Based on public input, Planning Department staff have been researching a variety of possible land use solutions to address specific challenges in Wasco County. Continue reading “Land Use Planning Solutions”
Oregon’s Current Workforce Gaps
The State of Oregon Employment Department recently released a report analyzing difficult to fill job openings and job vacancies in Oregon. You can download or read the full report here:
https://www.qualityinfo.org/documents/10182/13336/Oregon%27s+Current+Workforce+Gaps?version=1.1
Water Conservation Public Input Results
Thank you to all participants at events and online! We got great feedback from people on how to leverage the land use planning program to help support conservation of water resources.
Results from the survey are closely aligned with what we heard at events; by in large, the community emphasized incentives and education as the best strategies for Wasco County 2040 to focus on when developing policy for water conservation.
Here are the results from the survey:
Wasco County Planning staff is currently preparing a report that analyzes all input during the last several months and offering some recommendations for Wasco County 2040 which will be initially presented to the Planning Commission in August.
We encourage you to attend our hearings, and submit comments online at any time.
If you are looking for more information about water conservation in Wasco County, we encourage you to visit the Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District website for various resources.
You can also learn more about water rights, wells, drought, water conservation, and various other water related issues impacting Oregon by visiting the Oregon Water Resources Department‘s website.
Economic Development and Housing
Mid Columbia Economic Development District, in conjunction with a Columbia Gorge Economic Development steering committee, conducted seven regional outreach sessions in 2016 to develop a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) for counties in the Columbia Gorge region. This includes Wasco County.
The CEDS includes some basic demographic data as well as economic data that provides context for many of the strategies that resulted from the planning process. The priority goals that were identified were:
- Housing
- Financial capital and entrepreneurial environment
- Workforce
- Infrastructure
- Regulatory Environment
Several challenges and opportunities identified under these goals have implications for land use planning.
Staff has prepared a white paper about housing and economic development in Wasco County to provide an in depth look on an area that relates to two land use planning goals (Goal 9 and Goal 10) we will be looking at during the Wasco County 2040 process.