Hearings examiner approves Lewis River townhome subdivision in Woodland, subject to conditions

The City of Woodland hearings examiner approved on April 15, 2025, application WLD 20204-023 for the Lewis River Townhomes, a proposed 39-unit townhome subdivision on about 5.56 acres along the Lewis River. Examiner Joe Turner said the approval is subject to the conditions listed in the staff report and that he will issue a written decision in roughly two weeks; that decision may be appealed to the superior court.

The project, presented by the city’s community development staff and the applicant’s engineer, would create 39 townhome lots, a stormwater tract, a riparian conservation tract and a recreation/open-space tract with a temporary turnaround. Travis Goddard, Woodland’s community development director, told the hearing: "it is 5.56 acres, medium density residential zoning and the proposal is 39 townhome lots." The staff report found the proposal meets applicable state and local codes as conditioned and recommended approval.

Why this matters: the property sits near an I‑5 off-ramp and Woodland Airport, and includes mapped floodplain and riparian habitat. Staff, the applicant and agencies raised issues that must be resolved during final engineering, including floodplain documentation from FEMA, stormwater compliance, habitat mitigation along a historically realigned riverbank, airport/aviation lighting constraints, and coordination with a larger state roadway project at Exit 21.

Key points…