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Urban Low Density Residential (UL)
This designation provides for predominantly single-family residential development with densities between five and 10 units per acre. The base zones which implement this 20-year plan designation are R1-20, R1-10, R1-7.5, R1-6 and R1-5.
Urban Medium Density Residential (UM)
This designation provides land for single-family attached housing, garden apartment, and multi-family developments ranging from 10 to 22 dwelling units per acre. The implementing base zones in this designation are R-12, R-18 and R-22. Where offices are determined to be appropriate, the Office Residential OR-15, OR-18 and OR-22 zones can be applied.
Urban High Density Residential (UH)
These areas provide for the highest density housing in the urban area, with 43 units per acre. Base zones in this designation are R-30 and R-43. Where offices are determined to be appropriate, Office Residential OR-30 and OR-43 zones can be applied.
Mixed Use (MU)
The mixed use designation intends to allow mixed use developments to provide a mix of mutually supporting retail, service, office and residential uses. Areas in this designation are implemented with the list of uses allowed in the mixed use (MX) zone.
*Commercial (C) (Changes are proposed for this designation)
Currently, Clark County has three commercial comprehensive plan designations - Neighborhood Commercial, Community Commercial and General Commercial - and three commercial zoning districts.
For the 2016 comprehensive plan update, the county proposes consolidating the three commercial comprehensive plan designations into one Commercial (C) comprehensive plan designation, but keep the three commercial zoning districts.
Neighborhood Commercial (NC): C-2 zone
Community Commercial (CC): C-3 zone
General Commercial (GC): GC zone
Industrial (I)
Areas in this designation are implemented with Light Industrial (IL), Business Park (BP) and Industrial Railroad (IR) zones, and are intended to provide employment opportunities such as compatible office and attractive new non-polluting industries.
Public Facilities (PF)
This designation is applied to land uses that have facilities or are for public use, such as public schools, government buildings, water towers, sewer treatment plants and other publicly owned uses. The implementing base zone may be Public Facilities.
Rural Lands (RL)
This designation is intended to provide lands for residential living in the rural area. Natural resource activities such as farming and forestry are allowed and encouraged as small-scale activities in conjunction with residential uses. The Rural 5, 10 and 20 zones implement this designation.
Rural Center (RC)
The rural center designation is intended to provide lands for residential living in the Rural Centers at densities consistent with the comprehensive plan. These districts are only permitted in the designated Rural Centers and are implemented with the RC-1 and RC-2.5 base zones.
Rural Commercial (CR)
This commercial district is located in rural areas outside urban growth boundaries in existing commercial areas and in designated Rural Centers. Rural commercial areas in designated Rural Centers are implemented with the CR-2 base zone. Existing commercial areas outside Rural Centers are implemented with the CR-1 base zone.
*Agriculture (AG) (Changes are proposed for this zoning classification)
These lands have the growing capacity, productivity, soil composition and surrounding land use to have long-term commercial significance for agriculture and associated resource production. This designation is now implemented by the Agriculture (AG-20) base zone.
This zone is proposed to change to Agriculture (AG-10). The minimum parcel size would decrease from 20 acres to 10 acres.
Agri-Wildlife
This designation applies to areas in the Columbia River lowlands that have the characteristics to support long-term, commercially significant agriculture and are valuable seasonal wildlife habitat. The primary uses are commercial agriculture, wildlife habitat management and recreation. This designation is implemented by the Agriculture/Wildlife (AG/WL) base zone.
*Forest (FR) (Changes are proposed for this zoning classification)
This designation is applied to lands that have the physical characteristics capable of management for the long-term production of commercially significant forest products and other natural resources, such as minerals. This designation now is implemented by the Forest-80 (FR-80) and Forest-40 (FR-40) base zones.
The Forest-40 (FR-40) zone is proposed to change to Forest-20 (FR-20). The minimum parcel size would decrease from 40 acres to 20 acres. No change is proposed for the Forest-80 (FR-80) zone.
OVERLAYS
An overlay is applied on top of one or more previously established land use designations or zoning districts, establishing additional or stricter standards and criteria.
*Urban Reserve Overlay (Changes are proposed for this overlay classification)
These lands are on the fringe of the Urban Growth Boundaries. This designation is intended to protect areas from premature land division and development that would preclude efficient transition to urban development. Currently, there are Urban Reserve and Industrial Reserve overlay comprehensive plan designations. They are implemented with the Urban Reserve-10 zoning overlay and Industrial Urban Reserve-20 zoning overlay.
For the 2016 comprehensive plan update, the county proposes one comprehensive plan Urban Reserve overlay implemented by Urban Reserve-10 zoning overlay for future urban residential development and Urban Reserve-20 for all other types of future urban land development.
*Urban Holding Overlay (Changes are proposed for this overlay classification)
When development policies require a legislative action prior to urban development, the county applies the Urban Holding Overlay. In these cases, specific criteria must be met to remove the urban holding zoning and allow the underlying urban zone. Currently, the county has three Urban Holding zoning overlays (Urban Holding -10, Urban Holding-20, and Urban Holding-40) and no comprehensive plan Urban Holding overlay.
For the 2016 comprehensive plan update, the county proposes creation of an Urban Holding overlay comprehensive plan designation with implementing overlay zoning of Urban Holding-10 (UH-10) for residential and Urban Holding-20 (UH-20) for all other uses.
WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN?
The comprehensive plan establishes land use designations for all land in Clark County. It shows the long-term vision of how and where the county will change over the next 20 years.
WHAT IS ZONING?
Zoning specifies the types of land uses, setbacks, lot size and size restrictions for buildings in each zone. Zones are more specific than comprehensive plan designations and come with a set of rules described in the county’s Unified Development Code Title 40.