Court Says House Is Scenic Enough
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OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state Supreme Court on Thursday overturned an agency’s bid to remove a house from a bluff overlooking the spectacular Columbia River Gorge.
Brian and Jody Bea won approval in 1996 from Skamania County to build on property his family had owned for generations. The county approved a permit that included conditions designed to protect the scenic value of the area, and the Beas began to build.
But in 1999, with the house 70% finished, the Columbia Gorge Commission invalidated the permit issued by the county and ordered the house moved, saying it violated the Scenic Area Act.
The Beas challenged the ruling, saying the commission should have acted before the permit was finalized.
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