Planning Commission

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The Planning Commission consists of seven County residents. Each member is an unpaid volunteer. The membership consists of two County residents from each of the three County Commissioner Districts and one at-large member (from anywhere within the County). The Board of County Commissioner appoints each member for a four-year term. The Planning Commission does not have any regulatory control over the Planning Department staff or administration. The Planning Commission does not have any authority or role in the permit (quasi judicial) process.

During the legislative process, the Planning Commission will conduct public hearings on ordinance amendments and comprehensive plans. The Planning Commission members will review and deliberate on the written and verbal testimony received during the public hearings and the planning staff report, and then make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners regarding the ordinance amendment and/or comprehensive plan in question. The Board of County Commissioners determines the final action of the legislative ordinance or comprehensive plan amendment.

Planning Commission Meetings

Regular Planning Commission Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month, as needed, at the Skamania County Courthouse Annex building lower meeting room at 170 NW Vancouver Avenue, in Stevenson, Washington, and remotely via Zoom. The meetings begin at 6:00pm.

The Planning Commission Meeting calendar can be found here. Planning Commission Meeting agendas and other information are generally posted the week prior to the meeting.

Commission Members

District 1 - Ken Bajema
District 1 - Sarah Perry (Vice-Chair)
District 2 - Vacant
District 2 - Vacant
District 3 - Anita Gahimer Crow
District 3 - Ann Birkenfeld Lueders (Chair)
At-Large - Michael Wilber

Appointment to the Planning Commission is made by the Board of County Commissioners.

Planning Commission Vacancies

Skamania County is seeking applicants to fill the following positions on the Planning Commission. Interested applicants must be residents of District 2.

District 2 - Position 2A and 2B

District 2 generally includes the areas east of Beacon Rock including North Bonneville, Stevenson, and portions of Carson (west of Wind River Hwy and the Wind River). The northern cutoff is the northern boundary of T1N, R7E (south of Blackledge in Stabler).
These are volunteer positions with an appointment period ending August 31, 2028. The Planning Commission meets the first Tuesday evening of each month at 5:30 pm and other times as needed. Members may spend several hours preparing for meetings, in addition to time spent in the meetings themselves.

Anyone who is interested in serving on the Planning Commission is encouraged to apply by submitting an application and a letter of interest. Applications can be found at http://www.skamaniacounty.org/community-development/ or at the Skamania County Courthouse Annex.

Application forms and letters of interest should be sent to Josh Neblock, Skamania County Community Development Department, PO Box 1009, Stevenson, WA 98648, or to jneblock@co.skamania.wa.us and must be received by 5:30 PM on Wednesday, May 21st, 2026.

Appointment to the Planning Commission is made by the Board of County Commissioners.

Commissioner Districts

(2) District 1 - This District includes, approximately, the area west of Beacon Rock including the populated areas of Swift Reservoir. (Skamania, Prindle, Cape Horn, Mt. Pleasant, Bear Prairie, Skye, Upper Washougal, Marble Mountain, Swift Forest Cabins and Northwoods)
(2) District 2 - The District includes, generally, the area east of Beacon Rock to Wind River Highway. (North Bonneville, Stevenson, and West Carson)
(2) District 3 - The District includes, generally, the area north of the High Bridge and east of the Wind River Highway in Carson. (Stabler, East Carson, Home Valley, Cook, Willard, Mill-A and Underwood)
(1) At-Large - The At-Large representative may reside anywhere in Skamania County and represents all communities and residents in the County.

Commissioner District Map

Planning Commission Bylaws