Womens’ recovery house receives lease extension from county council

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A facility for women who are recovering from drug addiction has a few more months to operate under a recently-approved lease, though the future of the site is uncertain due to the county-owned property’s current zoning.

During its Feb. 28 meeting, the Clark County Council voted to approve a three-month lease extension for Grace Lodge for XChange Recovery. The property at 6702 NE Septan Drive, along the East Fork Lewis River west of Daybreak Park, has served as a home for women recovering from drug addiction for more than a decade, Vicky Smith, XChange Recovery co-founder and program director said.

Smith was among more than a dozen who testified in support of Grace Lodge at the meeting, most of whom have stayed at the lodge during their own recovery.

Smith thanked the county for allowing the use of the lodge on county-owned property.

“It has helped literally hundreds of women find healing and restoration,” Smith said.

Smith first walked through the house in 2009 when it sat vacant and was vandalized for seven years. She recalled the initial agreement with the county, which stated Grace Lodge could “be an excellent test case to evaluate the feasibility of providing social services (and) treatment service delivery by the local faith-based community.”

The lease extension requires all current residents to move out by April 30, and all items in the house must be moved out by May 31. As to why XChange Recovery can’t continue to operate at the lodge, Clark County Manager Kathleen Otto said it is a manner of zoning.

Otto said the property was originally purchased with county conservation futures funds with the intent of habitat preservation and development for public recreation. The land could be used as parks as early as 2024, she said.

Otto said initially XChange Recovery rented the property for $1 a year, though more recently it was for $100 a month.

A previous lease extension was executed at the end of July, which had an end date of Jan. 31, Otto said. At that time, the extension was granted to give XChange Recovery ample time to move to a new location.

On the last day of the extension, legal representation from XChange Recovery reached out to the county about the additional time, Otto said. XChange Recovery had another location to move its Grace Lodge operations to, but it is currently being renovated, warranting the need for additional time.

Smith said the move is to another property XChange Recovery operates, which currently houses men. She said the move will create a “domino effect” where the organization will have to look for somewhere to house the residents who have to move out as a result of the Grace Lodge residents moving in.

“We wouldn’t have had to move the men out of that house had this not happened,” Smith said. “In fact, we need more housing, not less.”

Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Chief Civil Deputy Leslie Lopez said it is her understanding an occupancy permit was issued in 2009 for the lodge, but between then and now, the zoning on the property changed. In order for the residents to stay there, there would have to be a conditional use permit issued under the prior zoning.



Searches by both the county and XChange Recovery were unable to find a conditional use permit, Lopez said.

Councilors were appreciative of the work XChange Recovery does.

“This is near and dear to my heart, and I’m really disappointed that it’s come to this,” Councilor Gary Medvigy said.

Because of the property’s purchase with conservation futures funds, the county has certain responsibilities with how it is used, Medvigy said. He noted other instances where those funds were used, like for the former Cedars Golf Course near Battle Ground. In that instance, the county did not buy the old golf course clubhouse because of issues on future use.

“Eventually that (building) got cut out because we couldn’t figure out any way that we could do it by conservation (futures funds) to buy a building, especially with no known use,” Medvigy said. “And we kind of got that situation today. What are we going to use it for?”

Although Councilor Glen Young said he also appreciates what XChange Recovery does, he questioned what could happen if the property isn’t owned by the county. 

“If this property were owned by a private individual or company and somebody had lodged a complaint about it not being used according to its zone, (then) we as a county would be obligated to enforce that code,” Yung said.

Yung noted the extension is a good compromise. He added the council should look at what barriers exist for similar facilities to operate in the county.

The councilors want to look into ways the lodge could continue to operate in its current location.

“If there is another possibility there that could be explored within the next two to three months, that could be good, and that should be something that we should do,” council Chair Karen Bowerman said.

Medvigy asked about the potential for grandfathering the property in.

“It got zoned after they were already there, you don’t zone uses out of an existing property. They are grandfathered in. When they cease to function, OK, it goes to that zone with the current uses and you can’t do it any more,” Medvigy said.

County staff were unsure if there is any possibility to take that kind of action. Though looking deeper into county code is possible, Lopez noted it might not turn up the answer the council desires.

“I’m just cautioning not to provide that there is a false hope that there is a solution in regard to that,” Lopez said.