Nursery Rhyme Or Reason

We don't comment very often on letters submitted by readers, but in the case of the correspondence from Sharon Spenard of Dayton published on our opinion page this week we'd like to make an exception.

This seems as good a time as any to shed a little more light on the situation in which Ace Landscaping owner John Palmer finds himself.

County officials have approached him about possible zoning violations involving his new nursery off Highway 12 between Waitsburg and Dayton, following several complaints, presumable from local residents.

Mr. Palmer finds himself in a predicament since he has spent tens of thousands of dollars on a business that many in the Touchet Valley welcome because of its convenient location.

But the county too finds itself in a difficult situation, having discovered what its officials believe are discrepancies between what its laws allow and what Mr. Palmer has implemented.

It seems, however, that Mr. Palmer and Ms. Spenard feel the county's senior planner, Richard Hendrickson, is on a personal mission to destroy Ace Landscaping's retail operation.

We understand how Mr. Palmer might feel threatened as he has received form letters from the county that put him on notice. But county commissioners have said they are trying to find ways to accommodate the nursery.

For his part, Mr. Palmer has expressed his intention to collaborate with the agencies, but at the same time he is seeking moral support from residents and businesses in the area to rally behind his rights as a business owner.

So far, everyone is acting predictably.

But we believe this need not be turned into a personal matter and that cool heads will prevail in the end.

Mr. Hendrickson is obligated by law to respond to citizens' complaints regarding zoning violations. It's his job. Citizens in the area are within their right to bring what they perceive as adverse conditions resulting from the nursery, such as traffic safety issues, congestion and proper land use, to Mr. Hendrickson's attention.

The county commissioners and the county planning commission set the policy.

While the code allows horticulture as an accessory associated with the kind of farming allowed in the A-1 zoning where Ace finds itself, it also holds that "accessory uses shall be located, designed and operated so as to not interfere with, and to support the continuation of, the overall agricultural use of the property and neighboring properties (hellip;)."

Two developments will test the prospects for Ace Landscaping's future. The first is a meeting on Thursday afternoon of the Columbia County Planning Commission, which has been asked by county commissioners to take up the zoning question involving Mr. Palmer's business.

Those interested in attending should check the county's website for the meeting's time and location.

We believe the meeting is an opportunity to clarify the parameters in which Mr. Palmer and entrepreneurs like him can operate in A-1 zoned areas and to shed the personal innuendo that will only hinder a constructive outcome.

The other test is the upcoming harvest, which might put farm equipment operators who use Gallaher Road at odds with nursery customers who use the same road to access Ace's lot. Mr. Palmer knows that if he succeeds in getting longterm county approval for his retail sales, these questions about traffic conditions will continue to plague him, possibly in the form of inquiries from the state's Department of Transportation, which controls Highway 12.

Again, this is much less a matter of putting a business owner's back against the wall. County officials are plenty welcoming of new job-creating business operations, but they have to abide by local and state laws or change them.