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Cowlitz County holds joint CAO workshop; staff propose wider riparian buffers and new reasonable‑use pathways amid heated Q&A
Summary
County planners presented a draft Critical Areas Ordinance update recommending wider riparian buffer widths (including a proposed 180‑foot buffer for type F streams), updated wetland frameworks, and new administrative reasonable‑use exceptions; commissioners, developers and ports pressed for clarity on costs, best available science and flexibility for property owners.
Cowlitz County planning staff and consultant Bassett presented a draft update to the county Critical Areas Ordinance in a joint workshop with the planning commission, proposing changes to wetland buffer administration, riparian buffer widths tied to site‑potential tree height and new reasonable‑use and public‑agency/utility exception pathways.
Kyle Gotgett, Bassett environmental consultant, summarized the work that will accompany the update—best available science (BAS) report, a gap analysis and draft CAO—and said the county’s deadline to complete the update is Dec. 31, 2026. He said the draft adopts the Ecology wetland buffer ‘option 2’ framework and recommended riparian management zone widths informed by WDFW’s site potential tree height mapping, with a recommended 180‑foot width for type F streams and a 100‑foot minimum for type NP/NS streams.
Adam Trimble, planning manager, said the draft also proposes administrative reasonable‑use allowances for typical residential development (with sliding allowances tied to lot size) and a quasi‑judicial pathway when administrative relief is insufficient. The update includes a public‑agency/utility exception that requires demonstration that no practicable alternative exists and that impacts will be minimized and mitigated.
The workshop turned into a prolonged question‑and‑answer session. Several commissioners and attendees challenged the BAS framing and asked whether the county could define alternate science; one commissioner said in strongly worded remarks that "best available science is not in the decision‑making process whatsoever" in some forums and stressed the need for homeowner flexibility. Developers and a port representative pressed staff on the cost burden for homeowners and small developers, citing habitat assessments and permit fees that can run into thousands of dollars.
Staff said they worked to preserve a toolbox of mitigation and flexibility—including buffer averaging, voluntary stewardship pathways, septic system considerations and administrative reasonable‑use pathways—so property owners would have options rather than an absolute prohibition. Trimble warned the county must complete the update on the state‑mandated cycle or risk losing eligibility for some state funding programs that rely on a current CAO.
The planning commission will hold a public hearing in June and the county intends to initiate Commerce 60‑day notice and SEPA notification in May with adoption by the Board anticipated in July, staff said. No formal action was taken at the workshop; the draft will be revised based on feedback and returned for public hearings and formal adoption procedures.
