THE GORGE — Aiming to streamline disaster recovery writ large, but especially following the Rowena and Burdoin fires, the Columbia River Gorge Commission (CRGC) unanimously moved to amend its management plan for the National Scenic Area on Sept. 9.
Commissioners did not finalize revisions during the meeting — and won’t until November at the earliest — but they heard suggestions from staff about what needs work in terms permitting and rebuilding homes, organized into three buckets: process, clarifying standards and temporary structures. Charged with protecting scenic, cultural, natural and recreational resources, the agency oversees land use decisions outside of urban boundaries in six Gorge-area counties.
“We have spent a lot of time at the staff level talking about how we can do this and reviewing our management plan,” said Krystyna Wolniakowski, executive director of CRGC, during the meeting. “Rebuilding is not going to be a really tedious, bureaucratic process.”
Together, the two wildfires destroyed a total of at least 78 homes and 121 accessory structures while partially damaging many others. During disaster assistance events, public meetings and in conversation with CRGC staff, impacted residents have routinely expressed concern over their ability to rebuild because of the commission’s regulations and review process, sentiments which carried over to public comment last Tuesday.
“No one, unless you’ve done it, knows what it’s like to be 70 years old, retired — you’re living in your dream home, you’ve got hobbies galore — and in the blink of an eye, it’s gone,” said Rowena resident Patrick Hollander, adding that he also lost three dachshund puppies. “The constant bureaucratic obstacles are infuriating to say the least.”
Changes under consideration
Jeff Litwak, counsel for CRGC, led a presentation on the proposed revisions, developed in close coordination with Wasco County’s Planning Division and based on feedback from residents. To start, he emphasized that CRGC’s two-year window to submit a land use application post-disaster, and then another two years to commence construction once the commission reaches a decision, are far too short.
For example, a wildfire devastated the Hawaiian town of Lahaina in 2023, killing 102 people and ravaging more than 2,200 homes, but Litwak said that less than 20% of permits have been issued to date. From his research, complete recovery is incredibly variable, taking anywhere from five to 10 years.
“This is not a National Scenic Area problem. This is a problem wherever disaster strikes,” Litwak said.
As previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, CRGC has already communicated that residents rebuilding in the same location and to the same size qualifies them for an “in-kind” or “like-for-like” replacement, which triggers far fewer review standards.
The management plan doesn’t specifically say, however, that in-kind replacement structures follow an “expedited review” instead of a “full review,” nor does it clarify how much of the original site must be used to meet the “same location” condition, which Litwak encouraged the commission to address. The plan also allows landowners to increase their structure size by 10% through the in-kind process, but Liptak said that threshold may be too limiting for smaller structures, particularly older manufactured homes, and too much for larger structures.
He further stressed the need for greater flexibility around replacing utilities and temporary structures. Currently, CRGC allows property owners to reside in an RV, yurt or other temporary dwelling for 60 days per year, a period Litwak said should be longer, and he suggested that commissioners establish a new rule allowing temporary structures, like a shipping container, for storage of equipment, building materials and personal items.
“I am so sorry for every person who has lost their home or been displaced,” said Commissioner Laura Brennan Bissell, who’s still recovering from crop damage caused by Underwood’s Tunnel 5 Fire in 2023. “I understand the frustrations of having to deal with systems that are 100% aligned against you … We want you to stay, and we want to make this easier for you.”
Instead of holding a workshop on the amendment, which would have delayed the entire process by months, commissioners directed staff to immediately finalize the proposed text. Once complete, a 30-day public comment period to inform staff’s final report begins, and then CRGC will hold a public hearing during its next meeting on Nov. 12. To check out every proposed revision, visit www.gorgecommission.org and download the second report on CRGC’s Sept. 9 meeting page.
Since CRGC handles land use applications for Klickitat County, residents there aren’t required to pay any permitting fees, unlike in Wasco County. Kelley Howsley-Glover, Wasco’s community development director, noted that some residents can qualify for a fee waiver based on income, and if the amendment succeeds in expediting permits, the county may reduce fees.
Expedited reviews can take anywhere from three to four weeks, whereas a full review can take up to four months. Howsley-Glover said, though, that Wasco County just completed a full review in less than 60 days, a new record.
Other updates
Separate from the amendment, CRGC received an update from the Forest Service about the agency’s post-fire work. Personnel are actively revegetating areas cleared by bulldozers while burned area emergency response teams are assessing and mitigating threats to charred landscapes, particularly landslides. Although monitoring is in place, the Forest Service is not planning to remediate land impacted by fire retardant.
Regional Forest Supervisor Donna Mickley also noted the time-limited permit program for Multnomah Falls just ended, and that the agency is working to redesign the Dog Mountain parking area. Except for the Catherine Creek Loop, all Forest Service trails within the Burdoin Fire scar are now open.
In her director’s report, Wolniakowski unpacked several budget requests the commission is pursuing in both Oregon and Washington. As previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, CRGC is jointly funded and, compared to the two years prior, operating with $1.2 million less over the next biennium, forcing cuts to pay and hours across staff.
Not only does Wolniakowski hope to make CRGC’s staff whole again, but also secure enough funding to complete a new permitting and licensing system, along with reinstating a full-time planner for Klickitat County.
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