Opinion: Growing Pains and Green Gains – A smarter path for Clark County

Camas Mayor Steve Hogan, La Center Mayor Tom Strobehn and Ridgefield Mayor Matt Cole

🎧 Three Mayors Propose Smart Growth Plan for Clark County

Mayors of Ridgefield, La Center, and Camas believe the County Council has a chance right now to adopt a framework that protects our neighborhoods, supports our builders, and saves our farms

Drive on Interstate 5 or SR-14 beyond Vancouver’s city limits and the landscape undergoes a dramatic transformation. The skyline falls away, the fields open up, and the majestic peaks of the Cascades rise above the foothills. In Ridgefield, La Center, and Camas, this scenic Pacific Northwest geography isn’t just a backdrop — it is the very soul of our communities.

It is no mystery why Clark County has grown by more than 61,000 people in the last decade. But beauty and opportunity bring a heavy burden: the demand for realistic, responsible planning. As we update our growth plans — a process required every 10 years by Washington’s Growth Management Act — we find ourselves at a crossroads. We can either allow growth to erode the character of our region, or we can embrace a framework that honors our past while securing our future.

Planning with a promise

There is no “one-size-fits-all” blueprint for growth. Our region is a tapestry of varied neighborhoods, and our planning process began where it matters most: with the residents. Through scores of community meetings, surveys, and workshops, the people of Ridgefield, La Center, and Camas have been clear. They want affordable housing and economic opportunity, but they refuse to sacrifice the small-town charm and integrity of the neighborhoods they call home.

Responsible growth means directing density thoughtfully. It means placing housing and jobs in areas where infrastructure and amenities can actually support them, rather than forcing high-density projects into existing neighborhoods that were never built to absorb them.

The vanishing farm

To achieve this balance, we face a dual challenge. We must allow for targeted expansions of urban areas where growth is already happening, but we must also protect the lifeblood of our rural economy: our farms.

The data is sobering. According to the USDA Agricultural Census, Clark County lost 32% of its farmland acreage between 1992 and 2022. That trend isn’t just continuing; it’s accelerating. Every acre of paved-over topsoil is a loss for our local food security and our heritage.

A market-based solution: TDR

We have developed a collaborative solution that bridges the gap between urban density and rural preservation: the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Program.

The concept is simple but powerful. It allows landowners entering our cities to “pay” for density by preserving working farms elsewhere. Farmers gain a vital financial option: they can sell their future development rights for a cash infusion to invest back into their operations, while their land remains permanently protected for agriculture. In return, the urban areas receive the density credits needed to grow efficiently.

This isn’t a radical experiment. More than two dozen jurisdictions across Washington successfully use TDR programs. Here in Clark County, both the Planning Commission and the Agriculture Commission have already endorsed this approach.

A rare moment of alignment

We are currently in a rare window of opportunity. Our cities are committed to responsible growth, developers have identified strong market interest, and our farmers are looking for an alternative to selling out or subdividing.

This alignment won’t last forever. The County Council has a chance right now to adopt a framework that protects our neighborhoods, supports our builders, and saves our farms. Let’s not look back in 10 years at a landscape of missed opportunities. Let’s choose a path that ensures the view from the highway remains just as stunning for the next 61,000 neighbors.

This piece was authored by the collaborative leadership of Ridgefield, La Center, and Camas.