Redevelopment of existing areas can provide great opportunities for businesses seeking places to expand and investors looking for new prospects. Sometimes these opportunities arise in the unlikeliest of places. At least that’s the goal of a new Clark County planning process known as the Highway 99 Sub-Area Plan.
Like its famed cousin Route 66, Highway 99 developed a roadside commercial culture of small motels, restaurants and full-service gas stations, and once served as the primary route for travel up and down the west coast. With the completion of I-5, Highway 99 was decommissioned, and the portion stretching from the Main Street/I-5 interchange north to the junction of interstates 5 and 205 was returned to Clark County.
Clark County has big plans for this area and is seeking input from business and property owners, as well as other members of the public, to help shape how the county’s long-term vision can become a reality.
The county envisions a vibrant area with more choices for people in terms of housing, shopping and employment through compact development – with unique attributes that are within easy walking distance and incorporate open spaces such as parks, gardens, trails and plazas. The county plans to achieve these goals through the adoption of new zoning rules for this area.
One of the possibilities being examined is an innovative zoning technique known as “form-based zoning.” Traditional zoning divides areas into different zones, such as residential, commercial and industrial. Only certain types of uses are allowed in each zone.
Under form-based zoning there are few, if any, restrictions on the types of uses allowed. Instead, the focus is on the form and design of buildings and outdoor areas. Form-based zoning is based on the premise that regulation of a development’s physical form, rather than its uses, is the key to creating a better built environment.
Another possibility is to implement a public development area in the Highway 99 sub-area. State statutes give the county broad authority to create an independent redevelopment authority to oversee and facilitate redevelopment of this area. Creating an entity specifically charged with redeveloping the area could be important to sustaining momentum for redevelopment of the Highway 99 sub-area.
These and other issues are being studied through a series of technical reports being prepared by the county. The county is also planning public open houses some time in April or May. Later this summer, the Highway 99 sub-area plan will be reviewed by the Clark County Planning Commission, then sent to the Board of County Commissioners for adoption. Those interested in the status of the planning process for the sub-area plan or who would like to comment on the process and the proposed plan may start by checking the county’s website at www.clark.wa.gov/hwy99/index.html for more information.
Steve Morasch is a shareholder in the Vancouver office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. He specializes in all aspects of land use planning, including transportation planning and growth management, and can be reached at smorasch@schwabe.com.
