An old barn belonging to Lagler Dairy along N.E. 149th Street is a testament to Brush Prairie's agricultural roots. (Columbian files)
Two groups have filed complaints alleging Clark County violated state growth management laws when the county council decided to convert 600 acres near Brush Prairie from farmland to light industrial use.
Local environmental group Friends of Clark County, with the support of Seattle-based interest group Futurewise, filed an appeal last week with the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board arguing the creation of a Rural Industrial Land Bank removes too much “agricultural lands of long-term commercial significance.”
The RILB, established unanimously by the Clark County council in April, converts 600 acres owned by longtime dairyman Dennis Lagler to light industrial. Proponents of the plan have said it will pave the way for significant job growth in rural Clark County.
But Friends of Clark County and Futurewise say the rezoning goes too far by removing agricultural land from production when commercial land is already available in the unincorporated area.
“Our point is why pave over working farms when there is no need to do so?” wrote Tim Trohimovich, director of planning and law for Futurewise, in comments to the council in April. “There is no dispute that there is no need for the rural industrial land bank.”
The comments cite Clark County’s buildable lands report, which says the county has an estimated capacity for about 101,000 jobs divided among cities and land already developed by the public sector.
“There are other places to put this industrial development,” Trohimovich said in an interview with The Columbian. “We think it makes sense to continue to protect this land.”
In a statement to The Columbian, Friends of Clark County President Sydney Reisbick said the potential future industrial development may threaten the safety of neighboring farmland and habitat. The organization fears industrial development could decrease available agriculture land, harm neighboring agriculture parcels and create congestion for neighbors.
The RILB proposal, however, failed to mitigate those concerns.
“(Friends of Clark County’s) participation in this appeal is consistent with our mission to work on behalf of all of the community to preserve a balance between growth and preservation of resource lands,” Reisbick said in a statement.
When asked for comment, Community Planning Director Oliver Orjiako said the county is still in the midst of reviewing the challenge.
“We are reviewing it and the county will make a decision soon on the matter, including if the outside help is necessary,” Orjiako said, referencing the county’s hiring of Seattle-based Steve DiJulio to handle land-use matters.
Land-use attorney Steve Horenstein, who represents the Laglers, declined to respond to the challenge, saying he does not respond to pending litigation.
A hearing on the merits of the appeal is scheduled for Oct. 21, according to the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board website. The location has not been determined.
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