Camas Planning Commission OKs zoning changes for the North Shore near Lacamas Lake
By Kelly Moyer, Camas-Washougal Post-Record
Published: July 6, 2023, 6:07am
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The north shore of Lacamas Lake, at right, will likely see some development soon. Now is the time for the public to comment on zoning and design standards developers must follow. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian)
Camas is poised to finalize a new set of zoning and design standards meant to distinguish the soon-to-be-developed 990-acre North Shore from the rest of the city.
“Our hope is that, as folks enter this place, they recognize a certain intentionality to how it’s been designed — not only its uses, but also aesthetically,” Camas Community Development Director Alan Peters told the Camas City Council June 20.
Peters said “one of the more exciting things” staff have been working on over the past several months is a North Shore-specific design manual that is intended to “create a high-quality design that is consistent with the community’s vision.”
The Camas Planning Commission held a public hearing June 21 to consider that design manual, as well as staff’s recommended zoning overlays.
“The North Shore is a unique and beautiful place that is valued by the Camas community,” city staff stated in the proposed North Shore Subarea design manual. “Historically, the area has included agricultural uses and single-family residences on large, rural acreages. As the area is redeveloped, consistent with the adopted North Shore Subarea Plan, it is important to balance development with the protection of the area’s environmental resources and rural character.”
Camas Planning Manager Robert Maul said city staff started its public outreach on the North Shore planning process in 2019 at local high schools, farmer’s markets, downtown Camas events and through in-person and online open houses.
The community input led to a vision statement, which the city council OK’d in September 2020. The community’s vision for North Shore centered on protecting the area’s natural environment; planning a network of green spaces and recreational opportunities; clustering uses for a more walkable community; providing a variety of housing options, including some more affordable housing; siting industrial parks and commercial centers to the north side of the North Shore, away from the lake; favoring small businesses, including restaurants, cafes and grocery stores that would serve the residents and employees in the North Shore; planning for needed schools and infrastructure; and striving to maintain Camas’ “small-town feel.”
The subarea plan calls for six land-use zones, or districts, in North Shore, including lower-density residential, higher-density residential, mixed-use, commercial, mixed employment and park/open space districts.
The plan also calls for a central plaza within the mixed-use zone “to serve as a gateway from the recreational areas of the Legacy Lands (near Lacamas Lake) to the commercial core of the subarea.” Under the proposed design manual — which still needs city council approval — the plaza would be a minimum of 1 acre in size, open to the public and, if bisected by a street, would allow for the closing of that street during public events and festivals.
Maul told the planning commission June 21 that a future developer would have to work out the details of the central plaza, but would need to “make sure it is a usable space for community events.”
Recreation near the lake
“A key feature of the North Shore is the Legacy Lands, more than 240 acres of protected open space along the north shore of Lacamas Lake,” city staff stated in the design manual. “The intent of the subarea is to locate trails and open spaces throughout the area, as well as on the edge of the area to create buffers for wildlife and to provide recreation opportunities.”
City staff have said they wanted to better protect trees in the North Shore area.
“Protection of trees was very important throughout (the North Shore Subarea planning process),” Maul told planning commission members, adding that the existing city requirement is for developers to have 20 tree units per net acre, but that the proposed North Shore design standards call for requiring developers to preserve or establish 30 tree units per net acre and to keep those trees native to the Pacific Northwest.
“At least 50 percent of the minimum tree density must be achieved through retention of existing trees, unless an arborist report demonstrates that this standard cannot be met,” he added.
The North Shore design manual also calls for “dark-sky friendly” lighting for outdoor areas, which is an idea that came from the North Shore steering committee, Maul said.
The planning commission members were unanimous in their support for the proposed zoning and design changes to the North Shore and voted to send the planning documents to the Camas City Council for its approval.
The Camas City Council was expected to hear more about the plan July 3, and will likely hold a public hearing July 17.
