County passes farm land zoning code update, sets 'agritourism' event rules

All three board members present — Chair Ron Rivers, Commissioner Bob Benton and Commissioner Les Perkins — voted in favor. The trio formed a quorum (and voting majority) while Commissioners Karen Joplin and Maui Meyer were excused on vacation.

Agritourism events include farm to table dinners, industry tours or educational events. As County Planning Director John Roberts explained in September, restrictions to the agritourism category would not block farm stands, wedding venues, bed and breakfasts or wineries, which operate under a commercial permit.

“We’re trying to thread a needle through different viewpoints,” said Perkins.

Perkins said many similar events are going unpermitted and “underground,” but “at least this moves this in a direction … that provides clarity for planning.”

When the code update first entered the Planning Commission hearing stage in early fall, the county mailed out a notice to about 1,800 land owners around the Hood River Valley and received a flurry of feedback over the next few months — dozens of letters and oral testimony.

Public opinions were largely in favor of protecting high value farm land in some capacity, but views differed on the role commercial farm events and tourism should play on exclusive farm use (EFU) land, and to what degree they should be regulated.

Per the changes voted in Monday, agritourism will be permitted through an annual permit on EFU land in three tiers. The smallest allows events 16 hours or shorter with 50 attendees per property. The middle category allows three days with 250 attendees, and the largest with six events per year and 250 attendees.

Agriculture business owners at Monday’s hearing argued the amended agritourism provisions were closer to a compromise, but still prohibitive to certain farmers due to the cost of permitting.

Dan Thall of Hood River Organic commended the board for allowing the changes to “evolve” into a middle ground, but he argued the cost of a permit for agritourism events was too extreme — and a cheaper, “goldilocks” option would be better.

Along a similar track, Sarah Sullivan, executive director of Gorge Grown, argued educational events should be encouraged, and not forced into requiring the full fee which “might make it not worth it” to host the events.

Roberts explained that a permit for the middle level category is roughly $450 for the first year, with a renewal fee of $75.

Along with the farming regulations in the zoning code update, commissioners addressed new parks on EFU land.

Though the Planning Commission recommended restricting parks on all EFU land, the Board of Commissioners settled Monday on allowing public parks on non-high value EFU parcels through a conditional use process, which requires a public hearing.

The Board of Commissioners expressed that the zoning code update was a compromise, and 2016 will serve as a trial run.

“Let’s see what happens … we might be right back in here next year,” Rivers said.

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