The City of Washougal is pleased to announce the opening of the new Washougal Permit Center located at 211 39th Street in the former East County Fire & Rescue (ECFR) Station 95.
The City’s Community Development department has relocated to the new location, including the Planning, Building and Code Compliance divisions, along with some Public Works staff. The building will serve as a one-stop location for development review including building permit issuance, planning reviews and development engineering. Staff are able to assist with inquiries regarding development engineering, building, planning, zoning and code compliance matters.
The move comes at the perfect time as office space has become a precious commodity for public entities due to the pandemic. As part of the preparation to provide in-person services again, the City is reorganizing its operations and facilities to meet the new requirements and guidelines to operate under Governor Inslee’s Safe Start Washington plan. The additional space gives the City the flexibility to re-open safely.
City staff evaluated a number of different scenarios for utilizing the space and determined that establishing the new location as the Permit Center would address the need to provide physical distancing for employees and customers, and allow the City to consolidate team members serving the community for our development review function under one roof, enhancing our commitment to provide outstanding customer service.
The 5,215-square-foot facility was originally built as a fire station and is complete with 3 vehicle bays, office space, a kitchen and living quarters. At some point in the future, it could serve as another city fire station. The building, still in escrow until fall 2020, was purchased for $335,000. The property will be purchased with general funds.
At this time, the Permit Center is open to the public by appointment only due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff is available Monday-Thursday, 8:00am-5:00pm to process applications and answer inquiries. The City anticipates a modified re-opening once Clark County reaches Phase 3 of Governor Inslee’s Safe Start Washington plan. The Permit Center can be reached by dialing 360-835-8501 and pressing 1 or by visiting cityofwashougal.us/communitydevelopment.