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Skamania commissioners weigh moratorium after West End residents protest lot-size averaging
Summary
Residents from the West End urged the Skamania County Board of Commissioners to impose a moratorium on lot‑size averaging; commissioners asked staff and the county prosecutor for legal guidance and discussed filling a planning commission vacancy before taking formal action.
Skamania County residents urged the Board of Commissioners on April 1 to halt use of the county's lot‑size averaging rules in the West End subarea while the county evaluates whether the 2020 code change complied with the West End Community Subarea Plan.
Those speakers told the board that lot‑size averaging undermines minimum lot‑size standards in the West End plan and primarily benefits large landowners; they asked for a moratorium to allow the county time to amend the zoning ordinance. A written commenter, Sally Tucker Jones, also provided related material to the clerk for the record.
Why it matters: lot‑size averaging was adopted in 2020 and has been used in some subdivisions since then; residents say the change was adopted during the COVID period with limited public attendance and that it conflicts with the West End Community Subarea Plan's direction that implementing ordinances be consistent with the plan map and policies.
Planning staff told the board that since 2020 the county has had 10 subdivisions and six used lot‑size averaging; several short plats also used it. Planning staff said, “lot size averaging does not allow for more density,” adding that the tool averages minimum lot area across parcels but prohibits subsequent re‑subdivision that would increase lot count.
Commissioners discussed narrower options (a subarea moratorium limited to the West End) and the legal risks of unequal application. A recurring practical concern was that the planning commission has a vacancy that leaves the West End under‑represented; staff said the application window for that vacancy closes April 16 and names could be provided on April 17. Several commissioners favored pausing broader county action until the planning commission seat is filled and until the prosecutor, Adam, reviews whether findings of fact can support any moratorium.
Next steps: the board directed staff to seek legal advice from the county prosecutor on whether a partial or subarea moratorium would pass constitutional equal‑application scrutiny, to assemble usage statistics for lot‑size averaging across the county, and to return with options (including a possible 30‑day short moratorium timed to the planning commission appointment). No formal moratorium ordinance was adopted at the April 1 meeting.
Ending: Commissioners scheduled additional review and suggested a workshop and a public hearing process would follow if they pursue a moratorium.
