Inform Hood River

12/24/2025

Marriott Hotel: Ongoing Testimony

On December 16th, the City of HR added documents from Line29 (the architect/applicant for the new Marriott AOC) and from opponents.

Publishing here the letter from the legal firm (Jordan Ramis)representing the applicant.

Also publishing the letter from Hathaway Larson describing in detail all the ways in which the application does not meet City of Hood River Municipal codes. (And sorry ,. Pages 4 and 5 of the letter turned out at the end…)

Attorney Michael Connors also describes problems with the way in which city staff “proposed several conditions of approval that improperly defer compliance with substantive approval standards to a later date with no public process.” (Highlights added by me)

Meaning… city staff took the applicant’s failure to provide a compliant landscaping plan, lighting plan, compliant garbage collection & mechanical equipment and does not show any evidence that Line29 will actually be able to satisfy the approval process.

Other issues described by Mr. Connors:
- The City Staff has not explained why it should change its standards or previous interpretations of code just for this project.
-
The City’s code doesn’t use the IBC (International Building Code)to determine compliant building height, and the staff’s claim that the city’s ordinances rely on those standards is incorrect (because those IBC standards were adopted AFTER the existing and controlling ordinances were put into place).

- The applicant continues to fail to comply with the maximum building height limitation.

- City staff is apparently willing to defer compliance with code issues until AFTER approval of the project. Previous legal decisions have settled that a city “cannot defer compliance with approval criteria pursuant to a condition of approval.”

- Development doesn’t meet compatibility standards

- The development doesn’t comply with parking requirements.
- This includes the failure of City to show that it actually has funds to build a parking structure (NOTE: a question from a city councilor during the discussion of parking ‘in-lieu” fees had city staff admitting that the fees gathered from those fees were entirely inadequate to build a parking structure.

- The construction of the hotel will cause two 2 intersections to fail, and the applicant shows no mitigation measures.

- City Staff admits that the access doesn’t comply with access standards. Applicant hasn’t requested a variance. The development fails to comply with the requirement.

- Development fails to comply with the Comprehensive Plan.

I’m taking a brief break from cookie baking to post this info. I’m sure it’s entirely a coincidence that the August hearing was postponed until a time of year when so many people are engaged in activities other than reading testimony about this project.

The City’s Packet for the January 5th Planning Commission also includes a December 20th letter from Robert Gilham, describing the Smith family’s (the owner of the property @ 419 State Street) “longstanding connection to this site”. (Letter posted here also)

Let’s remember that the Smith family’s origins are from Ontario (OR), and as part of Eagle Newspapers’ operations in the 1960s through the late 1980’s, they bought a number of newspapers, including the Hood River News. As far as I’ve found, members of the Smith Family (Eagle Newspapers) had no connection with Hood River other than HRN ownership. Denny Smith, who took over Eagle Newspapers in 1968, seems to have lived in Salem for at least 40 years or more. ‘That was also where he lived when he served in Congress from 1981 to 1991.

Also remember that a letter describing the ways in which a project is compliant or may benefit the city doesn’t count as an answer to the specific concerns about the ways in which the project fails to comply with existing requirements in the municipal code, no matter how eloquently written.

Next Meeting: January 5 @ 5:30pm

https://cityofhoodriver.gov/administration/meetings/

12/23/2025

Consider taking a look at the proposed Community Mobility Action Plans for downtown Hood River and the Hood River Waterfront Plan… https://sites.google.com/hoodriverbridge.org/community-mobility/mobility-action-plan?

THEN take the survey to share your thoughts.

The mobility plans are a CONCEPT for how the connections between downtown HR and the waterfront could connect bikers and pedestrians to the new bridge. These concepts would shape parking, bike lanes, traffic flow, etc.

After you look at the community plans, use the Survey link below from HRC Chamber or here to complete the survey:

Take the Feedback Survey
bit.ly/Community-Mobility-Survey

12/21/2025

County Emergency: Weather Issues – December 19th, 2025

Hood River County Commissioners met in an emergency session to hear from several county staff members working with weather-related problems on county forest trails, roads, and campgrounds.

Quick summary – NOT in order of meeting, but in order of potential impact

· Hwy 35: Remains closed due to a landslide blocking both lanes and the shoulder of Hwy 35 south of Cooper Spur. You cannot get from Hood River to Mt Hood Meadows or Timberline via Rt 35.

Sheriff English said that in addition to the landslide blocking the road, the river has diverted and is running over the roadway. ODOT was sending geotechnical engineers to survey the area and the condition of the ground on Friday. No update on when it’s open.

Mapping software (Google, Waze, Apple) show alternate routes BUT use caution – one route suggest a back way via Lolo Pass that could be very problematic if we get significant rain or snow.


· Other Road Closures: Barrett Drive between Country Club and Markham is closed, and likely to be closed for a significant period of time. There is an exposed gas line. NW Natural is working on the situation first, then the County will be allowed to go in and do repairs.

· County Forest Trails: ARE CLOSED. All of them. The County forestry department & public works is evaluating the condition of all trails, along with culverts and bridges involved with those trails.

There are NOT signs on all the trails because the primary focus last week and this coming week is doing the assessment. There isn’t staffing to place signs everywhere as well. Please stay off those county forest trails whether you are hiking or biking or doing another off-road activity. Stay tuned to county info for more details. Ongoing weather (snow, rain, etc) can cause timelines for repairs or closures to change.

A big thank you to all the road crews and county staff that were working for 12 and 14 hour shifs, and staffing emergency operations around the clock. Same thanks to county law enforcement.

Info: The Hood River crested at just under 11’. This was significantly lower than the 1996 flood.

12/19/2025

Today’s emergency meeting is likely related to storm impacts from yesterday’s weather.

12/19/2025

Be safe!

Road update from county Public Works:

There are several road closures due to water and debris hazards, including:
• Country Club Road: From Frankton Road to Post Canyon Road
• Barrett Drive: From Country Club Road to Markham Road
• Woodworth Drive: From Allen Drive to Hwy 35
• Hwy 35: From MP 73 to 75.89

The following roads are open but have significant standing water:
• Multnomah Road
• Markham Road
• Methodist Road

Please avoid these areas. Drive with caution and expect delays. Anticipate heavy water and debris in roadways throughout the county. Visit TripCheck.com for current travel advisories.

Sandbags are still available at Hood River County Public Works (918 18th Street).

12/18/2025

The County of Hood River declared a state of emergency today due to the severe weather causing flooding, potential evacuations, etc.

12/16/2025

Port of Hood River: Tuesday, December 16

Work Session 4pm: The Port hears from boathouse owners and others about the future of the boathouses. These are structures at the Marina that store boats. The Port commissioners voted in 2022 to eliminate the leases, but boathouse renters continue to look for compromises. Testimony came in the October meeting (separate reel will have public comment by Steve Tessmer from October).

Regular meeting @ 5pm. Topics include:

• Presentation on a new terminal for the airport, with a cost of just over $9 million. $500,000 from Port funding; $250,000 hopes to be raised by the Port Foundation created in 2024; the rest by federal and state tax dollars coming via US Economic Development Admin ($5 million); a federal matching grant ($1 million), an Oregon community renewable energy grant (CREP - $1 million); misc other grants ($1.3 million).
• Approving a work order agreement with Gretchen Goss for an amount not to exceed $50,000 for producing the newsletter, social media engagement, and anything the Port Foundation might need (like the still-planned Port License Plate scheme and Foundation website)
• FYI: Still waiting for the insurance reimbursement from the June 27, 2024 truck accident on the bridge.

The Executive Director’s report will include:
- Mention of the plan to donate a portion of Indian Creek Trail property to the City of Hood River.
- Electronic tolling changes: The 2nd invoice charge has been reduced from $25 to $3; if someone requires a 3rd invoice, the late charge moves to $25 at that point.

- Marina Sheriff Joel Carmody will be on leave for health reasons. HR County Sheriff has no one available to cover that role (in the Monday December 15th County Meeting, Sheriff English described staffing shortages at HRC Sheriff’s Office – including 4 open deputy positions)

- Port staff are preparing the draft Request for Developer Interest (RFDI) for the Marina East and Marina West properties. The RFDI is intended to gather information from the development community on viable concepts, market interest and potential partnership structures, and to better understand the range of commercial mixed-use opportunities that may be feasible.

- Looks like the Passport app for paying for parking may come to the Port by March 2026. That’s the same app used for City of HR parking payments.

- Discussion with Scott Webster on pricing for a “fair annual lease” for his proposed cruise ship activity.

- Port will adopt a new ordinance “Regulating Conduct on Port Property”

Other notes:
In case you missed it (easy to do), the Foundation named 4 new members (the original “Foundation” was established with only the Port Commissioners as members). The new members are Judy Newman, John Benton, Jamie Mack, and Joshua Kitts.

November 18th public comment: “Tom Bacci, Kidder Mathews, stated that he had spoken with Executive Director Kevin Greenwood earlier in the week regarding pending transactions. He noted that he expects to continue seeing existing transactions through to completion. Bacci expressed concern about a memo issued the previous week, characterizing it as defamatory and stating that he had requested a retraction.”

12/15/2025

Testimony about proposed Marriott Hotel: Due by December 15, 2025

You’ve got until December 15th to review the NEW information submitted by the applicant who wants to build a Marriott AOC hotel at 419 State Street. In the December 1st Planning Commission meeting, we were told that either side (applicant or public) can review the new evidence or comments submitted through December 8th, and provide a rebuttal to those arguments up through December 15. (After that time, only final rebuttals from the applicant are accepted).

If you want to send in comments, email them to [email protected]

Please note: Thrive Hood River has a letter (December 6th) opposing the development. Their arguments reference their own reading AND PUBLIC COMMENTS previously provided. Many of the public comments already submitted contained valuable information showing how the application simply isn’t compliant with the City’s municipal code and its Comprehensive Plan.

Your review of the new proposals on height, as well as the applicant's response to prior public comments, can be helpful in determining whether the applicant's proposal meets the city's code requirements.

In case you’re interested in new comments sent to the City, here you go:

- Thrive Hood Riverr has their new comments on their website (www.thrivehoodriver.org). I’ve copied the pages and provided them here for those who wish to read through.

A QUICK summary of points – Thrive Hood River believes the applicant’s proposal fails and should be denied based on:

• Compatibility: Proposed building fails to be compatible with the site and surrounding buildings due to its height, bulk, and scale.
• They point out that photos used to suggest the new hotel fits with the surrounding buildings in the Compatibility Exhibit “appear[s] to be intentionally misleading” because the photos aren’t at the same scale.
• Scale: The buildings the applicant uses to compare to are all in the “industrial tail at the north end of the business district, far beyond the surrounding area.”
• Height: Thrive points out that the city’s code “has grammatical issues that render it uninterpretable” (embarrassing!). Thrive looks at prior interpretations and ultimately points out that the way in which Line29/applicant is interpreting the code now “equates to a revision of the code outside of the local legislative process and cannot be allowed.”
• Parking: An issue raised by many (NOTE: The next time the City Council revisits its in-lieu parking fees and code, let’s hope for more people to speak out).
o Thrive points out that the hotel complex requires 183 parking spaces, will provide 120, and will be short 63.
o Thrive suggests that accepting a fee in lieu of providing necessary parking is contrary to the city’s comprehensive plan, and also that the city has the discretion of whether to accept that in-lieu payment. Thrive suggests downsizing the hotel complex so its parking will match the requirements.
• Flaws in the Traffic Study: Failure to consider the multiple uses at what they term is a for Oapplication uses parking calculations based on one variable, and trip calculations based on another, though both involve the same number of vehicles.
• Creation of Failed Intersections: For the City to allow the project to move ahead knowing it will create failed intersections “inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and a disservice to the residents of Hood River.”

Mark VanderZanden (architect) testified about the flaws in the original August proposal. His letter to the city (dated December 11th) points out that the applicant’s changes indicate that there should likely be one less floor than the original proposal, but that’s not shown ... and he goes on to say “Planning shouldn’t be approving buildings based on minimal wording from letters, but from coordinated submittals. This level of revision requires a new submittal.”

Again: You can read the new documents from Line29 Architecture here: https://cityofhoodrivergcc.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/BuildingDepartment/EhypIxeY1K9FmDF-V7zdhdwBbCmUL_ObBHdHDoLK97iUKg?e=LdAUDv

The City of HR’s Staff Guidance to the Planning Commission (photo provided) warns commissioners "about a few things, including:

"5). Popular Opinion. The application is not a referendum to be approved or denied based on popular opinion or public opinion. Only factual testimony and findings related to applicable approval criteria outlined in the Hood River Municipal Code shall be considered."
"7) Financial or Fiscal Impacts: The financial merits or economic assumptions related to the application are not to be considered as part of the Planning Commission’s grounds for approval or denial of the application, as they do not appear within applicable Hood River Municipal Code Criteria."

Of course, Goal 1 for Oregon Land Use also includes Citizen Involvement.

It’s a credit to the people who’ve submitted testimony (for or against) that they are reading the documents submitted and providing comments that are not solely something that is “public opinion.”

By the way, it's not easy to access the most recent documents because of the use of Sharepoint software.

However, providing additional space at the Fire Station for public comment was a plus and helped with public participation. Scheduling meetings during a busy travel/holiday time ... maybe less useful for widespread participation. (those are my personal opinions only).

12/14/2025

Hood River County Board of Commissioners Meeting: Monday, December 15, 2025
Work Session: 4pm Regular Meeting: 6pm

Work Session Stuff:
There will be interviews for a bunch of volunteer appointments. Based on past history, the Commission is just glad to get volunteers and the questions will be softballs like “Do you have enough time to serve?”.

Of most interest & likely impact to the County and the Gorge will be the appointment to replace Michael Mills (he’s moving out of state) on the Columbia River Gorge Commission. The two candidates for the spot are:

 Cindy Thieman: Executive Director of the Hood River Watershed Group for the past 12 years.

 Steven Hochman: Managing Director for Nagarro (HQ in Munich, Germany), a global digital engineering & IT company.

Other Work Session Items:
- Presentation & update about the HRWS Bridge – if you follow info on them, it’s likely a repeat from the past 2 weeks;
- Update on the “Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion” – program where law enforcement “help individuals avoid the criminal justice system by providing adequate services. The program targets "frequent utilizers" of the system, those who often commit minor offenses and struggle with addiction, mental health issues, or houselessness.” (per County website)
--Mid-Columbia Center for Living Update on a local “Behavioral Health” plan

Business Session:

- Administrator’s report: We’ll hear about the pressures in local law enforcement, with 4 current openings. Issues in public safety funding will likely have a lead position as the County describes fiscal issues as we move into the budget season for the next fiscal year.

- Legislative priorities for the county (see photos), including a push to get the state to change its funding levels for county courthouse construction and site purchases.

- County Health Modernization Plan

- Letter of support for the Port of Hood River, which is seeking funding to help build a new terminal building at the Ken Jernstedt Airport (current estimated cost:$7 million).

 Public Land Corner Fee: This is one of those oddities... Per the Association of Oregon Counties: “Oregon county surveyors have been maintaining and perpetuating the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) – critical public infrastructure established by the federal government in 1785 – since statehood. The PLSS consists of controlling property corners located every half mile, forming the foundation for all public and private real property and resource land boundaries in Oregon. Maintaining these corners is an ongoing process requiring physical inspection and establishment or reestablishment of historical corners still set in trees or with rocks.”

This work done by county surveyors and is compensated by the “Document Recording Fee” paid in real estate transactions. It was capped at $10 over 40 years ago. State House & Senate agreed to remove the cap on the fee, and HR County will raise the fee to $28 to better cover the actual costs of the surveying work.

12/11/2025

Land Use Application from the Port of Hood River: Notice #25-0266. Here’s what the request is:

Jeff Renard, on behalf of the Port of Hood River (25-0266), has applied to develop a 10-unit T-hangar building along the southern boundary of the Ken Jernstedt Airport.

Loation: on the east side of State Highway 281 (Tucker Road), approximately ½ miles south of its intersection with Barrett Drive and Indian Creek Road (2N 10E 11B #2600). The parcel is zoned Airport Development, Airport Height Combining, and Transitional Zone and Health Hazard Overlay.

If you have comments regarding this application, please respond by 5:00 pm, Friday, December 19, 2025 to [email protected]
*****

The Port of Hood River has been discussing these T-Hangars for a while. A T-Hangar (for those who don’t have a plane that needs to be stored) is simply an enclosed structure used to store general aviation aircraft (ie. No fighter jets or Boeing 747s). The Port has a long waiting list for T-Hangar space (the waitlist goes back to 2020), and expects these to generate positive revenue.

Cost from the April 2025 Spring Planning session was estimated at $1.9 million. About $1.2 million is covered by state and federal grants, with the Port putting in around $619,000. The Port estimated annual revenue of about $54,000. Unsure if there are ongoing costs for the structures for roof maintenance, electrical, hangar door maintenance, etc. So perhaps a 12-year timeframe for the return on the initial investment, but perhaps a bit longer?

12/10/2025

Marriott Hotel: New Documents from Line29 Architecture

For those wondering about the new information coming about the Marriott – promised by the applicants in the December 1st meeting – you can find it in the link provided in the link at the bottom of the city’s November 6 public notice.

That link is also here: https://cityofhoodrivergcc.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/BuildingDepartment/EhypIxeY1K9FmDF-V7zdhdwBbCmUL_ObBHdHDoLK97iUKg?e=LdAUDv

You’ll then need to open the Folder called “Application Materials” and scroll almost to the bottom to find “Packet-Open-Record-Dec 8.pdf”.

Once in that document, SKIP the promotional PowerPoint (seen on Dec 1) about the Smith Family of Ontario OR & the HR News (as far as I can tell, the Smith family’s connections are to Ontario and Salem, other than their ownership of the HR News in the past and their current ownership of the property at 419 State St).

Jump to page 23-26: Letter from their legal firm about changes Line29 is making to the project, and their response to public comments.

You can then move on to the arguments and exhibits presented to make their case that their project is now in compliance with HR municipal code OR that they’ve addressed – one way or another – public comments.

Sorry for the short posting... I only received the link from the city yesterday afternoon. They pointing to the November 5 public notice in which a paragraph added later at the end pointed to a Microsoft Sharepoint link which in turn provided the documents. I found that almost impossible to find on the city’s own website but I’m sure it’s buried on there somewhere.

I’m traveling so posting now before a trip on 84 into PDX. No time to dig into the details or post more photos right now - the plane won't wait for me! Those interested should dig in. Reach out to the city if you can't access the link: [email protected] Note that if you want paper copies of the report, the city will provide them at $0.50 per copy. The new materials total 265 pages.