Tense zoning meeting about The Gorge ends with no answers

EPHRATA- Before Live Nation would be allowed to expand The Gorge Amphitheater, their manager and county planning commission members heard from livid farmers and residents near the rural concert venue.

"I've had feces in my yard (from concertgoers), loud music playing until 4:30 in the morning, and I've had enough," Patrick Escure said. He lives and farms less than five miles from the venue. "In fact, we've had enough," he said as about a dozen people standing behind him applauded during a Comprehensive Planning Amendment meeting Wednesday night at the county courthouse.

Planning commissioner members adjourned the meeting at about 11 :20 p.m., without recommending whether to allow the venue to expand.

Chairman Bill Bailey said the commission would decide the issue during an Aug. 6 meeting.

The Grant County Planning Department recommended allowing The Gorge to expand from a Recreation Development to a Master Planned Resort, in part to enact tighter controls over where the facility builds, what type of sewer facilities it would have and what types of protections would be offered to neighbors.

Residents of nearby Sunland Estates rejected the notion that allowing for more campsites, stage space, retail stores and outdoor cinema would alleviate the current problems of young, scantily clad concertgoers trespassing and littering.

"You've built a candy store and the kids in the store are just running amuck. Now you're going to give them a bigger candy store? That just doesn't make sense," Sunland resident Jack Kling said. Kling said his neighbors'

driveways have been blocked by The Gorge patrons

and garbage left in their yards. He said it could take up to

two hours to come and go from his neighborhood during

concert events.

"It's just not working," he said. He added that sheriff's deputies are unwilling to help and Live Nation's crowd and parking specialists aren't doing much either.

Grant County Planning Director Damien Hooper said after the meeting that The Gorge is in compliance with current Conditional Use Permits.

"I have been around The Gorge's land use permits clear back to the late 90s and the concerns raised then are similar in nature to those we heard (during the meeting)," he said. "Despite efforts over time to have The Gorge operators address issues, new issues come up, sometimes it's a new version of an old problem, and then there are stretches of time where there aren't any concerns or complaints made."

The Master Planned Resort process would give all parties the flexibility to work through those issues and address specific performance issues and impacts generated by the facility, he stated.

Bailey told Kling and other upset residents that by allowing The Gorge to change its land use classification, they minimize seven or eight difficult to mange permits into one, enforceable permit.

Bailey told Hooper to research who would enforce the permit and report back at the Aug. 6 meeting.

Several members of the seven-person board said they were in favor of the change in zoning, because it would give the county more controls over how Live Nation runs The Gorge.