Rural Clusters should preserve open space, not interfere with farming!

Last year the Greenbluff Growers Association petitioned Spokane County to ban rural clusters in Greenbluff. The county is attempting to keep them alive by adjusting their regulations. Rural clusters can be very problematic for farmers. Regulating them is important to ensure the survival of our agricultural economy, our food security, and the preservation of open space in Spokane county.

We  support Spokane County’s decision to evaluate the cluster subdivision regulations to determine what is meeting the community’s goals and what is not.  This work is not done often enough and it is very good that Spokane County conducted the evaluation, clearly identified issues, and provided clear alternatives.

What you can do:

1) Fill out the survey.

2) Attend the public hearing on May 14th at 9:30 a.m. and ask the Planning Commission to make the following recomendations for cluster subdivision regulations:

Spokane County has devised a survey on Rural Clusters. Please read the following and then visit the survey and add your comments!

Suggested talking points for the Hearing:

· Prohibit clustering in the Small Tract Agricultural zone.  Clustering should continue to be prohibited in the Large Tract Agricultural and Forest Lands zones.  Clustering brings too many non-farm and non-forest residents to agricultural and forestry areas.  These incompatible uses interfere with a farmer’s or forester’s ability to undertake normal farming and forestry operations such as harvesting in the evening or in the early morning that are sometimes necessary.  Residential tenants and pets also trespass and harm crops and livestock. 

· Permanently protect the open space parcel from future development within the Rural Conservation (RCV), Small Tract Agricultural (STA), Rural Traditional (RT), or Rural-5 (R-5) zones and in all zones where the open space parcel is predominately critical areas.  Property owners are given density bonuses in some zones and reduced road and capital facility costs.  In return, the open space tracts should be permanently protected.  This will help protect rural character and habitat.

· Limit the allowed uses within the open space parcel to small scale agriculture, forestry, habitats, and undeveloped open space.  Ensure that the land remains open by prohibiting the construction of new structures, except for well houses, on the open space parcel.  This will help protect rural character, and critical areas in the open space parcel, and ensure the open space parcel is used for its proper purpose. 

·For clusters on the road, select Option 1, which sets a road setback of 200 feet. The number and configuration of lots along the road is a very important issue that should be addressed.  A wall of houses along county roads is incompatible with the rural character of Spokane County. Alternatively, carefully designed standards for lots along the road in Option 2 could help. 

· Adopt administrative design guidelines to minimize impacts to wildlife and wildlife corridors and habitats, impacts to working farms and forests, impacts to wetlands, streams, and other critical areas, impacts on adjacent landowners, and the visual impacts of the cluster from proposal from roadways.  This will help to protect rural character and the environment. 

Visit the Survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=m8SZbU7PJqdyFDayfHG1Qw_3d_3d

Background

Spokane County Considers Revisions to Rural Cluster Regulations - In 2002 Spokane County adopted rural residential clustering provisions to provide an alternative to conventional large-lot zoning.  Rural clustering encourages the grouping of lots on areas of the site that are best suited for development, while retaining the remainder of the site as an open space parcel.  Options for revisions to the cluster regulations are included in a report to the Planning Commission dated February 26, 2009.  Please provide comments or questions to Steve Davenport at (509) 477-7221 SDavenport@spokanecounty.org.

Click here to view the Rural Cluster Development Report

The good, the bad, and the just plain unfair! A tale of two Shoreline Management Plans.

The Department of Ecology will soon hold hearings for the City's and the County's Shoreline Master Programs (SMP). Together they affect nearly 1,000 miles of shorelines in Spokane County. These plans are only updated every 7 years. Please stay tuned for details!

The story:

The county's SMP update has been a convoluted and flawed process, while the city's was a great example of public participation at its best--but at the 11th hour a private landowner was able to convince the city council to let him re-write the rules for his property despite not having participated in the year long update process that was open to the public, and despite the Mayor's veto.

When Ecology sets these hearings, don't miss your chance to stand up for the good plan, improve the not so good plan, and keep the rights of nature and the community in balance with the rights of individuals! Sign up for action alerts here.

Click to see:
the City's SMP
the County's SMP

Stay tuned for updates on Spokane County's Shoreline Master Plan update.

This spring Department of Ecology will hold a hearing on the Spokane County Shoreline Master Program. This directly and significantly affects the Spokane River, the Little Spokane River, Hangman Creek, Newman Lake and 73 other lakes and streams in Spokane County--I bet your favorite spot is on the list. Don't miss the next chance to help protect it!

Volunteer!

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