White Salmon Planning Commission approves viewshed ordinance in tense meeting

Guided by Planning Consultant Michael Mehaffy, commissioners have made several concessions, like reducing the number of restricted properties, increasing original height limits and potentially giving owners other rights to develop, but disagreements still followed about the ordinance’s goal, process and necessity from all sides.

“We want to save the views as much as you guys,” said Jamie Alliston, who owns one of the four affected properties, during public testimony. “Just be sensitive to the fact that this is the largest financial decision we have ever made and that we will ever make.” In the past few weeks, around 200 people have signed a petition supporting the viewshed ordinance.

“That petition really bums me out,” said Hanson Urdahl, Alliston’s husband. “The view’s not going to be disappearing. Nobody’s developing. There’s nothing to save.” The young couple purchased their Lincoln Avenue home one year ago. Without a known development threat, many others complained the ordinance was rushed. Mehaffy also calculated the proposed height limits from a sidewalk running along the lower portion of Rheingarten Park, only addressing views from a small section. Even though mountains are still visible from the playground and other parts of White Salmon, for advocates of the ordinance, that didn’t matter.

“This is about generations coming and the ones that are here today,” said Gabrielle Gilbert, a local nanny. “[It’s] an amazing moment of peace and calmness under those trees, swinging kids and looking out and seeing that beautiful mountain.”

With private views and no lack of people looking to settle in the Gorge, later in an interview Gilbert explained that she’s skeptical whether the ordinance will severely impact individual property values, but according to Alliston's estimate, their home will be worth $240,000 less. If not now, Gilbert said developers will come and hopes owners don’t interpret the ordinance as an attack on newcomers, rather a proactive measure. “A lot of people don’t have mountain views from their home,” said Gilbert. “The park represents that — that open community space where everyone can enter and see that view.”

After public testimony, commissioners discussed specifics of the ordinance, such as incorporating trees planted on the properties, the impacts of roof elements like flags or chimneys and whether to base the height limits on something more understandable than sea level. Throughout, Chairman Greg Hohensee expressed clear opposition to the commission’s approach.

“This is more of a sky is falling problem than an actual problem,” said Hohensee. “What I’m suggesting is a strong statement about policy here, which is, this is not how we should go about crafting ordinances in the City of White Salmon — dead of night changes that all of a sudden become a huge [public relations] thing.”

Hohensee said the commission tends to get sidetracked from the bigger picture and, instead of fixating on one view in one particular place with a “convoluted” measure, proposed they revamp the city’s entire height ordinance and protect views across White Salmon. The commission has no authority to do so, however, without the direction of Mayor Marla Keethler.

“I’m not saying we should push this through today or at our next meeting,” said Commissioner Carl Trabant. “But I think this is a valuable piece of code we should work on.” Exasperated and bound by the city’s schedule, other commissioners agreed to move the viewshed ordinance forward with minor changes, set for public comment at the meeting Oct. 2.

The commission may consider rezoning the affected properties to multi-family residential districts (R3), which would allow a greater diversity of structures, improve local housing affordability, and may help recover lost property value.

“It felt like a win for the little guy,” said Gilbert, who wishes to see the broader height ordinance revised as well. “It felt like a win for the kids and the community at large.”