As a result of COVID-19, Wasco County Planning Department requested an extension from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) to postpone our hearing from April until September.  This necessitated us sending a new, updated notice to all property owners in Wasco County informing them of the revised timelines.

The notice opens with language required by state law to inform residents that proposed changes may impact the value or use of property and then gives some additional context for the proposed changes which include:

  • An Introduction Chapter
  • Revisions to the Plan Revisions Process Chapter
  • Revisions to the Goal Exception Chapter
  • Revisions to Goal 5 (Chapter 5)
  • Revisions to Goal 4 (Chapter 4)
  • Revisions to Goal 8 (Chapter 8)
  • Proposed Comprehensive Plan Zoning Map amendments

Staff also took the opportunity to also share some highlights from the multi-year project and upcoming long range planning efforts including the Land Use and Development Ordinance update which will be kicking off in 2021.  You can read a summary of that here.

The notice includes several links to this website, including an FAQ summary of proposed changes.

We also included a version in Spanish to ensure Spanish speaking residents are informed of the proposed revisions.  The main difference between the notices is that the Spanish notice directs citizens how to use the translation functions on this website and the Wasco County website.

The Planning Commission hearing on these proposed amendments will be heard electronically, via Zoom, on September 1st between 3pm and 5pm.  Although, based on some feedback at the Citizen Advisory Group work session on August 4th, staff will make minor revisions to some of the material, the packet presented at that work session will closely reflect the packet for the September 1st hearing.  You can view the packet by scrolling down the page and looking for the August 4th meeting packet here: https://www.co.wasco.or.us/departments/planning/agendas_and_minutes.php.   If you click on the More…hyperlink you can also view all the submitted comments to date about these revisions.