Hood River City Commision meeting Monday. Be heard!

[CUSalin]

[quote="bensound"][quote]

[TBird]

[scooter_bell]

https://www.facebook.com/events/374508872594934/

Here is a friendly meeting with both parties for and against the cable park to help us come together and understand each other. This will be a sharing of ideas concerning the future of the basin and the surrounding properties. We would love to have some of you there to participate.

Wednesday 6:30pm 10 speed coffee on State street, Hood River.

See ya there

Derek

Friends of the Hood River Waterfront
https://www.facebook.com/friendsofthehoodriverwaterfront

[CUSalin]

Just a reminder that the Department of State Lands (DSL) comment deadline is this week, May 6th. After that, comments will not be allowed. DSL is a key agency in the approval/disapproval of the Naito plan for a cable park in the Nichols Boat Basin. You can post your comments by going to the DSL web site at the link below:
http://www.statelandsonline.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Comments.AppListLF&county=Hood%20River
scroll all the way to the right and click on comments/add. Then check the boxes that apply and add your comments directly in the text box. click "submit" and you're done !

Also, the other key agency to send your comments to is the Army Corps of Engineers. You can email comments directly to Karla Ellis at link below:
karla.g.ellis@usace.army.mil

Thanks for taking the time to make your voices heard

[arthurb]

For those of you following the city processing of this application: The Hood River City Planning Commission will continue its hearing of the conditional use application for this project at its meeting 5:30PM, Monday May 7 (at City Hall). The record has been closed for new written testimony, and the applicant has had a chance to rebut in writing. Unless something causes the PC to reopen testimony (typically new evidence being presented in a rebuttal) you should expect the PC to begin deliberations towards a decision.

There are a few possible outcomes of a PC deliberation. They can issue a "tentative decision" which directs staff to prepare detailed findings along certain lines for approval at a subsequent meeting, or they can issue a final decision and authorize the chair to sign when the documents are complete.

Decisions usually fall into three categories: rejection, acceptance, or acceptance with conditions. If there is an acceptance with conditions, it is very important to read the conditions if you want to understand what has really happened.

As you may know the applicant has removed the cable park element from this application and submitted a second application for separate consideration which includes the uses on the water. The specifics of that are complicated, so I'm not going to attempt a summary. You can come to the meeting to hear staff explain it to the PC. I can tell you the record will be open for further comment on this second application as soon as the application is deemed "complete" and the 120 day clock starts. Staff also tells me that all comments submitted before the record closed on the first application will automatically be brought forward to the second application, so you do not need to resubmit for the PC to see your comments re: cable park or to maintain standing for appeal.

In a final note, city staff has recalculated application and appeals fees based on the technical changes to the application (site plan to CUP, change in acreage). They will also explain those fees calculations at the Monday meeting. There is a strict clock for filing land use appeals to the city council, so anyone considering an appeal should carefully study those rules.

[bensound]

Update on the Naito Development project at Nichols Boat Basin. The Planning Commission approved the hotel and commercial building last night--and included in their approval a requirement for a true waterside path across the property which the developer graciously agreed to. Thank you to everyone who wrote to the city to request this addition. Now we just need to get the Port to make a beautiful connection (pedestrian esplanade is the term, I think) between Naito and the event site. . .


Heather

[CUSalin]

Very Good, thanks for the update. So does that mean the cable-toy component is still pending?

[bensound]

Yep, the cable park was segmented from the Hotel/building application (that is what was approved last week by the planning commission). Now the cable park is its own application at the city--don't know the schedule on that.

Also, the developer has withdrawn the Army Corps permit application for the cable park but plans on resubmitting in the summer.

[CUSalin]

Does The City have "say so" on the cable-toy part?

[bensound]

Yes, the city will look at the cable park application later this summer (I heard July). The Department of State Lands is looking at it now. They will compile the public comments into a letter to the developer with a list of concerns to address (if any). Then the developer will have 25 days to respond to comments. DSL will render a judgement 25 days after that. The Army Corps will also eventually have a look-see--that application has been withdrawn for now but is likely to be resubmitted whenever they sort out whatever made them withdraw it (perhaps it wasn't complete enough?)

And eventually the Port of Hood River will need to look at it. Every other entity has legal criteria that they are supposed to apply when evaluating the project. But the Port doesn't really. The commissioners just have to decide whether the project best serves the public good. If you have thoughts on that--I'd submit to the Port porthr@gorge.net.