BENEFITS OF BROUGHTON LANDING
Broughton Landing is envisioned as to be a highly successful, world-class outdoor oriented resort that demonstrates the best of sustainable development practices while achieving financial and operational success, raising the standards of development within the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. As envisioned, Broughton Landing offers numerous benefits related to resource protection and enhancements, economic benefits and public safety improvements as summarized below.
General Benefits
1. The Broughton lumber mill site is the only Commercial Recreation zoned industrial site in the National Scenic Area and the approved Plan Amendment will only apply to Commercial Recreation-zoned former industrial sites, thus no precedent applicable to other sites will result from the approved Plan Amendment.
2. Contrary to the claims of opponents of change, the approved amendment leaves intact or strengthens the stringent resource protection measures intended to protect and enhance scenic, natural, cultural and recreation resources. As a result of the mandatory Master Plan and impact studies, Broughton Landing will be the most tightly regulated resort development in the Northwest.
3. The approved Plan Amendment goes extends the Management Plan by requiring not just resource protections but resource enhancements. This would truly raise the bar for development in the National Scenic Area.
4. Years of inclusive planning and rigorous analysis has proven the Broughton Landing proposal to be the only practicable alternative. Without the Gorge Commission’s approved Plan Amendment, the site will continue to languish with no public benefit.
5. The approved Plan Amendment facilitates developer-funded resource enhancements that will benefit the public for years to come. “It’s easy for us to be very cavalier” with restrictions, as Commissioner Joe Palena stated shortly before voting with an overwhelming majority of Commissioners in support of the Plan Amendment, “This is a gift, and I don’t want to pass it up.”
6. Broughton Landing will return this long-underutilized site to productive use addressing the un-met need for resource-based recreation.
Economic Benefits
1. Over 250 full-time jobs would be created during the construction period.
2. Resort operations will create about 60 ongoing positions.
3. Boost local economy through increased visitor spending (estimated at $8 million annually).
4. Increase property and hotel/motel tax revenues, generating over $1 million annually.
5. Create lodging alternatives that are significantly different from what currently exists in the area.
6. Creates an international destination to attract visitors to the Gorge.
7. Generate new demand for local restaurants, retail and services far exceeding the limited facilities allowed on the site.
Scenic Protections & Improvements
1. Removal and clean-up of existing discordant landscape features.
2. The approved Plan Amendment requires the resort be visually subordinant as seen from Key Viewing Areas, an improvement over the existing visually dominant condition.
3. Redevelopment would be limited to boundaries of the existing industrial complex.
4. Proposed redevelopment would utilize existing developed sites, road and trail alignments, structural forms, land forms and vegetation.
5. Architecture would be appropriate to the unique context of the Broughton Mill site.
6. New construction would be historically compatible through the use of heavily textured materials such as rough-cut wood, logs, local stone, vertical siding and oversized timbers.
7. New buildings will be screened with existing vegetation whenever possible or with new vegetation that mimics the native species on the site.
8. Conservation easements are proposed to protect scenery of highly-visible gorge walls.
Natural Resource Protections & Improvements
1. Design would employ appropriate sustainable technologies and Low-Impact Development practices to minimize resource consumption and protect environment.
2. Environmentally sensitive natural areas such as wetlands, riparian zones, steep slopes, and valuable habitat will be preserved.
3. Most existing vegetation will be retained as will existing rock outcrops, significant trees and other character-defining landscape features.
4. Broughton Landing would reuse suitable existing buildings and recycle salvageable building materials as part of future construction.
5. The majority of the site would be preserved as open space through permanent conservation easements.
6. Development will be confined within the boundaries of the existing industrial complex protecting over ¾ of 260-acre site.
Cultural Resource Protections & Improvements
1. Honor treaty rights for tribal fishing.
2. Includes an on-site historic museum and displays interpreting Native American culture and lumber history.
3. Preserves and provides interpretation of the historic Broughton Lumber Flume and other historic resources.
4. New construction will reflect existing building massing and architecture.
Recreation Protections & Improvements
1. Expand public parking connected to the Hatch with a safe pedestrian tunnel below SR 14.
2. Alleviate the existing RV parking problems at the Hatch with new RV parking and campsites on privately-owned land nearby.
3. Convenient new services for windsurfers such as a new general store/coffee shop/pub and a small shop renting and repairing windsurfing equipment near the Hatch.
4. Prevent overcrowding of the Hatch with a new, separate launch site (Broughton Beach) mid-way between the Hatch and Swell City.
5. Protect water quality through state-of-the art wastewater treatment technology that will prevent discharge of contaminants into the river.
6. Irrigation for the Hatch to keep the park green during the period of maximum Windsurfing activity.
7. Prevent wind shadow by locating new buildings away from the river.
8. Preserve Cheap Beach for public use.
9. Create new windsurfing launch sites at the Hatchery by expanding the Hatchery State Park.
10. Create an extensive public trail network connecting shoreline with top of Underwood Bluff.
Public Safety Improvements
1. Reduced fire risk through replacement of existing fire hazards with fire-wise landscaping and code-complaint buildings with sprinklers.
2. Replaces dangerous and noisy existing at-grade railroad crossings with pedestrian overpasses and sound walls.
3. Replaces hazardous highway crossing with safer pedestrian underpass accessing Hatchery State Park.
4. Constructs new turn lanes and entrance realignment will reduce collision risk on SR-14.