Ferry County Moves To End Battle Over Land Development

Ferry County commissioners moved Monday to settle a growth management dispute that could cost the county millions of dollars in state-shared tax money.

Commissioners voted to hire a Seattle land-use attorney to draft comprehensive-plan language that will satisfy state requirements to restrict urban-style development in rural areas. Attorney Sandy Mackey is to be paid up to $3,000.

“The commissioners are determined to work something out that is acceptable to the growth management board and to the citizens of Ferry County,” county Prosecutor Al Nielson said.

Commissioners also intend to settle a related dispute over a section of the county comprehensive plan dealing with wetlands, Nielson said.

Local environmentalists complained to the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board that a new wetland section in the comprehensive plan pulled the teeth from the county’s interim “critical areas” plan. A group called Concerned Friends of Ferry County argued that the wetland section was improperly amended while changing other sections to satisfy the growth board.

Monday’s conciliatory gestures sprang from a hearing Friday in Colville, during which the growth management board refused to dismiss environmentalists’ challenge of the comprehensive plan’s wetland section.

Commissioners, Concerned Friends and the growth board all agreed to shelve the dispute by restoring the original wetland language. All the parties expect the argument to be renewed when a permanent “critical areas” is adopted.

“That will settle the appeal,” said Gary Woodmansee, a leader in the five-member Concerned Friends.

He was less optimistic that county officials will satisfy state Growth Management Act requirements to restrict development in rural areas.

“We don’t feel that they’re really going to do that, but we will work with them if we can,” Woodmansee said.

Commissioners said they weren’t aware of legislation enacted this year that allows more development in rural areas when they locked horns with the growth board this summer over designating “rural service areas.”

The growth board responded in August by asking Gov. Gary Locke to consider withholding some of the county’s share of state taxes. The board gave the county until Nov. 20 to comply, but now may extend the deadline.

A Locke spokesman said the governor won’t consider sanctions as long as there is hope for a settlement.

Regional growth board member Skip Chilberg said the board will extend the deadline if the county presents a “realistic” schedule by Friday for adopting acceptable growth restrictions.

Chilberg said the county may pursue several options, including designation of rural service areas or simply requiring rural development to be “clustered” and limited in scale. He said another possibility, although untested, is to allow development anywhere as long as certain “performance standards” are met.

“We were really very encouraged” by Friday’s hearing, Chilberg said.

, DataTimes