The county council is considering a series of code changes that will affect what residents of unincorporated Clark County can and can’t do with litters of puppies, garbage cans, trailers, vacant buildings and other items.
“Who is this coming from?” Community Development Director Marty Snell said. “People who call and complain.”
Snell said that residents call to complain about issues in their neighborhood, but the code needs to be bolstered or clarified before they can take action. The council held a work session on code changes in March where councilors requested revisions and expressed misgivings. Council Chair Marc Boldt said the council will hold a hearing sometime in the coming weeks on the code changes. He said he is not sure what the reaction will be from the public or councilors.
In the meantime, here are the proposed changes.
Change: Developers must demolish vacant structures on lands they intend to build upon within six months of receiving preliminary approval for their project.
Reason why: The county currently allows buildings to be vacant or abandoned as long as they aren’t accessible. However, that doesn’t stop residents from complaining about how the buildings become eyesores, while attracting crime, vagrants and rodents.
During the work session, Paul Scarpelli, animal control manager, mentioned a vacant building on 78th street that had a “not very good ending,” a likely reference to Alycia Nipp, a 13-year-old who was killed in an abandoned house there in 2009.
However, Councilors Eileen Quiring, Julie Olson and Jeanne Stewart expressed reservations about the code change.
“I would like to hear from the public on this,” Olson said.
Change: Define a “kennel” as a premise where puppies from two or more litters a year are sold, traded or exchanged.
Reason why: Scarpelli said at the work session that for some unclear reason the definition of kennel was changed to a place where three litters a year are sold. He said reducing the number of litters would allow animal control to more easily monitor the animals. He also said that requiring these operations to register as kennels would make it easier to require them to get permits and to address any neighborhood or zoning issues that arise.
Change: Update the code to recognize “community cats.”
Reason why: The county code prohibits the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, and others, from releasing free-roaming cats back to locations where they were found even if it’s likely they’re finding food and surviving. The city of Vancouver has already made similar code changes that allow the Humane Society to vaccinate, sterilize and release cats if they have no clear owner. The policy currently is to euthanize these cats.
Boldt expressed some skepticism at the idea at the work session.
“The thing is, I would think nobody’s going to license their cats,” he said. “They’re going to call them ‘community cats.'”
Change: Restrict people from parking large commercial vehicles in residential areas. Also, stop people from parking their recreational vehicles in their front yards.
Reason why: Kevin Pridemore, county lead code coordinator, said at a recent work session that he receives complaints from neighbors about these situations but there’s nothing in the code that addresses them.
During the hearing, Quiring acknowledged the issue but said the code change could end up creating more problems.
Change: Make property owners in urban areas trim any grasses or nuisance weeds in their front, side or rear yards that are higher than 12 inches.
Reason why: Code enforcement receives complaints about property owners who allow weeds and grasses to become so overgrown in their backyards that they extend into their neighbor’s yard.
Change: Allow people to leave their garbage cans out, while also making them move their basketball hoops.
Reason why: The county code states that any garbage container with a 1.5 cubic yard capacity placed on the road is a public nuisance.
“The current code says you can’t have them in the right of way, yet we all know on garbage pickup day that’s where mine is at,” Pridemore said.
The code change would allow these containers to be set out on collection day, but councilors wanted more flexibility of when they could be left out. Residents have also complained about unattended basketball hoops obstructing the right of way.
Change: Moves a portion of the county code about animals restrictions from a section on land use to a section on animals.
Reason why: The code prohibits roosters, turkeys and peacocks in urban areas of the unincorporated county. But Scarpelli said that residents would find these restrictions if they were in the section on animals instead of land use.
