WASHINGTON
A dilapidated lumber
mill in the Columbia River Gorge, famous for its appearance in an
1967 TV episode of Lassie, is now the site of a
controversial development proposal.
Since the time when
the famous collie floated down the flume to the Broughton Lumber
mill, recreation — particularly windsurfing — has
skyrocketed in the gorge. To capitalize on the boom, the
mill’s owners want to build a 68-acre sawmill-theme resort
and condominium complex.
The mill sits inside the
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, however, where
high-density development is confined to 13 “urban” areas; the mill
is about two miles from the nearest of them. There are 28,000 acres
within these areas, says Michael Lang, conservation director for
the Friends of the Columbia Gorge, and “development should happen
there.”
Broughton Lumber, which already has permission to
use its land for minor commercial development, is pressing the
Columbia River Gorge Commission — the federally mandated
authority that manages the scenic area — for a zoning
revision. But the commission, which says it can’t consider
the request until January because of budgetary woes, says it needs
time to consider the proposal and conduct community outreach.
Steven Andersen, a consultant working for Broughton, says
the commission has failed to enforce its 1992 management plan,
which calls for a plan review every 10 years. “They’re
holding us hostage,” he says. “It’s already a developed area.
It’s an industrial area.”
“Some recreational
commercial development should occur on the site,” agrees Martha
Bennett, the commission’s executive director. “It’s a
question of threshold.”
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Proposal for Lassie’s lumber mill has enviros barking.
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