West End Community Comprehensive Subarea Plan
Over 250 community members put this Comprehensive Plan together from 2001 to 2004
Vision Statement
West Skamania County will continue to be a predominately rural environment with large open tracts of field and forest lands with residential and limited small scale commercial development. Water quality and quantity will be maintained or improved, and wildlife will continue to abound. It will be a place where its residents can find refuge from the bustle and clamor of the urban and suburban areas of Clark County, Washington and Portland, Oregon.
Mission Statement
To promote conservancy by ensuring abundant natural spaces, preserving peace and quiet, protecting and maintaining air and water quality, and sustaining native flora and fauna.
General Goal 1. Primary Land Use:
Land developments within the West End Community shall be of a nature that promotes and enhances the rural and natural character of the community. This goal is premised upon the idea that certain qualities or values, which are viewed as “rural” by members of the West End community, should be preserved and enhanced. Those values include privacy; mixed residential, agricultural and forestry land uses; peace and quiet; lack of heavy traffic; clean air; clean water; wildlife and fish habitat; open spaces; recreational opportunities; and the least amount of governmental regulation consistent with preserving those and other values protected in the community subarea plan.
In the areas designated as Rural Lands, uses consistent with rural residential values should be encouraged; uses or conditions which would result in development inconsistent with those values should be either minimized through conditional use permits, or prohibited.
General Goal 2. Secondary Land Use:
The Community recognizes that limited rural employment opportunities are essential to maintaining its quality of life. New community commercial and neighborhood commercial land uses, as well as cottage occupations, light home industries, and professional services, may be consistent with the rural residential character of the West End Community if only allowed subject to conditions that will alleviate adverse impacts to environmental, public safety and aesthetic values. Aesthetic values address issues such as privacy, noise levels and visual issues.
General Goal 3. Forestry
In the areas designated Commercial Resource Lands and Forest Lands, encourage and promote the current and continuing use of area land for the production of timber and miscellaneous forest products consistent with the utilization of Best Management Practices as provided in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and the Washington Administration Code (WAC).
General Goal 4. Water
Maintain and protect existing quality and quantity of ground and surface waters for domestic use, for area fish and wildlife and to ensure maintenance of existing wetlands.
General Goal 5. Wildlife
Protect and encourage area indigenous wildlife, including game and non-game animals, aquatic species, residential and migratory birds, invertebrates, and native plants through maintenance of natural habitats.
General Goal 6. Fish
Protect waterways and aquatic life by maintaining or re-establishing natural habitat through careful and appropriate land and water use practices.
General Goal 7. Community Services
Support only that development which can be sustained within the limits of existing county and community services.
General Goal 8. Transportation
Maintain existing county roads and assure that new development does not compromise the safety and welfare of residents
General Goal 9. Evacuation
Evaluate the capacity of existing infrastructure to handle safe emergency evacuation procedures for current residents before planning for increases in population.
General Goal 10. Geology
Prohibit development in geologically unstable areas.