Clark County Council members are divided on whether the Chelatchie-Prairie Railroad is an underutilized asset for industrial shipping or an expensive waste of money.
Last week, the council canceled a consulting contract originally intended to draft development regulations for a potential future job zone next to the rail. Council members were concerned the contract did not include an economic benefits study as county residents fear potential negative impacts on the community. In July, a new contract that includes a review of employment opportunities will be put out to bid, though an economic study is unlikely.
County rail industrial use and local pushback
The county-owned Chelatchie-Prairie Railroad, which runs from Vancouver to Chelatchie, spans 33 miles and passes directly through Yacolt and Battle Ground. A “freight-rail dependent use” (FRDU) development proposed by the county would expand the railroad’s use to include industrial uses and allow the shipping of aggregate materials, including sand, rock and gravel. The idea was first considered in 2018 but was bogged down by legal disagreements between the county and the operator since 2012, Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR). A new contract was signed in 2023, though PVJR operations have yet to begin.
The county’s historic railroad is mostly unused, aside from a Yacolt excursion tour train, which runs May through December. Battle Ground Mayor Troy McCoy and Yacolt Mayor Ian Shealy both oppose industrial shipping and have cited concerns about potential pollution and traffic heavy that train usage would bring to both cities.
The council has discussed a proposal to rezone 400 acres of rural land in Brush Prairie for heavy-industrial use through an overlay or zoning change. The land in question is situated west of state Route 503 and south of the Battle Ground city limits.
Brush Prairie residents, including members of the local Loo-Wit Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, have pushed back against the proposal for years. Wendy Cleveland, the organization’s conservation chair, believes the overlay is inappropriate as the property is adjacent to both Glenwood Heights Primary and Laurin Middle schools. Neighbors raised noise, traffic, safety and pollution concerns to the County Council in several previous meetings.
“I think it has been a failed project from the start. It is not feasible to put a heavy industrial park on rural lands surrounding public schools and homes,” Cleveland stated following last week’s County Council meeting.
David Terry, a Battle Ground resident who lives adjacent to the railroad, said the council should not move forward without a cost-benefit analysis.
Gary Medvigy, Clark County Council chairman, pushed back by saying the railroad usage will lessen truck traffic, therefore lowering the county’s carbon footprint. He stated a full cost-benefit analysis would be a fool’s errand and a waste of taxpayer money.
“There’s a lot of miscommunication, almost propaganda, out in the community about our railroad,” Medvigy said during the June 25 council meeting. “There’s no way to hire a consultant right now and get any valuable information [through] a financial assessment because the rail’s only partially developed. There are national [and] state studies that reevaluate the benefits of railroads. They’re available, and they would be just as accurate as what we would spend $50,000 to $100,000 on a consultant to do some kind of financial analysis.”
A new contract and new challenges
Medvigy did, however, suggest the council cancel a consulting contract with BERK Consulting INC. slated for vote at last week’s meeting to include an employment-potential study. The canceled $99,805 consulting contract included environmental implications, public feedback from locals and utility needs for a future industrial or commercial park zone at the proposed Brush Prairie overlay site.
The former contract would have drafted development regulations for the Brush Prairie overlay and potential future job sites. However, Medvigy asked the new contract be amended to include all county lands adjacent to the railroad.
After the meeting, District 5 Clark County Councilor Sue Marshall said the larger scope of work may drastically raise the contract’s costs above the previous $100,000. Subsequently, the decision to delay consulting work to November is of particular concern to Marshall. Under Washington’s Growth Management Act, Clark County must provide the state growth projections for population, housing and employment by December. County Manager Kathleen Otto said the county may face litigation should canceling the contract delay the county’s comprehensive plan update.
“It really throws the monkey wrench into the process,” Marshall said after the Wednesday meeting. “There’s a lot of uncertainty. It will delay both any progress on the [freight rail dependent use], and it may delay the work on the [comprehensive plan update] for which we have until the end of the year to complete that work.”
District 5 Clark County Councilor Glen Yung stated he cannot support the FRDU in an email to The Reflector following the meeting. Glen said a new consulting contract will not allow for sufficient understanding of the project’s economic impacts and environmental impacts. Furthermore, Yung noted his concerns with the leased operator, PVJR, as it is under investigation by the Department of Ecology for obstructing water through tributaries to Chelatchie Creek and unauthorized discharges into adjacent wetlands.
“Unfortunately, during deliberations, only a minority of the council was willing to explore feasibility and impacts. Additionally, in my opinion, the current operator has failed to demonstrate a true partnership with the community. For these reasons, I am not supportive of moving forward with the development of an FRDU overlay,” Yung wrote.
A new contract for consulting services will be presented to the County Council for approval in a July 24 meeting. Legally, the new contract must be advertised for one month, meaning the county must wait until August to put the contract out for bid.
