Gorge Commission pledges to expedite post-fire rebuilding, debunks metal roof rumor

The Burdoin Fire took 19 homes while the Rowena Fire destroyed 61 residences, according to preliminary and official assessments, along with many more outbuildings and secondary structures.

As defined by the National Scenic Area Act of 1986, CRGC oversees land use decisions outside urban boundaries from Washougal to the Deschutes River, charged with enhancing and protecting the scenic, natural, recreational and cultural resources of six counties on both sides of the Columbia, and promoting economic vitality. Largely, that involves maintaining the Gorge’s visual beauty, especially along heavily traveled, open places like Interstate 84 and State Route 14, through land use policies and regulation.

Whenever somebody wishes to build in the National Scenic Area, they must file an application with either CRGC in Klickitat County, or with the planning department in five other counties that follow CRGC’s management plan. That starts a 21-day period where neighbors, counties and four treaty tribes can comment on the project, followed by a CRGC review that, depending on the location, scale and resources involved, can take anywhere from a few weeks to months. Once complete, watchdog groups like Friends of the Columbia Gorge and anyone else can appeal the commission’s decision for 30 days.

Given the challenges of post-fire recovery and intense local impact, Wolniakowski said the commission will explore opportunities to expedite that process during its next meeting on Sept. 9. For instance, CRGC usually only allows people to live in an RV or temporary structure on their property for 60 days during a one-year period, which Wolniakowski acknowledged is far too short for anybody rebuilding. Additionally, they may extend the time period in which residents can submit their applications and start rebuilding.

“We’ll be discussing those kinds of standards to be more flexible and responsive to the people who just want to get some building back on their property,” she said.

In the meantime, Senior Land Use Planner Bryce Guske urged affected residents to make an appointment and start their applications. Residents rebuilding their home in the same location and to the same size can qualify for a “like-for-like” replacement, which triggers far fewer review standards. Expanding the footprint by up to 10% (or 200 square feet) of the destroyed structures’ original size is allowed, but more significant changes require a “full review.”

According to a frequently asked questions document on CRGC’s website, a like-for-like replacement with a complete application will take around three to four weeks to review, but the timeline for a full review stretches from two to four months. If the original land is unsuitable, residents can also rebuild in a different spot while still going through the like-to-like process, provided they get a professional opinion and confirm the site is not more visible from key viewing areas.

“Internally, those are going to be our highest-priority applications,” said Guske, referring to residents impacted by the fires. “We’re just going to be working on getting these permits out ... but we’re going to be taking away from the other work that we do, and there’s not capacity to meet those things.”

As previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, Oregon and Washington fund CRGC equally, and in March, the Washington State House voted to eliminate all money for the commission, which Oregon would have to match. Although that didn’t occur, the agency is working with $1.2 million less over the next biennium compared to the two years prior.

Wolniakowski explained the commission has reduced hours and compensation across its staff as a result, but expecting an influx of applications, other permits and projects not related to post-fire recovery will likely experience delays. The budget cuts also hinder CRGC’s ability to quickly streamline its permitting process.

“If we don’t have the resources to be able to be nimble and flexible, and be able to adapt with changes in policies and guidelines, that can really impact the counties and the residents that live here,” said Wolniakowski.

Separately, Wolniakowski and Guske addressed a few misconceptions on the commission’s policies related to home hardening and defensible space. In last week’s edition, Columbia Gorge News printed that several residents affected by the Burdoin and Rowena fires expressed how CRGC prevented them from installing metal roofs, and that needs more context.

“For exterior materials, there’s two different rules: one of them is reflectivity and one of them is color,” said Guske. “We don’t have a list of materials that we approve explicitly. We try to be open to whatever the applicant is interested in using and look at it objectively.”

Essentially, CRGC allows metal roofs if they’re non-reflective and blend into the landscape, easily achieved by painting it a dark, earth-toned color. While the commission was more restrictive of metal roofs in the 1990s, Guske said that policy hasn’t been in place for years, especially as more advanced materials have come onto the market that already have a dark finish.

As for trees, property owners have full authority to cut and manage them as they see fit. The commission may require residents in the National Scenic Area to plant trees for “screening” purposes, particularly if a property is very visible, but not in close enough proximity to influence fire risk. CRGC may encourage property owners to preserve ecologically valuable trees like the Oregon white oak, but again, that’s not binding.

“We really want the National Scenic Area to be as scenic 40 years from now or 100 years from now as it is today,” said Wolniakowski. “The Gorge isn’t just beautiful because it is, it’s because there’s a planning process behind it to help it stay as scenic as possible, while still allowing residents to use their land the way that they would like to use it.”