By a 4-3 vote following the latest state Land Use Board of Appeals remand on the matter, the Hood River City Council denied Wal-Mart’s application to expand its current facility on Cascade Avenue.  The final decision came after a series of votes as the Council added back members who had recused themselves due to potential bias.  The initial vote was 3-2 in favor of Wal-Mart being able to expand under what it claims were rights granted when the store was first approved over twenty years ago, but four votes are required to pass any motion.  So the Council envoked the “rule of necessity” to bring back first Mark Zanmiller and then Kate McBride, who both joined Brian McNamara and Laurent Picard in opposing the application, while Carrie Nelson, Ed Weathers, and Mayor Arthur Babitz were in favor.  Afterwards, Babitz felt they had followed a process that would stand up to LUBA scrutiny.  Before the vote when McBride was returned to the panel, Wal-Mart attorney Greg Hathaway said it was “unfair” the store would be denied the expansion permit based on what he felt were biased votes.