Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Conditional Use Permit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves Inland Power & Light conditional use permit to expand Jerita Substation
Summary
Whitman County's Board of Adjustment unanimously approved Conditional Use Permit CU 26‑001 on March 12, 2026, allowing Inland Power & Light to build a 7,500 sq ft gravel pad as part of an expansion at the Jerita Substation in Lacrosse. Approval is subject to standard permitting and lighting conditions; the Dept. of Ecology submitted a SEPA comment (content not specified).
The Whitman County Board of Adjustment voted unanimously on March 12, 2026 to approve Conditional Use Permit CU 26‑001 for Inland Power & Light, allowing construction of a 7,500‑square‑foot gravel pad north of the existing Jerita Substation at 5601 Hay Lacrosse Road in Lacrosse. Chair Larry Cochran announced the Board’s decision: “Conditional Use permit has been approved.”
Staff told the Board the 1.35‑acre parcel would be used to park a mobile station during maintenance or emergency outages; two hauling approaches were approved by Road District No. 3. A wetland report determined there are no jurisdictional wetlands on site and plans call for construction to be elevated three feet above the floodplain. On Feb. 5 the Whitman County Planning Division issued a SEPA Determination of Nonsignificance (DNS) under Chapter 197‑11 WAC; the transcript states the Department of Ecology submitted a comment on the SEPA decision but does not describe the comment’s content.
The Board approved the conditional use permit subject to conditions recorded in the decision: the applicant must obtain necessary permits from Whitman County and other permitting agencies (failure to obtain those permits may be grounds to revoke the conditional use permit), the permit runs with the land if ownership changes and the applicant must ensure all outdoor lighting is full‑cutoff. Brian Davies moved to approve the permit and Michael Cochran seconded; the five Board members voted aye.
