The B&B & the County Hearing

About 2 weeks ago, we received a notice from the county that one of our neighbors had submitted a proposal to open a Bed & Breakfast, including "educational activities." According to county regulations, we were required to be notified since our property is within 300 ft of the property in question. The public hearing was scheduled for May 1st.

We like B&Bs, and will usually stay in a B&B when on vacation rather than even the fanciest of hotels. But what do we think about a B&B right across the street? And what about the "educational activities"?

The particular neighbor in question we had not yet met, so this notice came as a bit of a surprise (strike 1). The B&B would be located on our road, which is a dead-end road with a limited number of residents - and therefore limited auto traffic (strike 2). Furthermore, our property is directly between the B&B and the White Salmon River , increasing the likelihood of interlopers (strike 3?). After talking to a few neighbors whom we had met, we wrote a letter with a list of our specific concerns a decided to go to the hearing to present it in person.

The hearing was an interesting event, and we turned out to be the ONLY people to appear at the hearing other than the person who submitted the proposal. (There were two other letters sent to the planning committee on this issue.) I must admit it was a little awkward to meet the neighbor in question while at a meeting opposing her plans, but in the end everything worked out fine for all. Her proposal was approved, but with enough conditions to address all of our concerns. The most significant condition added was that the "conditional use permit" for her B&B is valid only for her; when the property is sold, the CUP expires. Since we are concerned about the commercialization of farmlands, this was a big issue for us. Once a B&B is established there, it is easier to expand and enlarge it in the future to the point where large-scale weddings and other social functions could end up across the street from us. That's not why we moved to the country! Now that the CUP does not go with the property if/when it is sold, the danger of that happening is greatly diminished.

Her goals for the B&B were to provide a small-scale educational and experiential atmosphere to teach farming and ranching. We wish her the best of luck with her plans!

- Mike (& Corinne)