Skamania County and the City of Stevenson on June 3 began a periodic update of the county’s critical areas ordinance (CAO) and natural resource land designations, a process mandated under the Washington Growth Management Act. DOWL senior planner Ethan Stoop and WSP planner Alec Yegarwala presented proposed changes, new state guidance to incorporate and an outreach plan.

The update will consider best available science (BAS) updates on riparian areas, wetlands and priority Oregon white oak habitat, new mitigation approaches recommended by state agencies, and recent state requirements for “STEP” housing (emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing). The county must complete the periodic update by Dec. 31, 2026, the presenters said.

Ethan Stoop, senior planner with DOWL, summarized the state riparian guidance that underpins the discussion: "What the science is that the state has released ... says that the riparian area width or the riparian buffer ... should be the width of one site potential tree height," he said, explaining that the site-potential tree height is the expected height of a native tree at 200 years (commonly 150–200 feet in western parts of the state). "That's significantly larger than either Skamania or Stevenson's 15 foot stream buffers," Stoop said.

If Skamania County and Stevenson were to adopt that BAS without a departure, stream buffers in some places could expand from current ranges (25–100 feet in the county depending on stream type) to as much as 150–200 feet in areas where the site-potential tree height is high. Stoop explained that jurisdictions may document a formal "departure from best available science" if they have legal, economic or other reasons for a different standard, but that departures require supporting analysis.

Commissioners and community representatives raised immediate concerns about the potential scale and economic impact of larger buffers. Dave Cox asked whether a 150–200-foot buffer "isn't that for some of our lots here in Stevenson? That's almost a taking, isn't it?" Stoop and county staff replied that critical areas variance and exemptions exist but emphasized those processes can be costly and that the county must avoid regulatory takings.

Pat Rice, Stevenson councilmember, asked whether site visits would be done to assess local stream conditions and stressed that Stevenson wants housing options to remain viable in areas appropriate for development: "During this review process ... are any site visits gonna be done?" County staff said they plan GIS mapping and may do limited field checks and that the county will use public engagement, open houses and targeted focus groups to gather input.

Alec Yegarwala (WSP) presented changes in wetland guidance from the Washington Department of Ecology, including new buffer-width recommendations, updated mitigation ratios, and the formal inclusion of preservation and mitigation banks as compensatory options. WSP recommended Ecology's "option 1" approach (which includes conditional reductions where applicants implement impact minimization and habitat corridor measures) as a flexible path that could reduce buffer widths when appropriate mitigation is provided.

Stoop and Yegarwala also described new Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife guidance on priority Oregon white oak habitat. For high-quality oak trees, WDFW guidance can require large-scale on-site planting or allowance for temporal mitigation (conserving existing habitat elsewhere) with replacement ratios that may be high (the presenters cited scenarios where large trees prompt hundreds of seedlings as part of permanent mitigation strategies).

On housing, planners noted new state requirements that jurisdictions cannot prohibit transitional shelters or permanent supportive housing in zones that allow residences or hotels, and cannot prohibit indoor emergency shelters in zones that allow hotels. Planners clarified that these state rules do not automatically remove local design or compatibility standards, but local conditions cannot be applied in a manner that effectively prohibits the housing type.

Commissioners generally asked staff to study whether the county should pursue a documented departure from BAS for some buffer elements, and to analyze economic impacts, the number of parcels affected and possible compromise buffer levels (for example, raising minimums modestly rather than adopting the highest BAS widths). Multiple speakers recommended harmonizing county and city tables to reduce inconsistency between Stevenson and county regulations.

Public involvement measures described by planners include an August tabling event (National Night Out), an open house in March, focused stakeholder groups in 2026 and an online project page. A county staff member noted that the Department of Commerce grant will help fund the periodic update work.

Ending: The county and city will continue the periodic update process with GIS analysis, public outreach and follow-up reports; commissioners asked staff to return with a study on potential departures and impacts before any final code changes are proposed.