Wasco County Commissioners held a lengthy discussion Wednesday with an Oregon Department of Energy representative about the permitting process for a proposed 1,000 megawatt solar photovoltaic energy generation facility with a battery storage system on over 13,600 acres of primarily private land zoned for exclusive farm use about ten miles southwest of Maupin. Much of the talk centered on the input the County will have on the project. County Planning Department Director Daniel Daughtry told the Commission what they are looking at as they review the application and prepare comment, particularly conditional use permit review. The project is still in the application process, with the Energy Department’s Kathleen Sloan noting the developing company, DECH, has been asked to provide more information. Public comment and a hearing will be part of the next phase of work.
Category: Uncategorized
HR County Commissions Appoints Odell Committee Members
Hood River County Commissioners appointed four people from 17 candidates to serve on an Odell Urban Unincorporated Plan Advisory Committee that will review documents related to development of such a plan and provide feedback to County staff and their consultants. Juan Reyes, Ken Goe, Sara Duckwall, and Liliana Lachino were selected from the group of hopefuls that Commissioners praised for their willingness to be involved. Commissioner Ed Weathers said the variety of viewpoints is important. The advisory Committee will meet up to four times between now and May 2027. It will be weighing in on topics that include a final community boundary location, future zoning designations, development standards, and other related topics to help guide how Odell grows in the future.
Port of HR Asks For Developer Ideas For Marina Building Properties
The Port of Hood River Commission approved issuing a request for developer interest for both the Marina East and West building properties. The about 2.6 acres currently is the location of a small and aging commercial building that includes the Motor Vehicles Division office. Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says as the Port ceases to use Interstate Bridge tolls they will be looking at maximizing their other revenue opportunities to maintain park and waterfront services. He says this step falls short of actually seeking formal proposals for the properties. The Marina East and West properties are currently zoned C-2 Commercial. Utilities are available at each site, though upgrades may be required depending on redevelopment scale.
URA Board Approves Extension For Basalt Commons
The Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency Board approved a second six-month extension of two funding agreements with Hanlon Development for the proposed Basalt Commons mixed use commercial and residential development on East 3rd at the site of the former Griffith Motors building. The agreements for Urban Renewal to provide up to $1 million for systems development charges and a $730,000 direct equity contribution to support project feasibility were about to expire. The extension was requested to allow sufficient time to complete remaining third party approvals and finalize the financing and permit requirements necessary to initiate construction. URA Manager Jacob Anderson told the board the project still represents the best opportunity for housing development in downtown The Dalles. Basalt Commons is currently proposed to include 116 units of housing.
White Salmon Schools Prepare For Next Step After Bond Vote
With voter approval of a bond measure to create a K-12 campus to replace the aging Whitson Elementary School in hand, White Salmon Valley School District officials will now start the journey toward actually building it. District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says he will meet with their project management group next week to determine the next layer of work. Determining when to sell the bonds will be high on the list, in conjunction with a financial analyst in the management group. Polkinghorn adds that hiring an architect will be another near-term priority. He says the expectation is to construct the K-12 campus within four years.
February 17 Prep Basketball Roundup
Boys Basketball
Southwest Washington 1A District Tourney: Hoquiam 54, Columbia 42 (loser out)
Girls Basketball
Big Sky Conference Playoff: Trout Lake 56, Spray-Mitchell-Wheeler 31: The Mustangs advance to a semi-final match-up with Ione-Arlington on Thursday.
Big Sky Conference Playoff: South Wasco 47, Sherman 27: The Redsides will visit regular season league champion Dufur on Thursday evening.
Three Injured In Monday Morning Accident On Highway 197 Bridge
Three people were injured in a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Highway 197 and Bret Clodfelter Way in The Dalles on Monday morning.
According to The Dalles Police Department, the accident involved an Oregon State Police Fish and Game K-9 unit and two commercial vehicles, an unloaded log truck and a semi-truck and trailer.
Two OSP troopers were injured an taken to Portland area hospitals, and are in stable condition.
The driver of one of the commercial motor vehicles was also injured and transported to a medical facility
The K-9 was not injured.
The intersection was closed for most of Monday.
The Dalles Police say the investigation is ongoing, and they are asking for anybody who has information regarding this crash to call them at 541-296-2613 and reference case number D26-0261.
Cherry Festival To Be Headquartered On Fourth Street
The Northwest Cherry Festival in The Dalles this spring will be headquartered on Fourth Street from Federal to not quite all the way to Union Street. The festival had to move off of First Street as renovations there will be taking place for at least a year. The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says they have worked with the City of The Dalles to make the decision to move to Fourth Street. She realizes this will be inconvenient for some businesses on Fourth Street, but they are working to lessen the impact. Farquharson says the Chamber and the City will be releasing further details on the Festival’s new location in the very near future. The Cherry Fest will be the weekend of April 24th to the 26th.
Port of Hood River To Transition To New Parking App
The Port of Hood River is transitioning to a new mobile app for paid parking in the Waterfront area. Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says they will start using the same app the City of Hood River uses for parking, which should be more convenient for users. The parking arrangements on the Waterfront won’t change, just the app that is used for people to make payments. Greenwood notes as the Port transitions away from bridge toll revenue to backfill waterfront recreation costs, the paid parking established three years ago has become an important part of paying for those services.
Big River CLT Receives Grant For Affordable Home Development
Big River Community Land Trust says it has been awarded a $2 million federal grant to put toward developing 40 affordable homes in the Hood River area. Big River CLT recently acquired 2.7 acres on Avalon Drive to create a cluster of affordable homes. The organization says the grant will allow it to accelerate planning, site preparation, and construction for moderately sized homes set up to remain affordable through the community land trust model. Big River CLT says it is about halfway to its $4 million goal to cover development expenses and administrative costs, and is turning to the community for additional support to reach that target. Those wishing to help can go to bigriverclt.org.