Commissioners approve The Gorge zoning change
Grant County Commissioners approved a zoning change for The Gorge Amphitheatre on Tuesday that could allow more campers and retail stores like a farmer's market, grocery store and an outdoor cinema. Here concertgoers enjoy last weekend's Jack Johnson concert at The Gorge.
EPHRATA - Grant County commissioners approved a zoning change on Tuesday that opens the door to allow The Gorge Amphitheatre to expand allowing for more concertgoers and added retail space like a farmer's market, grocery store and outdoor cinema.
Live Nation, the company that owns The Gorge, would still need to obtain additional approval from the county's planning department before adding any new buildings or expanding their campground, explained county planner Tyler Lawrence.
The number of concertgoers would still be determined by an annual concert management agreement, planning commission chairman Bill Bailey said earlier.
The county commissioner's approval comes after tense opposition by The Gorge's neighbors and a recently released economic study that shows Live Nation is a top five taxpaying business in Grant County.
Live Nation applied for the zoning change earlier in the year and heard about three hours of testimony against the expansion at a July 2 planning commission hearing. The meeting adjourned about midnight without a recommendation.
Neighbors complained about rowdy concertgoers trespassing, littering and vandalizing their homes and farms without anyone offering help.
They also said traffic during the 20 concert days each year cause them hours of delay during their commute.
After that meeting The Gorge Amphitheatre's General Manager Danny Wilde met with many who complained and at an Aug. 5 hearing, those residents lessened or withdrew their complaints.
During Tuesday's commissioner meeting, Wilde admitted the company had done a poor job communicating with neighbors and vowed to continue to improve that relationship.
He said since that July meeting, The Gorge issued vehicle hang tags to residents to allow for more speedy transit through the concert-going traffic, a hotline where residents can call and ask for help, a newsletter informing residents of what to expect during concerts and offered private security to patrol neighboring farms and houses during concerts.
No residents spoke against the expansion during Tuesday's commission meeting.
Commissioner Cindy Carter, whose district includes The Gorge, recused herself from the hearing, saying she already talked to the media, Live Nation representatives and neighbors and could not be impartial. Carter is seeking re-election to the county commission in November.
Within four years, The Gorge hopes to add 1,000 camping sites, a café, an outdoor cinema, a two-story VIP building, a farmer's market as well as water, road and sewage improvements, according to a zoning change application submitted to the county's planning department in March.
Earlier this month, county commissioners tasked Public Works Director Jeff Tincher to look at prices for expanding the shoulder of the four-mile section of Silica Road that runs from I-90 East into The Gorge Amphitheatre to relieve traffic.