Planning commission unanimously recommends making Clatsop County web zoning map official

The Clatsop County Planning Commission voted unanimously March 10 to recommend that the Board of Commissioners adopt Ordinance 26-02, a measure to designate the county's web-based zoning map layer as the official zoning map for unincorporated Clatsop County.

Jason Pollock, a county planner, told commissioners the county's legal zoning records remain the original paper maps adopted in the 1980s and 1990s, and that the ordinance would make the web map the official representation for public use and project review. "It would make web maps the official zoning map and we would move away from paper maps," Pollock said, adding that the change is intended to improve clarity and public access.

Pollock emphasized the initiative is not a rezoning: "2602 does not propose new zoning of any property and only reflects zoning adopted by approved ordinances," he said. He told commissioners staff's three-phase review included (1) comparing published ordinances to web maps, (2) correcting digitization errors where map lines did not match original paper maps, and (3) reviewing resource/crest maps; he said Columbia River shoreline mapping is not covered by this ordinance.

Commissioners asked about safeguards if errors are discovered later. Pollock said the county will retain original paper maps as a reference and that the planning code allows the director to make a zoning interpretation when discrepancies arise; staff also keep GIS change records to support later corrections.

Staff described outreach to affected property owners: Pollock said 64 property owners were identified in the initial upland review with questions and that the county sent about 212 Measure 56 notices as part of a broader phase. He said staff received several phone calls and one in-person meeting but no formal objections had been filed as of the hearing.

Following brief supportive comments from several commissioners, the commission moved, seconded and took a roll-call vote. The recommendation passed unanimously; the commission will forward the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners, which is scheduled to hold its first hearing on the ordinance on April 8.

Appeal instructions were read at the close of the hearing: any person may file a notice of intent to appeal with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) within 21 days after the county decision; if no appeal is filed within that period the county's decision becomes final.