Page 4
The INDEPENDENT, June 20, 2002
Business Notes
County looks at rules for siting homes in forest and farm zones
Before a residence can be
placed on land zoned for Forest
Use (FA-19 and PF-76) in Co
lumbia County, a conditional
use permit must be obtained. A
major change in the siting of
new dwellings in forest and
farm zones in Oregon was
adopted by the State Legisla
ture and became state law in
1993. Additional changes to
state law have been made in
subsequent legislative ses
sions. Counties must apply at
feast minimum state standards
governing these dwellings, but
may also adopt local rules that
are more restrictive than State
law.
Columbia County has not yet
amended its code to reflect the
changes in state law since
1993, so the Board of Commis
sioners has initiated the formal
process for amending the
county’s current regulations
governing placement of forest
and farm dwellings with two pri
mary objectives in mind:
1. Amend the Columbia
County Zoning Ordinance, as
necessary, to bring forest/farm
dwelling rules into compliance
with current state minimum
standards. Amendments are
being drafted to meet this re
quirement.
2. Consider possible justifi
cation and options for more re
strictive county forest-farm
dwelling policies and rules. The
county is researching and eval-
Shawna Sykes joins state force as
Workforce Specialist/Economist
Jerry Graham in his Banks outdoor store.
Outdoor store now open in Banks
If fishing is your pastime, J &
S Outdoor is the equivalent of
your toy store.
Jerry and Sherri Graham
maintain long hours - 6:00 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through
Saturday - to accommodate
patrons who want an early start
as well as those who prefer af
ter work sports. With a major
emphasis on fishing, they stock
gear that is appropriate for a full
range of fishing enjoyment, in
cluding children’s angling sets,
baits, flies and lures.
You’ll also find a good choice
of camping equipment and sup
plies at J & S Outdoor, and the
hunting gear is being built up.
The Grahams are well-
known in the area, having been
born and raised in Vernonia
and now living in Banks.
Stop in to say hello and look
over J & S Outdoor. The store
is located at 165 N. Main Street
in Banks. The phone number is
503-324-1113.
ARE YOU M ISSIN G TH E NEWS?
You can have T h e IN D E P E N D E N T
delivered to your mailbox!
Call today to start your
subscription: 503-429-9410
Shawna Sykes has recently
joined the staff of the Oregon
Employment Department as a
Workforce Analyst/Economist
for Clatsop, Columbia, and
Tillamook Counties.
Sykes is a graduate of Lewis
& Clark College with a Bachelor
of Arts in Economics. She for
merly served as the St. Helens-
Scappoose Chamber of Com
merce Executive Director, and
has been a participant in the
Northwest Regional Leadership
Program.
“I’m thrilled to be serving lo
cal area businesses and com
munity leaders in this new role
and am looking forward to get
ting more familiar with county
leaders,” Sykes said.
Sykes is available to provide
statistical information to busi
nesses in Columbia, Clatsop,
and Tillamook Counties. She
will assist businesses with in
formation on wages, income,
recruitment and retention, skill
set analysis, employment/un-
employment statistics, regional
economic information, and oth-
Handbook on issues
for farmers may be
obtained from ODA
A handbook for farmers cov
ering employment, worker
health and safety issues, tax
considerations, water issues
and land use, plus license and
certification requirements for
livestock and crop production,
is available from the Oregon
Department of Agriculture. To
order, send $5.00 to ODA, 635
Capitol Street NE, Salem, OR
97301-2532 or call 503-986-
4550.
Shawna Sykes
er labor-related data.
She is based out of the St.
Helens office of the state Em
ployment Department, but also
holds regular office hours in the
Astoria and Tillamook offices.
She may be called at (503)
397-4995 ext. 32, or by e-mail:
Shawna.L.Sykes@state.or.us.
uating options which would
make its forest-farm regulations
more restrictive than minimum
State law.
Prior to drafting any amend
ments to forest-farm dwelling
regulations which may be more
restrictive than State law, the
county would like to hear from
those who would be affected by
any such new regulations. In
particular, the county is seeking
comment on the adequacy of
current state rules for forest-
farm dwellings and any per
ceived deficiencies which may
justify adoption of more restric
tive forest-farm dwelling rules,
and what form such regulations
should take.
The County Board of Com
missioners is hosting an infor
mal public workshop to hear
from affected citizens. Every
one with an interest in this sub
ject, including those who own
property in forest and farm
zoned areas, those involved in
commercial forestry operations,
and all other interested parties,
are invited to attend and offer
their comments on forest-farm
dwelling rules in Columbia
County. The workshop will also
focus on amendments to clarify
and modify the County Com
prehensive Plan and Zoning
Ordinance provisions regarding
the role of the County’s Big
Game Habitat protection rules
in the siting of new dwellings in
forest and farm zones.
The workshop will be held
June 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Co
lumbia County Courthouse,
130 Strand, 3rd Floor Court
room 351, in St. Helens.