Commissioners approve Last Ranch remand plan amendment and rezoning amid scenic-resource debate

Senior planner Caroline House summarized the remand issues and the factual record, telling commissioners she had "prepared a matrix to hopefully support the board's deliberation process" and outlining two central questions: whether new rural industrial uses would conflict with the Highway 97 scenic resource and whether the applicant's plan amendment is inconsistent with the county's 1992 EC ordinances and policies (policies 4 and 10).

Caroline House described the applicant's submitted site-specific EC analysis and staff's updated edits; Central Oregon LandWatch argued the requested rural industrial zoning would "excessively interfere with the scenic and or natural landscape as seen from the road" and warned of a cumulative "snowball effect" of rezones that could degrade the scenic inventory. Commissioners debated the adequacy of landscape management combining zone protections, the conditional-use review that would follow, and the uniqueness of the parcel. The board voted on the remand motion to approve the Last Ranch request; the recorded tally was two yes, one no, and the motion passed. The board scheduled first reading and second reading dates as part of the formal ordinance path and noted further procedural steps related to goal 5 findings.