Calichi — Hood River

Living in the Gorge. Working in the Gorge.

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area has been federal law since 1986, and it created a permit environment unlike anything in the surrounding region. Being based here means we already know the terrain, the wind exposure, the agency calendar, and the specific thresholds that trigger additional review.

We opened our Hood River office in 2020 to put a team on the ground in the Gorge. We serve developers, school districts, resort operators, and agricultural landowners across the region — on both the Oregon and Washington sides — on projects ranging from multifamily infill to rural winery sites. We know the agencies. We know the process. We know the small details that fast-track projects — the Scenic Area thresholds that trigger extra review, the wind exposure requirements, and the agency calendars on both sides of the river.

Some of the Jurisdictions We Work In

Our Hood River team regularly submits and manages grading permits, stormwater plans, and site civil packages in the following jurisdictions:

• City of Hood River
• City of The Dalles
• City of White Salmon
• City of Bingen
• Hood River County
• Wasco County
• Klickitat County (WA)

We coordinate with regional agencies including the Columbia River Gorge Commission, Oregon DEQ, ODOT, PacifiCorp, Hood River Electric Co-op, and Hood River Watershed Group depending on project scope and location.

The Scenic Area Overlay — What It Actually Means

The Gorge National Scenic Area divides the region into three tiers, and each one operates differently. Special Management Areas require Gorge Commission review for visual impact, vegetation management, and consistency with the Scenic Area Management Plan — sometimes including formal public hearings. General Management Areas fall under county jurisdiction and follow Hood River County or Wasco County codes. Urban areas within the City of Hood River operate under city zoning, urban renewal overlays, and downtown design standards.

Knowing which tier your site falls in — and what that means for your permit timeline — is the first thing we establish. Projects that cross tier boundaries require parallel submittals, and the sequencing matters.

Stormwater & Erosion Control

Oregon DEQ stormwater requirements apply across the region, but Gorge conditions add specificity that standard templates don't address. High-wind erosion rates here far exceed what most SWPPP documents are calibrated for. Low Impact Development principles are increasingly required on development within the Scenic Area boundary. We size detention, design infiltration systems, and write erosion control plans that hold up under both agency review and Gorge weather — not plans imported from a Bay Area project or a Portland suburb.

Project Types

Typical Gorge and Pacific Northwest projects include:

• Institutional projects (K–12 schools, civic, institutional campuses)
• Market rate housing and mixed-use development
• Streetscape and roadway projects
• Large scale commercial and retail
• Industrial
• ADA compliance and path-of-travel design
• Stormwater engineering
• General civil engineering
• Land planning
• Subdivisions and partitions