Responsible Development – Friends of Clark County in SW Washington

December 16, 2024

FOCC’s Bold Vision for Agriculture in Clark County: View Part of Our Comprehensive Planning Comments to the Clark County Council

in Climate Change, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Farmland & Forests, General, Local Food Systems, Responsible Development

Our Bold Vision for Agriculture in Clark County *Not included in its entirety are FOCC’s full comments, including a 23-page executive summary of legal and advocacy arguments, 5 packets containing 6 additional letters, soil maps, photos, and other supplementary documentation sent to Clark County for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement alternatives hearing for the Comprehensive […]

October 23, 2024

We’re Almost There: Speak Up for Approval of an Agricultural Advisory Commission in Clark County!

in Climate Change, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Farmland & Forests, Responsible Development

Over the past several years, members of the farming community, including Friends of Clark County, the Clark/Cowlitz Farm Bureau, local farmers market organizers, and the Clark Conservation District have expressed to Clark County the need for agricultural interests to be represented in Clark County government. Representation for Agriculture Benefits us All Currently, there are NO […]

July 8, 2024

The Freight Rail Dependent Uses (FRDU), a Changing Landscape, and the Vacant Buildable Lands Model (VBLM): Breakdown of the June 26th Clark County Council Decision, What’s Next, and Call to Action!

in Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Farmland & Forests, Mining, Railroad, Responsible Development

Did you find yourself perplexed following the Clark County Council meeting on June 25th on the Freight Rail Dependent Uses (FRDU) consultant contract discussion, as well as the spontaneous subsequent work session on the topic the following morning? So were we! After review and investigation, we are here to break it all down for […]

June 18, 2024

FRDU CALL-TO-ACTION to Protect Clark County from Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR) and Eric Temple: Write a Letter to Ecology Opposing PVJR’s Stormwater Permit Application for Barberton (DUE JUNE 22ND)

in Accountability, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Farmland & Forests, Mining, Railroad, Responsible Development, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers

What’s the issue? PVJR is seeking a Construction Stormwater NPDES and State Waste Discharge General Permit for industrial construction activities disturbing 25.79 acres of soil to be discharged into Curtin Creek in Barberton. What’s the action? Submit public comment to the Washington State Department of Ecology. Ecology reviews public comments and considers whether discharges from […]

June 10, 2024

Our Comments for Clark County’s Environmental Impact Scoping on the Comprehensive Plan Update

in Climate Change, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Farmland & Forests, Local Food Systems, Mining, Parks, Trails, & Open Spaces, Railroad, Responsible Development, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

FOCC agrees the comprehensive plan, and the development it could authorize, is likely to have many different and significant probable adverse impacts on the environment and, thus, agree with the County’s determination that an EIS is required. FOCC agrees with Futurewise that building for growth cannot take precedence over the need for maintaining, protecting, and […]

May 19, 2024

It’s All Connected: The Freight Rail Dependent Uses (FRDU), the Chelatchie Bluff Mine, Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR), and the Climate Crisis

in Climate Change, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Farmland & Forests, Railroad, Responsible Development

(Photo of the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad from Clark County today) Please use this information about the heavy industrial railroad and mining expansion plan to craft your letters and public testimony to the Clark County Council and wherever else you can amplify your opposition to the plan, such as Letters-to-the-Editor of the Columbian and the Reflector, […]

April 8, 2024

Our Responses: Stormwater Survey

in Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Responsible Development, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

Clark County Public Works recently released a Stormwater Survey – due by April 22nd: https://clark.wa.gov/public-works/stormwater If you are concerned about clean water, healthy fish populations, and water management, we highly recommend that you fill out the survey! When we took the survey, we found ourselves putting a lot of comments in the “other” category. We […]

March 15, 2024

Preserving Farming and Local Food in Clark County: March 2024 Forum

in Climate Change, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Events & Fundraising, Farmland & Forests, Local Food Systems, Position Statements & Policy Recommendations, Responsible Development, Wildlife Habitats

Thanks to all who attended our March 2024 Forum on Preserving Farming and Local Food in Clark County! And thank you again to our knowledgeable panelists! In case you missed it, or in case you want to go back and review all the great information that was shared, you can view the recording here: And […]

February 26, 2024

Legislative Update – February 2024

in Climate Change, Housing & Transportation, Position Statements & Policy Recommendations, Railroad, Responsible Development

The mid-session cutoff in the Washington State Legislature happened on February 13th. This means that the bills that did not get voted out of their chamber of origin are considered dead. There exists a chance for bills to be resurrected in the budget process, but this is rare. Following is an update on bills that […]

February 26, 2024

Responsible Planning for Growth: The 2025 Comprehensive Plan – February 2024 update

in Climate Change, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Housing & Transportation, Parks, Trails, & Open Spaces, Position Statements & Policy Recommendations, Railroad, Responsible Development

What is the Comp Plan? The Growth Management Act (GMA) was adopted in 1990 to address growth in Washington State. Cities in counties over a certain size must do periodic Comp Plan updates in accordance with the GMA, while smaller counties may choose to do so. Cities within a county that plans under the GMA […]