White Salmon at a transition point as growth, infrastructure collide

Location, Location, Location — The City of White Salmon sits in a bowl of beauty with Mount Hood looking down on one side and easy access to Mt. Adams out the other. City leaders are working toward improved utitilities and seeing where consensus lies on higher density to meet housing demand.

The Dalles, Ore., Oct. 6, 2026 — White Salmon is preparing for a future with more housing choices and greater residential density while spending millions of dollars rebuilding its water system and extending infrastructure to new development.

That transition will be on display Wednesday when the White Salmon City Council considers water projects and other infrastructure matters while reviewing a preliminary analysis of proposed zoning that allows for higher density neighborhoods.

The proposed rezones are the broadest change on the council’s agenda. City planning staff identified 131 parcels where current zoning does not match the land-use designation in the city’s White Salmon 2040 Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2021.

The biggest change would affect 70 properties currently designated for single-family housing. The city is proposing to move them into a residential designation that allows duplexes and limited townhouse development.

Another 33 properties would move into the city’s multifamily residential designation, where triplexes, fourplexes, buildings with multiple townhouses and multifamily apartments are allowed, subject to the city’s development standards.

Together, those changes could give more than 100 properties the potential for greater residential density than their current zoning allows.

The proposed changes would not all increase development potential. Four commercial properties would be rezoned residential, and 12 special-case parcels identified as unbuildable bluff properties would be proposed for downzoning.

Twelve residential properties are proposed for conversion to commercial zoning. Ten are in the Upper Wyers planned unit development and already contain live-work units. The other two include a Klickitat County stormwater parcel and Pinecrest Church of the Nazarene.

Planning staff noted that rezoning the church property could create a nonconforming use and potentially affect future expansion.

The zoning changes are at the beginning of a public process rather than ready for final council action. Informational notices are scheduled to begin Oct. 14, followed by a public workshop Oct. 28. The Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the matter Nov. 11, with a possible City Council hearing in January.

The planning report recommends robust public outreach because the proposed changes affect a large number of property owners and neighboring properties.

Drinking Water Improvements

At the same time, White Salmon is rebuilding the infrastructure needed to serve the city it has today and the development it expects in the future.

A potable water transmission-main replacement project by Tapani Inc. is 81.62% complete. The original contract was $5,403,672, including sales tax. The current contract price before applicable change-order sales tax is $5,484,483.82, with $4,476,215.82 in work and materials completed or stored to date.

The project includes water-system connections, service lines and meters, pavement and gravel restoration, pressure-reducing valve stations, air and vacuum valves, flushing, testing and disinfection.

Another major water project, the North Main-Spring Street improvements, is 93% complete. The original $2.13 million contract has increased to $2.26 million, with a proposed additional $5,008.05.

The change order will add cable, a communications module and programming so the North Main Booster Pump Station flowmeter can communicate with the city’s automated control system (SCADA) and provide real-time flow-volume and flow-rate monitoring.

The project also is receiving a 152-working-day extension because of manufacturer and supplier delays.

Growth brings new infrastructure into city’s system

The council will consider an agreement for a waterline extension serving the Ada Lane subdivision outside the city limits in Klickitat County. The subdivision includes four 1-acre lots.

The proposed project includes about 622 feet of 8-inch water main along private Jackson Drive and Ada Lane, along with two fire hydrants and additional valves. The developer is responsible for construction, and a Crestline Construction quote totals $95,248.

The city is seeking a $1,500 deposit from the applicants for review and inspection.

The city also will consider accepting about 312 feet of 8-inch PVC water main installed by White Salmon Storage Properties for the Alpine Grove properties.

The agreement authorizes up to $51,009 in water and sewer impact-fee waivers. The city estimates it would avoid $75,982.32 in costs it otherwise would have incurred, producing an estimated net financial benefit of $24,973.32.

The city would take responsibility for maintaining the water main after acceptance, while the developer would remain responsible for defects during the two-year warranty period.

The council also will consider a sole-source resolution for Coburn Electric Inc. covering maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, programming, configuration, testing, commissioning and documentation for the city’s existing SCADA system.

SCADA controls and monitors critical water, wastewater and related infrastructure. The city says Coburn built most of the existing system and has knowledge of its programming, electrical configuration, control panels, communications and operating history.

The resolution would allow the city to use Coburn without competitive bidding for this category of work. It does not establish a price or guarantee a minimum amount of work. Individual projects would still have to be authorized and remain within the city’s adopted budget.

The resolution also includes cybersecurity requirements covering personnel access, remote access, individual accounts where technically supported, removable media, incident reporting and backups. The city would retain ownership of project-specific programming and documentation.

The meeting also will include a presentation on 2027 revenue estimates. The council’s Sept. 14 budget workshop identified broader financial pressures, including about $18.9 million in active loan disbursements and an estimated $4.1 million need for completion of water-mainline work.

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner also is scheduled to provide a wildfire insurance update.

The council meeting begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the White Salmon Council Chambers, 119 NE Church Ave.