By ELSIE DENTON
News Intern
June 15, 2007

Gorge Commission hears opposition to Broughton Landing

Across the blustery Columbia River there is an issue that has been coming to boil at the old Broughton Mill site.

The Stevenson and Broughton families, which own Broughton Lumber Company and SDS Lumber Company, are seeking approval to rework the decaying mill into a resort. According to past comments by Jason Spadaro, SDS Lumber Company president and spokesperson for the project, the resort would be carefully designed and would not detract from the scenic beauty of the area.

Even a meticulously designed resort is outside of current regulations for non-urban growth within the National Scenic Area (NSA). For the Broughton vision to become a reality it would require a revision to the Management Plan.

The Columbia River Gorge Commission (CRGC), which manages the NSA, is not currently considering approving the Broughton Mill project. It is looking into possibly amending the current Management Plan so that the plan could, under specific conditions, allow a recreation resort along the lines of Broughton’s proposal.

The next step is drawing up a draft amendment proposal. According to their current timeline, CRGC staff hope to have the proposal ready sometime next month.

Spadaro points out that a resort has the potential to be beneficial to the surrounding communities. The Skamania County Economic Development Council says that the county is suffering from a “trade leakage” of $45 million. This loss of tourism dollars is not unique to Skamania but shared by other Washington communities, all of whom feel the pinch as dollars flow across the river to Hood River.

Broughton sources say that the project will help infuse economies on the Washington side of the River by attracting higher-income tourists.

Spadaro has also said that the resort will provide 60 full-time jobs upon completion and three to five years of construction work.

The mill site, located directly across the Columbia River from Hood River, would be developed to include 245 vacation units; including a mix of cabins, condominiums and town houses, according to Broughton sources. Current NSA regulation limits development to 25 to 35 cabins and 175 campsite or RV stalls outside of urban areas.

Development isn’t fundamentally against the guiding principles of the NSA Act. The mission statement for the CRGC states that it should allow “economic development that is consistent with resource protection,” particularly if it enhances scenic, cultural and recreational opportunities in the Gorge.

According to Broughton’s preliminary plan and economic assessments a resort and the Broughton Landing site will do just that. The resort will add 14 miles of trails to which they will allow public access, and will open its own private windsurfing launch site in addition to the nearby Hatchery site.

The Broughton planning team also intends to preserve the feel of the old mill site after renovation. They estimate that they will generate an additional $1 to $1.4 million in extra tax revenues annually for Skamania County. Broughton’s economic estimates do not yet include adjustments for the extra strain the resort would put on public services.

Over the last two months the CRGC held two public workshops designed to help pinpoint issues and concerns that must be considered in drafting any changes to the current Management Plan. The first was help on May 30 and the second on June 11.

Written testimony provided online by CRGC after the May meeting shows that public opinion is divided over the proposed resort. One commenter in favor of the resort said, “What is seen as the justification for leaving a decaying mill site…rather than allow a vibrant, dynamic and picturesque recreational resort so carefully designed to preserve scenic beauty, cultural aspects and enhance natural resources through recreation?”

Another commenter felt that the impact of such a large resort would outweigh its benefits: “The already approved tourism campsites would serve the local urban areas by keeping people in the area to shop, eat, buy gifts, recreate. Condos and townhouses are not what people expect to see in a scenic area.”

Gorge Commission Planner Tom Ascher presented the preliminary results of these workshops at the June 12 CRGC Public Meeting and pointed out areas that will warrant special attention.

“The workshops were very useful,” said Ascher. “The windsurfing site is very sensitive; you can’t simply add parking to preserve the recreational experience. We have to work on ways to protect and enhance the experience.”

The workshops were also beneficial to the public, according to Gorge Commission Planning Manager Brian Litt. He felt that attendees at the workshops had gained a clearer understanding that what the Commission was currently considering was an amendment to the NSA Act, not the Broughton Landing proposal.

“The public has a better understanding of the nuances behind this complicated process,” Litt said.

A number of the CRGC commissioners were also impressed by the quality of public input.

“I attend last night’s (June 11) meeting and the testimony was very reasonable and balanced,” said Washington Gorge Commissioner Jane Jacobsen. “It seems like we will be able to progress from the ideas collected.”

There was some disagreement of exactly how the commission should proceed with development of the amendment proposal. Under the timeline currently in place a draft proposal should be written by the end of next month and a final copy would be available for public hearings in October.

CRGC Multnomah County Commissioner Jim Middaugh felt that the commissioners should be actively involved in the process.

Hood River County Gorge Commissioner Joyce Reinig, however, was hesitant.

“I understand Jim’s reasoning about wanting to be involved in the process,” said Reinig. “But how will it fit the time frame? This might delay the process. One of the concerns at last night’s (June 11) meeting was that we weren’t moving forward so that the public had something of substance to comment on.”