Gary Ogier looks at a map of proposed overlay near the Yacolt Mountain Quarry that has him and other neighbors concerned. (Alisha Jucevic/The Columbian)
The Clark County Council on Tuesday put off taking action on a controversial proposed zoning change that would expand the footprint of Yacolt Mountain Quarry. Instead, officials will draft an agreement with mine operator J.L. Storedahl & Sons to address neighbors’ concerns over truck traffic and expanded mining.
“The people will realize that we’re serious about this,” Councilor Jeanne Stewart said at the council’s Tuesday hearing. “And when they have a problem, we have a problem — and when we have a problem, the mine is gonna have a problem.”
The zoning change being sought by Storedahl would apply a mining overlay to 107 acres of forestland owned by the company south of the mine. Bo Storedahl, a representative of the company, said the land was purchased by the company in 2016 to serve as a buffer from potential housing development. The company has indicated that it would like to use the land to store excess dirt. The dirt would serve to mitigate noise and create enough room to allow Storedahl to continue extracting gravel from the mine.
A county staff report recommended approval of the expansion, finding it met the county’s comprehensive plan and state land-use law. A consultant hired by Storedahl found that the county is running out of aggregate that’s in high demand, and the mine plays a critical role in supplying it.
But in August, the Clark County Planning Commission voted 5-2 to recommend that the council not approve the overlay. The commission voted against it in part because of concerns from residents that noise and speeding trucks associated with the mine hadn’t been adequately addressed by the county.
During the more than two-hour hearing, the council heard from a smattering of individuals who spoke of the need for more gravel. But the council mostly heard complaints from residents who opposed the expansion.
“We are opposed to any expansions of this quarry because we feel that Storedahl does not have the issues of environmental impact, water impact, noise impact, truck traffic under control with their current operations,” said Nick Edgar. “And they need to get these current issues under control before they are allowed any expansion of their business.”
Robert Brink, the head of nearby Pomeroy Farm, said that although Storedahl indicated that it just wanted the overlay to store dirt, he thinks the area would be mined.
“So it’s going to eventually happen, and that’s going to really open up the whole south side of Yacolt Mountain, and it’s going to just be a gigantic sore thumb,” he said.
But Bill Lynn, attorney for Storedahl, said that approval of the overlay would mean that the company would still have to apply for further permits that he said could be denied or approved with specific conditions. He also pointed out that the state’s Growth Management Act mandates that counties identify commercially significant resources.
Storedahl told the council that the activities at the mine are heavily regulated at the state, local and federal level, with requirements in place to protect water and air quality.
He said his “sole intention” is to move the dirt, which would require a permit, and that he wants to mitigate the mine’s impact. He said that his company wouldn’t seek to mine the overlay for decades, which he said would also require a conditional use permit.
“I don’t want to be seen; I don’t want to be heard,” he said. “I don’t want to put the burden on anyone to listen to what I do for a living. So we bought that (land) as a buffer to protect the quarry.”
When asked by Councilor Julie Olson about truck traffic, Storedahl said he was restricted by the terms of his conditional use permit and that the overlay wouldn’t generate more traffic. He also said he wanted to be a “good neighbor” and work with the county.
But Olson expressed reluctance to vote for the overlay when the county hadn’t enforced the conditional use permit currently in place for the mine. Community Development Director Mitch Nickolds agreed that the county’s oversight had been lax and he wanted to address the situation.
“We’ve made a lot of promises over a lot of years that we’ve not kept,” said Olson.
Toward the end of the meeting, the council directed Deputy Prosecutor Christine Cook to work with Storedahl on an agreement that would address traffic issues and commit the company to not mine the overlay for a period of time. The council will reconsider the overlay Dec. 11.
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