash 30, along with
Clark County Code 3.08, and the
state program includes three
classifications open Space land,
which we will be reviewing
tonight. Then there is also
farm and agriculture land,
which is not part of the review
tonight. And also Timberland,
which was merged with the
designated Forest Land program
in 2024. So tonight's
presentation only addresses the
open space classifications, not
farm or timber classifications.
Next slide please. The current
use applications are reviewed
jointly with the Assessor's
office and our public works.
Department's applications are
typically submitted toward the
end of the calendar year
preceding the assessment year,
and then the requests are
processed in the same manner as
the Comprehensive Plan
amendment as required by our C,
W 8434 dot O37. So this means
that the request must be
reviewed by the Planning
Commission before being
forwarded to the Clark County
Council for final approval. And
this is the 35th year that
Clark County has reviewed these
current use assessment
applications. Next slide please.
So again, the current use
program has been in place since
1970. And historically Clark
County, we've enrolled
thousands of acres into the
open space classification. So
for example, here in 2019, you
know, there was 8796 acres
across 582 owners. And then as
of 2026, there's 4000 acres,
4625 acres across 245 owners.
So the table kind of shows the
difference there with the
market value and current use
value, which reflects the tax
incentive provided for
landowners who preserve these
qualifying open space resources.
Next slide please. So Clark
County Code identifies several
categories that can qualify for
open space. These include the
conservation and enhancement of
natural resources, the stream
protection, soil conservation,
enhancement of recreational
opportunities, and historical
sites. These local categories
align with the broader intent
of the state's Open Space
program, which focuses on
protecting the environmental
resources, the scenic
landscapes, wildlife habitat
and other historical
significant areas. Next slide
please. And so for the 2020
2025 review cycle, the county
received three open space
classification applications.
After review, we determined
that two of the applications
qualify for historical sites
under Clark County Code
3.08.060, and then the last one
qualifies for stream protection
under Clark County Code 3.08040,
and the current use fee is
$2,282, which includes the
processing fee and review fee.
Next slide please. There are
several key criteria that are
required for all open space
applications and for the
classification itself. First,
the parcel size requirements
under the code require them to
be at least ten contiguous
acres excluded of one acre home
site, unless the application
qualifies under special
categories such as historical
sites. Second, all open space
tracts must comply with our
Clark County's Noxious Weed
Control program, which is
administered by our county's
vegetation Management program.
So as long as they maintain
their property with the.
Accordance with our county's
weed control requirements, they
would qualify. Next slide
please. So the first, the
historical site category allows
lands and lands that contain
the structures or sites of
historical significance to
qualify. And so they must be
listed on a local, state or
national historical register
and the property must be
protected as such. Unlike other
open space categories, these
historical tracks may be
smaller than five acres
provided that they meet the
requirements. Next slide please.
So the first application is the
William Frederick Kaufman House.
The applicant's requesting 0.52
acres, and it's located at 8104
northeast 107th Avenue. The on
site review confirmed the
presence of the William
Frederick Kaufman House that
was built in 1912 and is listed
on our Clark County's register.
Because the structure is
recognized and meets the
criteria, staff recommends
approval of the 0.52 acres.
Next slide, please. This slide
shows the location of the
Kaufman House property within
the county, along with the
aerial imagery and the specific
parcel that's proposed for the
classification there. Next
slide please. And then these
photos are show the pictures of
the structure and courtesy of
our county's GIS system. Next
slide please. The second
applications for the bakery
building that's located at 506
Washington Street in Vancouver.
The applicants requested 0.09
acres for the open space
classification. Historically,
the building housed a
blacksmith and machinist shop
in the late 1800s and later
became a royal, became the
Royal Bakery Baking Company. In
1911. The building's listed on
the Clark County's Heritage
Register and therefore meets
the criteria for our open space
preservation and staff
recommends approval of the 0.09
acres. Next slide please. And
this slide shows the location
of the bakery building downtown
Vancouver, along with the
parcel that's outlined. Next
slide please. These images are
show the historic and the
compared to its current
condition today. Next slide
please. So the final category
that's relevant tonight is the
stream protection under Clark
County Code 3.08.040. This
classification designations for
land that protects streams,
water resources or shorelines
of the state and qualifying
tracks must be contiguous to or
straddling major streams
designated as shorelines of the
state or identified in the
county's Shoreline Master
Program. Next slide please. So
the last application, located
at 19502 North East 19th Street,
is the open space
classification under stream
protection. For a portion of
this larger. Outlined in the
yellow is a 38 acre parcel. I
think it's on the next slide I
talk about. Yeah. So and so as
shown here, it's along the
Lacamas Creek area, which is
designated shoreline of the
state, and it's regulated under
the county's Shoreline Master
program. The highlighted area
represents the portion where
the corridor and the associated
vegetation along the creek. Had
been evaluated for the
compliance of the code. Next
slide please. And so the kind
of the key code for this is
looking at the minimum ten
contiguous acres for open space,
exclusive of home site. And so
during the from, from the time
of our work session and to the
hearing and in making new maps,
the county's GIS system had re
mapped the parcels. So it came
up to a. You know, originally
it was submitted 11.43 acres.
But, you know, during the
updated records, the two
parcels, they're now two
parcels that total 11.37 acres.
So under our Clark County code,
3.08.040 stream protection
classification applies to
tracks that are contiguous to
or straddle shorelines of the
state, which this site does. An
important distinction here is
that the shoreline management
area itself is less than ten
acres, but the code does not
require the shoreline polygon
to independently meet the
minimum acreage threshold.
Instead, the minimum acreage
applies to the track being
classified. Additionally,
because the property was
created through the subdivision,
3.08.090 requires each lot or
parcel to meet the the ten acre
minimum. So which here is
satisfied. So based on this,
the proposed 11.37 acre track
meets all the criteria and
staff recommends approval of
the 11.37 acres. Next slide
please. And so here's a little
closer look of how the acreage
is configured. Of the 11.37
acres, you see the 7.43 acre
parcel in the upper portion,
and then the 3.94 acre there on
the lower side. So these tracks
together meet that 11.37 acres.
Next slide please. And that
concludes the presentation
tonight. And happy to answer
any questions you may have.
Thank you.
>> Okay, questions for staff.
Just make sure you let our
recorder know who's speaking.
And of course slowly any
questions?
>> As Commissioner Haroun, just
a quick question on slide four.
I was just reading it just for
curiosity. The open space land
in 2019 was 8796 acres, and
2026 is like half of that is.
So we've actually gone
backwards from open space
classification. Is that what am
I reading that correctly or.
>> So I wouldn't say backwards,
but you know, every transaction
between, you know, landowners,
sellers, buyers, they have the
opportunity to continue the use.
And so when people do land
transactions, and if they were
in open space, they may have
opted out and, and paid the
back taxes.
>> Taxes.
>> Yeah.
>> Thank you.
>> Any other questions?
>> Yeah. Hunter. Commissioner
Halbert here just on back to
Fairview Slope, lot 12. So will
that be an independent track
from all the other tracks that
are in that subdivision, or are
they be two tracks or just one
track?
>> Yeah, it would be. So in our
GIS system it would still be
two parcels, but for the open
space classification it would
be one tracked.
>> Gotcha. But it's it is a
tracked or it's a it's a parcel
that is identifiable. Yeah.
>> So it would be in GIS. It
would be identified as two
independent tax parcels, both
with the current use
classification applied to them.
>> Fair. Thanks.
>> Any other questions from
commission? Okay. With that
said we'll bring it back. We're
now here. Public testimony for
tonight's hearing. Oral
testimony should be directed at
the Planning Commission. The
Planning Commission will
consider all public comments as
they deliberate and vote on the
recommendation of the council.
So we'll start off. Is there
anybody that was there, any
sign up sheet?
>> There's one person who wants
to speak.
>> One person wants to speak.
Okay, so we'll start with that
public testimony. Let me bring
that person up. Do we have any
other comments? Yeah. Go ahead
sir and make sure you state
your name please.
>> Good evening Spencer. Better
than planning for project
management specifically.
>> I can't hear him.
>> Is this better? Okay.
>> Started your name again.
>> So further. Sure. All right.
Good evening. My name is
Spencer Vetter. I'm a project
manager for Pacific Lifestyle
Homes. I worked on developing
this property. I want to thank
the commissioners for allowing
me this time to talk. And thank
you to Kevin and Hunter for
putting these slides together.
I'll keep my comments brief,
but I just wanted to touch on
the two parcels. They were
created as two parcels because
this subdivision was originally
proposed as a three phase
subdivision. So these are we
plotted two phases together. So
this is a track from a phase
one and from a phase two. It
would otherwise be managed the
same and manage the same way by
the HOA company. A little bit
more. Fleshing out on this
project is this this open space
will be a benefit to the future
residents for their enjoyment.
It was previously farmed by the
Schnell family, and this is a
continuation of of that space.
If there are any questions, I'm
I'm happy to answer them.
>> Any questions for the
applicant? Okay. Thank you very
much. I appreciate your
comments.
>> And he spelled his last name,
please.
>> Yeah. Thank you.
>> It's better V as in Victor,
E t e r.
>> Thank you sir. Okay. With
that said, there's only that
was the only one on the list.
Okay. Do we have any online.
Okay with none back online,
we'll bring it back to the
Planning Commission for
deliberations. Are there any.
Comments from the Planning
Commission regarding this? Or I
would signal for a motion or a
second if you'd like.
>> I like that the applicants
are taking advantage of these
tax incentives to preserve
their open space and their that
single family or that residence
and that building downtown. I
think this is a great program
to help them continue to
maintain some of our historic
buildings and properties around.
So great, great program.
>> Thank you. Anybody? Lost?
Okay, that said I same way I
like the historical pictures
too. Thanks for that. I mean,
it just gives me a better I,
you know, I mean, I'm sure it's
the same, but I was like, oh,
that's really trippy kind of
what it was and the history of
it. So it was nice, a good
presentation. Thank you. It's
always good to see you guys.
Appreciate your time. With that
said, I would unless someone
else would like to comment, I'd
be consider a motion.
>> This is Commissioner Fadness
I move to approve the three
requests as presented.
>> This. Commissioner Haroon I
second it.
>> I'll second.
>> We have many seconds. Cyndie
you can choose one. With that
said, we have a motion and a
second. Jeff, can we get a roll
call please?
>> Brian Halpert. I Mark
Bergfeld. I Kyle Fadness I Jack
Karen I Alicia Montgomery. I
Carl Johnson I60.
>> Motion passes. With that
said, we'll go to number five.
Is there any unfinished
business?
>> This is Ludwick Montgomery.
I just wanted to correct
earlier when we were approving
prior minutes, I misspoke
saying I wasn't at one of the
meetings and it was actually
the March 5th work session I
wasn't at. I don't think we
need to revote on anything. I
just wanted to correct my own
misstatement.
>> So we can correct correct
that. For the record. Thank you.
No problem. Is there any new
business comments from members
of the Planning Commission?
Just for me. And again, I know
for for me, I have spring break
coming up for as a teacher. So
April and I know I've talked to
Jeff about just the general
concept. And Jeff, you can
always correct me here if you
want to, but it looks like we
will not have a hearing
tentatively right now or work
session until the 16th of April.
And then we would have a
hearing based on whatever Jose
or Oliver said. Correct?
>> You're correct. We are not
having any meetings on April
2nd. We may be having a work
session on April 16th, and we
will definitely be having a
work session and a hearing in
May. So right now, that's
that's the current schedule. We
will let you all know next week
if we will be having a work
session on April 16th.
>> Awesome. Thank you. Jeff. I
just to plan your lives ahead.
Is that all I wanted to do? So
with that said, if there's
nothing else, we'll call for an
adjournment. Good to see
everybody. Hope you have a
great week. Bye bye.