(Wines&Vines) - The stage is set for greater development on Washington state’s Red Mountain, with the approval this week of a master site plan that envisions a 21-acre wine village and additional vineyard development. Originally drafted in 2007 under the leadership of Bend, Ore., landscape architecture and planning firm J.T. Atkins Co. PC, the latest iteration of the plan was sent by Benton County planners to the county commissioners for approval earlier this year. The commission approved the plan following a public hearing Tuesday morning.

“These are the guidelines (or plan) for that area, and from that plan we have to come up with a regulatory process: the zoning ordinances,” said Susan Walker, senior planner with Benton County. Right now, the area addressed by the master site plan enjoys GMA (Growth Management Area) Agriculture and Rural Lands 5-Acre (RL-5) designations. RL-5 zoning allows wineries and breweries of up to 3,000 square feet, but larger wineries, farm markets and more intensive, commercial uses require conditional-use permits.