A8
LOCAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
County OKs workforce housing in newly amended zone
Zoning ordinance
updated to
support economic
development
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Wal-
lowa County has updated its
rural service zone to allow a
new type of workforce res-
idential development with
the approval Wednesday,
March 16, of an amendment
to its Comprehensive Land
Use Plan.
The Wallowa County
Board of Commission-
ers held a public hearing to
approve two amendments
to the Comprehensive Plan
during the board’s regu-
lar meeting. One amended
Goal 9, Economy of the
Area, by updating the Eco-
nomic Opportunity Analy-
sis. The other amended the
rural service zone to support
the fi ndings of that analysis.
“The short of this is you
had a rural service zone
where a dwelling was an
outright use,” Commission
Chairwoman Susan Roberts
said.
That made it primarily a
residential zone instead of
a zone to support economic
development.
Planning
Director Franz Goebel noted
that the Economic Opportu-
nity Analysis stressed both
a severe lack of workforce
housing and a need for more
commercial uses allowed.
This amendment includes
a provision to help address
these needs.
The Economic Goal 9
update was deemed nec-
essary following the 2019
Legislature’s approval of
Senate Bill 2 relating to
employment opportunities
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Wallowa County Planning Director Franz Goebel reads fi ndings accompanying an amendment
to the county’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan before the county commissioners adopted it at
their meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022.
in eastern Oregon, accord-
ing to the Legislature’s web-
site. The bill allows listed
eastern Oregon counties
that undertake economic
opportunity analysis to des-
ignate up to 50 acres out-
side urban growth boundar-
ies for industrial and other
employment uses notwith-
standing statewide planning
goals related to agriculture,
forest use or urbanization.
The bill excludes high-
value farmland and requires
county coordination with the
state forester and nearby cit-
ies. The County addressed
the next step by amend-
ing the rural service zone to
allow more comprehensive
commercial uses including
workforce housing.
During their discussion
March 16, the commission-
ers agreed there are prop-
erties near Joseph, Wal-
lowa and Enterprise that
might benefi t from the
uses allowed in the newly
amended zone.
Commissioner
Todd
Nash recused himself from
discussion and voting upon
the new ordinances. He said
later that because of prop-
erty he owns in the county,
there’s the potential for a
confl ict of interest.
Commissioner John Hill-
ock said he also owns a
“small piece of property that
could potentially be aff ected
by this zone, but it’s com-
pletely developed,” so he
saw no confl ict of interest
for himself.
The changes
“The rural service zone is
presently an option for any
nonresource zoned prop-
erty and will continue to
be,” Goebel explained to
the commissioners. “To uti-
lize the rural service zone, a
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Unanticipated revenue
The
commissioners
also voted to accept nearly
$360,000 in unanticipated
revenue for the county. They
voted to:
• Accept an anonymous
donation of $19,000 from
the city of Enterprise to be
used for a sound system.
• Approve receiving
$40,000 from the Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion Surface Transportation
Program Funds and trans-
ferred it to the Public Works
Department for roads.
• Approve receiving
$30,000 from the Commu-
nity Bank credit line.
• Approve receiving
$112,747 from the Wal-
lowa County Fair fat stock
IN BRIEF
Wallowa County
students to take part in
service project in Baja Sur
BARGAINS
69.99
landowner would fi rst apply
through the public hearing
process for a zone change.
If approved, zone permits
would be required prior to
any development.”
But in amending the old
rural service zone, the Plan-
ning Commission wanted to
be more specifi c as to what
uses are allowed. Goebel
said the commission wanted
to make sure the zone is
focused on commercial uses
and that it does not “become
a de facto residential zone.
It was a commercial zone; it
just wasn’t very fl eshed out
in the types of commercial
and light industrial uses.”
During the public com-
ment portion of the hear-
ing, Joseph resident Mil-
ley O’Callaghan asked if
grazing and timber harvest
would be allowed in the new
version of the rural service
zone and if bed and break-
fasts would be allowed.
“Timber and grazing
uses are still allowed in
this zone,” Goebel said, but
added that no short-term
rentals or bed and breakfasts
would be.”
He emphasized that the
old version of the rural ser-
vice zone has been view-
able on the county’s web-
site for several years and
the amended version has
been available in the Plan-
ning Offi ce for a couple of
months for the public to
review.
“This amendment will
not aff ect any existing prop-
erty owners upon approval,”
Goebel said.
Property owners still need
to apply for a zone change
prior to taking advantage of
proposed allowable uses.
“Updating the rural ser-
vice zone also provides new
conditional uses to address
the shortfall in available
workforce housing as iden-
tifi ed in the EOA (economic
opportunity assessment),”
he said.
Sale Good March 1st - 31st
Ten Wallowa County students are tak-
ing the opportunity to spend fi ve days from
March 28 to April 1 doing community ser-
vice projects in Baja Sur, the southern state
of Baja California, as part of Interact Clubs,
which is sponsored by Rotary.
The participants, from Wallowa High
School, are Willie Gibbs, Cecilia April, Tal-
luah April, Amelia Durning, Emma Durning
and Kellan Knifong, and from Joseph Char-
ter School are Colbi Cunningham, Lauren
McBurney and Camdyn Weer. WHS gradu-
ate Shanna Rae Tillery is also going on the
trip.
Teachers Terah April, Colby Knifong,
Dani Weaver and Maria Weer, and Rotarian
Jennifer Olson, will accompany the students
on the trip.
According to a press release, the local
Interact Clubs were invited by the Club
Rotario Los Barilles and its Baja Sur Inter-
act Club. The trip is funded by Rotary Club
of Wallowa County, individual rotarians and
through fundraisers.
Program off ered
to start small business
ENTERPRISE — The CO.START-
ERS Core program is being off ered by
the Northeast Oregon Economic Develop-
ment District for small business entrepre-
sale. After deducting the
$108,782 spent on the sale,
that left $3,965 to transfer to
the fair.
• Approve receiving
$16,925 from ODOT Sur-
face Transportation Program
discretionary funds.
• Approve receiving
$16,000 from the county
Public Works Department
for assistance with the
Grande Ronde River Road
Project.
• Approve receiving
$110,000 from the state in
Federal Highway Adminis-
tration funding for the Grand
Ronde River Road that was
aff ected by fl ooding.
• Approve receiving
$15,000 from the state
Department of Environ-
mental Quality in a Mobile
Recycling grant.
Other business
The commissioners also:
• Approved a resolution
to appoint members to the
Wallowa Lake County Ser-
vice District Budget Com-
mittee. Appointed were
Wade Esvelt, Jean Story
and Terence Sykora. County
Commissioners
Roberts,
Hillock and Nash also serve
on the committee.
• Approve a resolution to
appoint members to the Wal-
lowa County Budget Com-
mittee. Appointed were John
Lawrence, Kathy Casper
and Les Carlsen. The county
commissioners also serve on
the committee.
• Accepted the resigna-
tion of Annarose Landers as
a 911 dispatcher because she
is relocating.
• Accept the resigna-
tion of Winifred “Annett”
Conner from the Wallowa
County Fair and hire her as
grants manager/IT support.
She replaces Chrystal Allen
as grants manager.
neurs interested in successfully launching
a small business idea.
CO.STARTERS Core, off ered in part-
nership with Reinventing Rural, equips
entrepreneurs of all kinds with the insights,
relationships and tools needed to turn busi-
ness ideas into action.
CO.STARTERS walks small busi-
ness owners or those with a business idea
through lean, eff ective business modeling
methods in a simple, visual, and intuitive
way, while connecting them to a support-
ive community of peers and mentors.
Entrepreneurs will meet virtually on
Thursday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
starting April 7 for 10 sessions. Sessions
will be led by facilitators Lisa Dawson,
NEOEDD’s executive director, and Bryan
Tweit, Launch Pad Baker’s executive
director.
For more information, contact Daw-
son at 541-426-3598 ext. 1, 541-432-1056
(cell) or www.neoedd.org
Learn to grow
microgreens at Enterprise
Seventh-day Adventist
ENTERPRISE — An opportunity to
learn how to grow food in minimal space at
home is available Sunday, March 27, at the
Enterprise Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Learn how to grow healthy microgreens
at a minimal cost and without taking up
much space, and learn the benefi ts micro-
greens off er.
The lesson starts at 3 p.m., and is open
to the public. To RSVP, call 541-263-1789.
— Chieftain staff
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