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Umatilla County co-adopts Hermiston plan map amendment, clearing way to annex about 25 acres
Summary
The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners voted March 12 to co-adopt the City of Hermiston’s comprehensive plan map amendment, approving annexation of roughly 25 acres on the north side of East Theater Lane after staff and an applicant representative described utilities and traffic analyses.
The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners on March 12 approved co-adoption of the City of Hermiston’s comprehensive plan map amendment, clearing the way for the annexation of roughly 25 acres on the north side of East Theater Lane.
County planner Tierney Faniotti summarized the application, saying the City of Hermiston had already adopted ordinances to amend its plan map and to annex the properties. “The City of Hermiston’s joint management agreement section E 10 requires comprehensive plan amendments applicable in the urban growth area to be processed by the City,” Faniotti told commissioners as she explained the co-adoption process and the county file number P-138-24.
The Nut Graf: The county’s action follows a July 8, 2024 Hermiston City Council decision and a unanimous Umatilla County Planning Commission recommendation. Co-adoption transfers decision-stage authority on the mapped parcels to the city for annexation and local service planning, and means appeals would proceed to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).
Faniotti said the Hermiston City Council adopted ordinances 2358 and 2359 on July 8, 2024 to amend the city’s comprehensive plan map and to annex the properties, and that the Planning Commission held the county’s evidentiary hearing on Jan. 23, 2025 and recommended approval by a unanimous vote. She noted the ordinances make the properties eligible for annexation and that the city’s joint management agreement specifies the sequence: city ordinance adoption first, then county co-adoption review.
An applicant representative, Rebecca Wallstrom of PBS Engineering and Environmental, told the board the site is well suited for the city. “I think that this will be a great asset. This land will be a great asset to Hermiston and also help with the housing needs of the city,” Wallstrom said, adding that utilities are adjacent to the parcel.
Owner Dennis Gacy thanked the board for considering the project and said he looked forward to beginning engineering and building. No members of the public registered opposition during the hearing.
During deliberations a commissioner praised the staff traffic analysis as thorough and useful for projecting Hermiston’s future patterns. The board then moved, seconded and voted in favor; the chair announced the motion passed.
What’s next: The planning record will be closed and, as staff noted, any appeal of the county’s co-adoption would proceed to the Land Use Board of Appeals under the standard process for co-adopted city ordinances.
