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Commissioners press for clarity on shrub‑steppe habitat maps and mitigation costs as developers raise concerns
Summary
Franklin County commissioners discussed state shrub‑steppe habitat mapping, mitigation fees (cited at roughly $4,000–$5,000 per acre), and concerns that private land trusts buying mitigation credits could remove farmland from production; commissioners asked staff about mapping criteria and mitigation options.
A lengthy discussion at the Jan. 7 Franklin County commissioners meeting centered on shrub‑steppe habitat mapping and the costs that mitigation requirements impose on developers and landowners.
Commissioner Baumann, participating in the discussion, described meetings with local planning directors, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the state Department of Commerce about how habitat is classified. He recounted a recent example near Columbia Center Boulevard where a roughly 3‑acre parcel near the…
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