Port Westward Rezone FAQs
| Q. | What is the history of Port Westward? |
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A. |
The Beaver Army Terminal Dock was constructed in 1942 as a military shipping point for ammunition during World War II [1]. The installation closed in 1964 and the Federal Government declared the property surplus, turning it over to the General Services Administration for disposal. In 1966, the Port purchased the property with the support of local voters and government officials. Most of the acreage was leased in 1967 to a California-based industrial development corporation called Westward Properties, Inc., which is how the area became known as “Port Westward.” All that remains of the original military installation is the Beaver Dock, which is used today to transload renewable diesel. |
| Q. | How did the Port obtain the property it wants to rezone? |
| A. |
In 2010 the Port purchased 737 acres adjacent to the Port Westward Industrial Park from Lower Columbia Tree Farm, also known as Greenwood Resources, expanding the Port’s property there to 1,700 acres. Greenwood Resources was a willing seller and supportive of the rezone. |
| Q. | When did the Port start the process to rezone property at Port Westward? |
| A. |
In 2013 the Port submitted the original rezone application for property purchased from Lower Columbia Tree Farm, requesting a zone change from Primary Agriculture use (PA-80) to Resource Industrial Planned Development (RIPD). The Columbia County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the Port’s rezone application in early 2014. Columbia Riverkeeper, an environmental advocacy group from Hood River, and neighboring farmers Mike and Candy Seely of Seely Family Farm appealed Columbia County’s approval decision to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). In 2014 LUBA remanded the application[2] back to Columbia County for more information. |
| Q. | Why does the Port want to rezone this property? |
| A. |
The rezoned property will address the critical shortage of large tracts of rural industrial land with river access throughout Columbia County, the Portland metropolitan area, and the entire Lower Columbia River region. After the rezone is approved, the property will attract diverse rural industrial employers that will offer family-wage jobs, much needed tax revenue, and a greater investment in our communities in Columbia County. |
| Q. | Is there industry currently located at Port Westward? |
| A. |
Yes. Portland General Electric (PGE) acquired the lease from Westward Properties, and in 1975 completed construction of its Beaver Power Generation Plant. PGE still operates this plant today and has since expanded with the Port Westward 1 and Port Westward 2 Generating Plants. Additional industrial tenants include Global Partners, who currently receives and ships renewable diesel, and NEXT Renewable Fuels, who is developing a renewable diesel and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) facility at Port Westward. |
| Q. | Is the NEXT Renewable Fuels project on rezone property? |
| A. |
No. NEXT is developing their facility on property that is already zoned for industrial use. |
| Q. | What happened next with the rezone application? |
| A. |
In 2017 the Port resubmitted the rezone application to Columbia County and identified the existing 1,600-foot Beaver Dock and deep water port as a “unique resource” justifying the rezone, as specifically allowed in Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) 660-004-0022(3)(a). As a result, any project located on the rezone property must be significantly dependent on the river port. As suggested by LUBA, the Port also limited the rezone property to the following five allowable uses:
In 2018 the Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved the modified application and Columbia Riverkeeper and 1000 Friends of Oregon appealed the decision to LUBA. LUBA rejected eight of the nine separate arguments against the rezone[3] and remanded the application back to Columbia County for additional analysis on one remaining point—how the five allowable uses will be made compatible with adjacent agriculture. Both the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court upheld LUBA’s decision on appeal. In September 2021, the Port provided a compatibility analysis on the allowable uses and resubmitted the rezone application to Columbia County, who approved it for a third time. Columbia Riverkeeper and 1000 Friends of Oregon again appealed the decision to LUBA, who remanded the decision[4] back to Columbia County asking for further analysis on the compatibility of uses. |
| Q. | Did LUBA deny the Port’s previous rezone applications? |
| A. | No. LUBA has never rejected or denied the Port’s rezone application. LUBA remanded the decision, which means they sent it back to Columbia County asking for additional information. Remand is a common legal process for significant land use decisions and is not considered a rejection or a denial. |
| Q. | What is happening now? |
| A. | In December 2022, the Port Commission approved[5] resubmitting an amended application to Columbia County for a fourth time. The Port will provide additional analysis showing that the five allowed uses can be compatible with neighboring ecology, and bring this information to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for consideration. The Port’s goal is to follow the guidance provided by LUBA and make sure the rezone is done right.
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[1] Chapman, Judy, “Beaver Army Terminal Dock,” Oregon Encyclopedia, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/beaver_army_terminal_dock/#.Y7cQfnbMKUn |
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