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Inform Hood River, Hood River, OR (2025)

09/08/2025

Hood River City Council, 6pm September 8

Items on the agenda include:
• Planning Commission Removal & Reappointment: Proposal to undo the incorrect appointment to the Planning Commission last December 9th. On July 7, 2025, the Oregon legislature passed HB3136, removing the requirement that a maximum of 2 real estate professionals may serve on a city or county planning commission that has more than 5 members.

Staff proposes that they remedy the mistakes made in December by removing Ms. McNerthney now, updating the city’s code to reflect the new state rules, and then reappointing her (hopefully this time with the Council approving the appointment via a vote), to serve beginning January 1, 2026 (when the new state bill takes effect). During the interim period, the City will appoint Tina to serve on the Urban Renewal Advisory Committee.

Best line from the packet describing the situation? “Based on the review of the ORS and HRMC, it appears that the appointment results in a conflict with the current membership rules...” It was too much to hope that the correct statement would be there – i.e. “We made a mistake in the appointment, we forgot about the membership limits, and we didn’t use our own city rules in making the appointment. We will learn from this ..." Oh, well... kudos to Tina for volunteering her time to review zoning and land use decisions.

If you live in the city or in the urban growth area, and are willing to dig into the staff reports presented when building and land use applications come up, or want to have a voice in the new development code, apply to be on the Planning commission. There is another vacancy that has been open for months, and an existing spot with a term expiring on September 30, 2025.

Other agenda items:
 The City will begin planning for a General Obligation Bond measure for the November 2026 election. The last voter-approved bond in Hood River was to build the fire station. It was a 10-year bond at $0.98 per $1,000 of Assessed Value.

Page 32 of the packet shows the potential tax impact depending on the rate and the property assessed value. Please note that as is the USUAL case when taxing authorities make their pitch, the amounts shown are ADDITIONAL to what the taxpayer is currently paying, and is shown as a monthly amount. After the Monday meeting, we’ll post an updated table showing annual tax increases.

 Creation of what’s called a “Proportionate Share District” in the Heights.

The City’s code requires that “ New developments that add trips to intersections operating at a lessor “E” or “F” level of service can either:

a) Install additional intersection capacity sufficient to meet the added demand of their development, typically in the form of an interim intersection improvement, OR

b) Pay a proportionate contribution toward planned intersection improvements in the TSP (HRMC 3.20). This option is typically the least costly. It also avoids installing temporary improvements that will be replaced.”

Interesting... the city will go over how this could work in The Heights. The 45-unit income-restricted developments on Avalon Drive will add additional vehicle trips to already failing intersections.

Much like the “in lieu” parking fees, with this new plan, developers will only need to pay a fee to “contribute” towards planned intersection improvements. This is intended to reduce the burden of paying for an ENTIRE new solution to a failed intersection, and instead charge only for the extra burden that residents will have until the City has funds to make the fix.

The current fee proposed will be $2,415.37 per peak hour trip added to The Heights. Fees expected to generate up to $1.85 million by 2039. Equation shown in photos; full details in the packet. Link to full packet here:https://cityofhoodriver.gov/wp-content/uploads/Meetings/09-08-2025-City-Council-Meeting-Packet-Revised.pdf

 Mariposa Village 2.0: The current Mariposa Village (on Rand Road) for 130 units of low-income housing is under construction (with current estimated costs coming in at around $76 million)

The city is looking for city-owned land for its next Mariposa Village #2. The Columbia Street Parking Lot, 18 acres near the Mark Hatfield West Trailhead (a potential campground), and 17 acres north of May Street are on the list for consideration.

After the regular session, the Council will go into closed Executive Session to deliberate on real estate transactions and to hear about ongoing and potential litigation.

09/05/2025

Please note the location for the Hood River meeting - it is at the Hood River Valley High School, in the library. (My apologies for the confusion on the location!!). Correction thanks to Nancy R and also confirmed by Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation.

From their board meeting last month, the consultants should be able to share general info on costs between the 3 alternatives.

09/01/2025

I know it's not IN Hood River county, but if you plan to drive to or from HR past this point, be aware of potential delays due to new construction coming on I-84 at McCord Creek (especially for those heading to the airport!). 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

According to a late August notification from ODOT:

𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗜-𝟴𝟰 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 (𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁. 𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱)

Gorge travel on I-84 eastbound will be 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁. 𝟮, as crews work to replace the aging eastbound bridge over McCord Creek.

Expect around the clock single lane and shoulder closures on I-84 eastbound at McCord Creek through late 2025.

The ODOT notice also states:
Lane closures (summer to fall 2025 and fall 2026)
Periodic lane closures summer to fall 2025.
𝗜-𝟴𝟰 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀.

Please read through the photos for all the info! I'm sure we'll learn more as the project proceeds.

According to the ODOT notification, this $32 million project will take place as scheduled even in light of the ODOT funding situation:

"While the funding crisis is having a profound effect on ODOT’s maintenance and operations, most construction projects will continue as planned. These projects are typically funded through separate capital programs, often with state or federal funds that are legally restricted to project development and cannot be redirected for maintenance or day-to-day operations. Delays may still occur due to a reduced workforce. Fewer available staff for traffic control, inspections and project oversight could slow down timelines or introduce challenges in project delivery."

08/31/2025

Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation: August 20, 2025 meeting update

The info is in order of what you might be interested in, followed by time stamps so you can watch on HRVPRD’s new YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/), where you’ll also find a few past videos too.��The FB Video snippet here discusses what you can expect from their Community Open House Event #2, coming on September 7, including what the pool consultant Counsilman-Hunsaker will present in terms of initial concepts.

- Date/Time: Community Open House on September 7: This will be the 2nd open house, with 2 locations available. Event 1 @ Parkdale Grange 1 to 3pm; Event: Hood River Valley High School 4pm to 6pm

Info from pool consultants Counsilman-Hunsaker with presentation on 3 pool options (1 of which is the renovation of the existing pool facility), initial costs, and how costs impact which features are available. Participants will have a chance for Q&A, immediate surveys, etc.

- Discussion about how to better market and provide info on how each of the final pool options and costs will affect an individual property owner, via a link showing the effect on the tax assessment for the HRVPRD based on the design. Work on that now underway.

Other Items:

- Will Norris, Urban Renewal Administrator for City of Hood River, presented ways in which the Westside Urban Renewal district could affect building,housing, infrastructure, tax revenue, and parks from now through 2052.

HRVPRD new board member Brian Hackett spoke several times about the burden placed on all special districts through the creation of urban renewal districts (which starve other special districts of funds, and which can be created by the city with no voter or district input). Brian has spoken about that previously in his role as board president of the Library District (see https://fb.watch/BQd4oIMOPJ/?). Norris’s presentation begins at 5:14 https://youtu.be/-Li4q6t8i7s?si=Jo7AMkBqUxbtcgWG&t=315

- Maintenance report: Indian Creek Trail and others had vegetation removal, gravel replacement, mowing where appropriate. Pool continued to have a variety of maintenance issues. (Link: https://youtu.be/-Li4q6t8i7s?si=k0y-0GW1Gtzx3ZIf&t=2100)

- The new Thistledown on Oak hotel owners requested a delay on paying SDC fees until they have occupancy on the new rooms they are adding. They are individual business owners who will be doing the work themselves over the next 12 to 18 months. No revenue coming in from those new rooms, so paying for them now is a hardship. Owner provide public comment @ the meeting start, board debate at 47:36 (https://youtu.be/-Li4q6t8i7s?si=A53-TqDAXQYYBYaO&t=2856). Board agrees to postpone payment, but payment due will be at whatever rate the SDCs are in force at that time.

- Advisory Council Update: Info on dates, charter changes, total membership, role of council, etc. Starts around 1:07 (https://youtu.be/-Li4q6t8i7s?si=mPGq01p6ELYqMRnv&t=4105)

- Pool Open House, discussion on steps to prepare now for future public outreach: Begins around 1:36 (https://youtu.be/-Li4q6t8i7s?si=vZ4rSom61_HQUGlN&t=5766)

- Finance Report: Begins at 1:59 (https://youtu.be/-Li4q6t8i7s?si=HWa_3cW-jYFAv4tO&t=7158)

Other info: In addition to a YouTube channel, the HRVPRD staff/board added a public comments input form on the website. You can access it here (https://hoodriverparksandrec.org/public-comment) or by going to their website and choosing “About” and then “Board Meetings” in the upper right.

As long as your comment is received by noon on the date of the board meeting, it will be included in the public comments of that evening and in the board packet. It’s an easy way to qu**ky register a comment and submit it without needing to remember email addresses, etc. Kudos to HRVPRD for adding the YouTube channel (you can also subscribe so you won’t miss a meeting) and other ways to communicate.

08/30/2025

Hood River County Sheriff Matt English described concerns for law enforcement coming up because of a variety of funding issues.

Sheriff Matt English spoke to the Cascade Locks City Council in mid-July about challenges to county law enforcement.

Sheriff English said that there were significant budget challenges affecting public safety.
—> Fortunately the public safety levy passed in November 2024. It helps provide:
o 24x7 coverage
o Patrol levelsremain intact

Parole and Probation
Funding cuts across the state contributed to:
o 2 employees being laid off (lay-off of a 20-year employee due to union contract rules previously discussed in Hood River meeting)
o No drug & alcohol counseling in house

English explained that Parole & Probation staffing is funded by the state of Oregon. Started in 1995. A STATE cost study in 2024 saw the cost of supervision had increased substantially, but the legislature did not implement funding increases, creating a $61 million shortfall.

Also, the number of cases that qualify for supervision had a steep decline across the state.

All those factors contributed to staff reduction in HR and other counties across the state.

Marine Safety
· There’s a 30% cut in Marine Program, which is funded through US Coast Guard grant
o That grant couldn’t be applied for due to Oregon’s designation as a sanctuary state
o The county’s FT marine deputy time has been cut to less than 70% on marine, he will also cover Forest Service contract

Federal Grant for Law Enforcement Mental Health & Wellness
o During 2 other grant cycles, received $300,000 for mental health counseling for first responders in HR, Wasco, & Klickitat County
o Cannot apply for the grant this year due to Oregon’s sanctuary state status

Retirement Funding caused by Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) shortfalls
—> Per Sheriff English, Hood River County needed to impact their PERS contributions. They did this via:
o Overtime budget cut. Unfortunately, overtime is used to cover shifts
o County is down 3 patrol deputies due to 2 medical leaves / 1 training

Other comments:
—> Oregon is ranked at bottom of the 50 states in terms of law enforcement staffing ratios (to city/county populations)
o Editorial note: One wonders what Portland’s police staffing does to the ratio for the entire state?

Search and Rescue is tied to Secure Rural Schools Act
o Search & Rescue in Hood River County is very busy
o Only funding for SAR is from federal funds through Secure Rural Schools Act

Emergency Management Program Grant
o Grant hasn’t been reauthorized yet – down 50%
o This is where handling FEMA claims, mitigation & recovery from disasters
o Community wildfire protection also funded here, so not receiving it would be problematic. Our county has often needed that kind of help (Eagle Creek 2017, etc)

In the July 2025 HR County meeting, Commissioner Babitz said he appreciated this in-person presentation in CL and hoped that Sheriff English would do a similar presentation a few times a year to the HR Board of Commissioners.

Note on the video: The back and forth of the camera is a Cascade Locks camera issue. They’re aware of the difficulty it makes in watching live or recording!

08/28/2025

From the Port of Hood River - Bridge Closure Saturday, August 30 from 1pm to 2pm.

08/28/2025

Hood River White Salmon Bridge News: August 25 meeting

Lots of good news from the Monday Hood River-White Salmon Bridge meeting. Here you go:

- The WA funding agreement is approved; contracts with Kiewit (for the design phase 1B) are being finalized
- There are sufficient funds committed that the schedule can proceed optimally (i.e. not “throttled back”). If more funding is committed, they can move faster through design and/or accelerate pre-construction activities.

- Kristie Dunkin (planner with HNTB): Reported that with a few minor changes, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)is ready to sign the Record of Decision (ROD).

A Record of Decision (ROD) is the federal environmental decision document, issued by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which explains the reasons for the project decision, summarizes any mitigation measures that will be incorporated in the project. Having that in place is essential to moving ahead with the new bridge.

- On to the video clip provided ... My (non-engineering) understanding is this: The original basic design plans for the new bridge called for a certain number of piers (those are intermediate vertical supports for a bridge's deck and superstructure, designed to transfer the loads from the bridge to the foundation below). The bridge piers go into drilled shafts, which are high-capacity deep foundations.

On Monday, Mike Shannon (HNTB Project Manager) announced that the number of piers and (therefore) the number of shafts was being reduced from 40 down to 22. This will result in a significant cost savings in materials as well as time/labor. More details coming at the September meeting, including cost savings estimates.

The video shows the discussion in more detail.

Reasons for the reduction included:
 The initial design added piers in part because the construction phase (as explained by Kiewit engineer James Scheer in the meeting) is when a bridge is subjected to some of the highest loads and things aren’t really “tied together.”
 Construction will now include “false work” which are temporary structures that hold up building structures and are removed after the permanent piers are in place.
 Data describing the vessel sizes that could impact the bridge, so that the design could account for those.

Concerns? The main one raised by ODOT liaison Rob Wattman was whether the change in the number of piers could require a change to the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) approvals. The HNTB planner Kristie Dunkin said “no” ... Rob seemed concerned.

Note that NEPA approvals can take between 2 and 6 years, and are routinely cited as a reason for delays in infrastructure and cost increases. A May 2025 Supreme Court decision (Seven County Infrastructure Coalition et al. v. Eagle County; 8-0 ruling) may help reduce those delays.

Caveat to this posting & the video: I’ve done my best to explain the discussion but suggest you watch yourself (engineers, architects, contractors, bridge fans, etc may be most interested). Also: The screenshots of the bridge piers are taken from HRWSBA documents in 2021 and 2023. Photos come from general photos of casings and shafts. They’re just for illustration!

I haven’t found any current drawings (and they will clearly being doing new full construction-ready drawings) based on the new analysis. The drawings provided in the video are inserted by me only for general illustration purposes – NOT as an indication of what the current engineered drawings/plans will be.

08/27/2025

Math Problems in Hood River? Building heights and Planning Commission Membership offer examples.

(Note: updating the last paragraph as of 8:27pm to reflect that staff didn't say the building MET the height requirement but instead that they basically told the planning commission that if they approve the application, they're going to have to make a finding that the applicant's novel interpretation of the height rules was correct. Thanks to a kind reader for pointing that out.)

Let’s begin with the application and staff report on the proposed 𝟳𝟬' 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹 (now on a continuance) ... and the current composition of the HR Planning Commission, where 𝟯 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝟲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 “𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲[𝘀] 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁.”

Why are those “math problems?” Because city code has a building height limit well below 70', and because 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟮 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟯 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝟕𝟎’ 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥

On August 18th City Planning Director Dustin Nilsen announced that the hearing on the AC Marriott hotel application would be “continued” (i.e. postponed until further notice).

The application received 𝟳𝟭 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟭, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟲𝟱 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀. Many included substantive questions about the application's compliance with city building codes along with the ability of the planning staff to adequately assess the application.

It’s the planning staff’s responsibility prepare comprehensive staff reports that provide background on the application, analyze it against local and state land use criteria, and offer a recommendation to policy makers.

With his permission, I’m sharing a copy of the letter sent by 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗭𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻 to the Planning Department as part of the public record. He points out his concerns, beginning: “This project application is flawed in many ways, both on completeness and the design response compliance.”

You can see the letter in the photos. A few of the points include:

- Building height non-compliance: Mark describes the errors in measuring the proposed building, which result in “...walls in excess of 70’ tall, when clearly no wall should ever be higher than 55’ in Hood River.” He points out that “The staff report should clarify that this proposal is NOT in compliance. Furthermore, the grading plan is incomplete and existing grades are not evident where needed. The proposal must be denied for this reason."

- Problems with the traffic analysis: "These include no information about who has decided that the applicant doesn’t need to contribute to new signalization, and why that happened?"

- Stormwater: “There’s no design or description explaining how the proposal would meet the water quality requirements for the building’s roof stormwater."

Mark's professional background as an architect, with clients including Nike, the Portland Trailblazers, Hilton Hotels, and more lends even more credence to his description of the applicant's non-compliance with city code and his questions about the incomplete staff comments.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 – 𝟯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆?

On to the Planning Commission, whose members are appointed by the Mayor. They’ll be the first group to review the application from Line 29 Architecture (for the AC Marriott) if the hotel proposal comes back to the city.

The Hood River City Planning Commission now has only 6 members, with a 7th open seat that has remained vacant for months. In December, after Mayor Blackburn appointed Tina McNerthney to the commission, 3 of 6 commissioners on the Planning Commission are employed by real estate companies. That's a problem.

Oregon state law says: “No more than two voting members of the commission may engage principally in the buying, selling or developing of real estate for profit as individuals, or be members of any partnership, or officers or 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙩. 𝙉𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.” (ORS 227.030 link: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors227.html)

Let’s review the occupations of Hood River’s Planning Commission members:

Bill Irving: 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 agent (Copper West). Principal business: buying/selling real estate
Bonifacio Romero: 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 (JDRE): ... buying/selling real estate
MariRuth Petzing: Attorney (𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 profession)
Kate Hoffman: Paralegal (𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 profession)
Zac Lytle: Dad / Home Renovations
Tina McNerthney: Investor Services Manager with Urban Development & Partners. The Urban Development & website states “Formed in 2006, 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆... " (https://www.udplp.com/)

Here's my math on the composition of the Planning Commission occupations/business/trades/professions:

Real Estate Industry: 3
Legal Profession: 2
Other: 1

3 in real estate appears to place the membership of the city's planning commission in violation of ORS 227.030.

This point was never raised at Tina's appointment in December 2024.

At the December 2024 City Council meeting, there was no discussion about Ms. McNertheney’s background or whether her work as an employee of a real estate acquisition company would violate the state’s provisions preventing more than 2 members of the Planning Commission from being involved in the real estate profession.

At the 3:25:34 mark in the meeting, Dustin Nilsen said the city had only received one application for the 2 vacancies. Dustin pointed out that there was a recommendation to appoint Tina, but that the council could keep the positions open for new applications.

Mayor Blackburn asked whether this was a “mayor appointment” or a “council appointment.” The response from Dustin was “Mayor with council support” and Blackburn responded and said “All right, I appoint.” Done.

Repeat: The Oregon Revised Statutes on the membership of city planning commissions says: “(4) No more than two voting members of the commission may engage principally in the buying, selling or developing of real estate for profit as individuals, or be members of any partnership, or officers or employees of any corporation, that engages principally in the buying, selling or developing of real estate for profit. No more than two members shall be engaged in the same kind of occupation, business, trade or profession.”

SO ... in addition to concerns about the ability of planning staff to adequately work through complex land and building use applications, we must ask whether we have a Planning Commission whose membership violates state law. And ask why no one on the city staff or city council asked about that application and how/whether Ms. McNerthney’s employment created a conflict.

This isn’t a reflection on the abilities or good will of the people who volunteer their time to serve on city boards and commissions. Tina stepped up in December to offer her time and background to help with decision-making on land use applications. But it doesn’t look like anyone recognized the state law about real estate profession limits on city planning commissions, does it?

Are we now back to having 2 vacancies on the Planning Commission, given that one of the three real estate commissioners can’t continue serving, as far as I can tell?

And to people who stepped up with concerns about recent applications for land use ... consider applying for a spot on the Planning commission (as long as you're not a real estate industry member or in the legal profession). We could use an architect (hint), a business owner, perhaps a math teacher? Or someone living in the city or urban growth area that is interested in land use.

There were only about 5 Planning Commission meetings in 2024, so it's not as onerous a role as it used to be. Application here: https://cityofhoodriver.gov/planning-commission/

Amended paragraph:

Maybe someone else’s math is different? Perhaps my count of 3 people working for companies engaged in the real estate industry is flawed and we'll learn about a novel interpretation of the Oregon rules.

Just as the planning staff reviewed the 70' hotel plan with a comment to the Planning Commission that if approved, "it will need to find that the height of the proposed structure meets the 45-foot requirement as adjusted for a site with 10 or more feet of grade change."

Looking forward to how the City is doing the math on these issues.

08/27/2025

The Bridges of Hood River County
Hood River County Commissioners Update: August 18, 2025

First news: Link for the entire county board meeting is on the InformHR YouTube channel – link here https://youtu.be/vESexgfRvWE

It’s hard to find the county videos on the county site, so I copied the recent meeting one and brought it over to YouTube.

I’ve also shared with the County how to easily do this, and they’re looking into creating their own channel. The benefit is that there will be captions for reading, and people who prefer to read the info in a different language can easily choose the YT translation feature. Let’s hope that comes soon!

Meanwhile, here’s the info that the county went through last week (along with a time stamp link in case you want to watch).

• The Bridges of Hood River County: Public Works Director Cori Wiessner gave an excellent update on the condition of bridges in the county (NOT including the big bridge across the Columbia) – link https://youtu.be/vESexgfRvWE?si=XgFUfqz3iDghTWiQ&t=3222 (at the 53:42 mark)
o 27 bridges – 18 of which are on the National Bridge inventory and get an ODOT inspection every 2 years or so
o 9 bridges not on the inventory and which are not inspected regularly
o 2 bridges are load restricted (Paasch and Wyeth)
• Public Works will continue to put $250,000 annually from the Roads Fund into a capital projects fund to help repair bridges
• 4 bridges won’t be repaired – either because the county has let them go too far & they cannot be repaired, or because the only way to put in the handrails required will still be below the standard required and they will fail inspection anyway, or because another agency will replace the bridge.

The bridge report is very comprehensive and can be found here, starting on page 36:https://www.hoodrivercounty.gov/vertical/sites/%7B4BB5BFDA-3709-449E-9B16-B62A0A0DD6E4%7D/uploads/8.18.2025_BOC_Packet(1).pdf

--> Annexation of areas contiguous to the city within the Urban Growth Boundary. The consultant doing the work has spoken to the city as well so you can watch the video there, or here: https://youtu.be/vESexgfRvWE?si=U7luXXC3220PpPOa&t=148

The consultant went through neighborhoods on the east, south, and west side of the cities to show where neighborhoods could be annexed without a public vote and the potential for new housing within that area.

Annexations without a vote can happen if the city gets consent from a majority of the property owners who own more than 50% of the land area AND more than 50% of the total assessed value (it’s called a “triple majority”).

You’ll hear the pros & cons of the various areas that could be annexed this way. The city has an interest in this annexation because they could gain land that could be used for more “affordable” housing or for generally increasing housing production.
(Editorial Note: With an estimated cost now of $76 million for 130 units of housing for the Rand Road/Mariposa Village low-income housing units, it’s unclear what will be financially feasible for the city to undertake many more of these projects. These also don’t solve the problem of middle-income housing availability; and low-income housing projects don’t generate much tax revenue for the city. We may hear more when the city begins to talk about its proposed 2026 bond measures. Current estimates/info on Mariposa Village: https://www.communitydevpartners.com/communities/mariposa-village/)

--> An issue raised by the consultant was the way in which the City of Hood River has allowed annexations in the past. Individual taxlots, often homes with failing septic, have been annexed in to provide city sewer services. This creates areas around the boundaries of the city where there isn’t the infrastructure expected in an annexation; also areas being annexed may have substandard roads, etc.

Other items during the evening:
• Brief update on first responders/agencies about communication on fires, emergency response, etc. Link: https://youtu.be/vESexgfRvWE?si=BYlGhfK6WQMJBvUE&t=4585 This was just a beginning – the intent is to create a plan for these emergencies (like the June 11 Rowena Fire traffic nightmare in HR).

The 3 broad focus areas for emergency events being pursued are:
o Reducing traffic coming into the county and facilitating movement out
o Creating local traffic flows to reduce congestion within specific Port and downtown areas
o Prioritizing critical routes to critical infrastructure (hospitals, fire stations, etc)

County budget issues:
• Management control over budget still being refined; county charter requires administrator approval for hiring
• Commissioner Babitz requested an agenda item soon to consider whether the County should institute a hiring freeze, and whether any new or re-hires should be approved by Commissioners

Also:

 Forest Carbon Project Update: https://youtu.be/vESexgfRvWE?si=LCpEIJHcy6z2UHXb&t=5111
• Doug Thiesis gave an update; carbon credit market prices are lower (hard to say if this is related to overall economic slowdowns, carbon market, other)

 Discussion about a County proclamation about the “We are Immigrants” https://youtu.be/vESexgfRvWE?si=DmPLhATuVoCKsqy3&t=6410

 ODOT potential cuts depending on funding (Inform HR already posted this segment): https://youtu.be/vESexgfRvWE?si=e6ndN2tEr32apMMp&t=7526

Inform Hood River

09/08/2025

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09/01/2025

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