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Oregon
Land Use Update
June 16 , 2005
In
this issue:
1000
FRIENDS OF OREGON
- 1000
Friends' arguments opposing subregional rule prevail at Court of Appeals
- 1000
Friends presents to Oregon Transportation Commission about impacts of
Measure 37
- Coastal
Forum in Florence October 1
- Help 1000
Friends turn 30 on October 15 at the Portland Convention Center!
OREGON
NEWS
- Measure
37 bills stall in legislature
- Raising
money to avoid granting waivers of land use rules
- Damascus
Forum July 14
- Portland
Ranked #2 Sustainable City in the U.S.
NATIONAL
NEWS
- Federal
Transportation Bill in Conference
- Citizens
Guide to Shaping New Growth in Your Neighborhood
- Making
Your Community Safe for Children, Bicyclists and Walkers
- Surface
Transportation Policy Project Study: Driven to Spend
- AARP
Report: American Communities Not Ready for Aging Population
- New Partners
for Smart Growth Conference: Program Ideas Sought
If you would
like to receive Land Use Update via email, please subscribe at
http://www.friends.org/update.
You can unsubscribe at http://www.friends.org/unsubscribe.
1000
FRIENDS OF OREGON
1000
Friends' arguments opposing subregional rule prevail at Court of Appeals
In an opinion
issued on June 15, 2005, the Court of Appeals agreed with arguments
presented by 1000 Friends challenging LCDC's "subregional rule".
This rule would have allowed Metro to expand its UGB based on
a so-called "subregional" analysis of need and location, rather
than a regional analysis. To see the full opinion, go to
http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/A120189.htm
1000 Friends testifies before Oregon Transportation Commission about impacts
of Measure 37
Most of
the focus on Measure 37 claims has been on farmland development, but
Measure 37 also affects transportation, according to testimony submitted
on June 15 by 1000 Friends of Oregon's transportation advocate Rob Zako
and staff attorney Carrie MacLaren. Their testimony noted that
ODOT's current modeling assumes that little development will occur outside
UGBs, an assumption that Measure 37 brings into question due to waivers.
ODOT has also tried to limit development near state highways,
but Measure 37 waivers may allow development near interchanges that
could cause those interchanges to fail more quickly. To see the
full text of the testimony and accompanying maps, go to here.
Coastal Forum in Florence October 1
Join the
Coastal Futures Project partners—1000 Friends of Oregon, the Oregon
Downtown Development Association and the Oregon Shores Conservation
Coalition—for a day in Florence to talk about keeping coastal
communities their best. For updates about the Project, including
Design Action Teams, visit the project website at http://www.coastalfutures.org/
Help
1000 Friends turn 30 on October 15 at the Oregon Convention Center!
Come celebrate
with us: enjoy dinner and an evening of camaraderie as we honor the
thousands of Oregonians who have worked tirelessly over the past thirty
years to protect what makes Oregon such an extraordinary place to live,
work and play. For more information, contact Kristie Perry at
503-497-1000 or kristie@friends.org
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OREGON
NEWS
Measure
37 bills stall in legislature
It is mid-June
and neither the House nor the Senate have passed Measure 37 legislation,
which might not be a surprise considering that the ballot measure is
so poorly written it is open to many interpretations and procedures.
In the House, today the Land Use Committee closed down with no
Measure 37 legislation reported out. In the Senate, SB1037 took
a step backward earlier this month—thanks to all of you who showed
up in Salem, called, wrote letters and emails—when the full Senate
voted 22-7 to refer the measure to the Senate Rules Committee, which
has taken no action on it to date. Today's action in the House
makes passage of Measure 37-related legislation less likely, but the
session is not over yet. Stay tuned to our website for updates at http://www.friends.org/
Raising
money to avoid granting waivers of land use rules
Measure
37 started with the words "Government must pay" but then provided
no money. As a result, governments are providing waivers of land
use rules. These waivers are unraveling land use protections, undermining
farmers' investments, and creating widespread unfairness by hurting
neighbors' property values and quality of life. The City of Eugene
is considering an alternative to Measure 37 waivers: compensation funded
out of the increase in property values created by land use planning.
On June 13, the city council decided it wanted more information
about how a program could work. For more details, see http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/06/14/d1.cr.eugenecouncil.0614.htmllu
Damascus Forum July 14
The Coalition
for a Livable Future hosts a forum "Damascus and the Region: Planning
for a Healthy Future" to be held on July 14, 6:00 - 8:30 pm at
the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners Hearing Room in the Public
Services Building, 2051 Kaen Rd., Oregon City, OR (TriMet Bus 33 McLoughlin:
Beavercreek & Library Ct. stop). Join CLF to discuss the ideas
proposed for the development of Damascus, and consider questions like:
Will development in Damascus improve or damage water quality and wildlife
habitat? What industries are we hoping to grow there, and how
do they relate to the region's economic development? Will transportation
there support healthy lifestyles, or will it advance subdivisions toward
Mt. Hood? The forum is free and open to the public. It is not
part of the official
Damascus concept planning process. Contact Teresa
Huntsinger, Program Director for CLF at 503-294-2889.
Portland Ranked #2 Sustainable City in the U.S.
According
to SustainLane, Portland is the second most sustainable city in the
US. Portland had the cleanest air and water in all the cities surveyed.
The city is also second in green buildings per capita, with 78 certified
and registered buildings. Learn
details on the methodology and rankings.
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NATIONAL
NEWS
Federal
Transportation Bill in Conference
The House
and the Senate have both passed transportation bills, but different
authorization levels keep the measure in limbo. The Senate passed
this year's version in mid-May with a funding level $11 billion more
than the $384 passed by the House and proposed by the Bush Administration.
The President has threatened a veto if the higher funding
level is adopted by Congress. The measure has gone to a House-Senate
conference, but progress is unlikely on issues such as stormwater control
until there is agreement on funding levels.
Citizens Guide to Shaping New Growth in Your Neighborhood
When new
development is proposed in your community, it is easy to be overwhelmed
by the process, the language and all there is to learn. Smart
Growth America has just released a new publication, Choosing Our
Community's Future, to help citizens effectively with developers,
planners and local governments when dealing with proposed new development.
To learn more and order a copy, go to http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com/
Making Your Community Safe for Children, Bicyclists and Walkers
It is easy
to enjoy a community where it already feels safe to bike or walk, but
how to you turn your neighborhood into one of those places? There
is a new website that helps neighborhood residents figure out what needs
to be done and how to do it. The "Active Living Resource Center"
is designed to help residents take action to make walking and bicycling
more accessible and a tool to improve the quality of life in the community.
For more information, go to http://www.activelivingresources.org/index.html
Surface Transportation Policy Project Study "Driven to Spend"
Earlier
this week, the Surface Transportation Policy Project released the report
Driven to Spend: Pumping Dollars Out of Our Households and Communities.
The study for the first time looks at the effect of gas prices
on family budgets and makes recommendations for actions governments
can take to reduce transportation costs for families. Portland,
Oregon was among the areas where transportation costs were the lowest.
Download the report.
AARP Report: American Communities Not Ready for Aging Population
It's not
just Baby Boomers who can be surprised by the experience of aging: America's
cities, towns and neighborhoods aren't any better prepared, according
to a recent study issued by AARP. The report links livable communities
to a healthier aging population. Livable communities are ones
that provide community services, transportation choices, and housing
appropriate to needs,. The study found that poor housing choices
isolates older Americans, and a lack of affordable housing can mean
moving people into assisted living when they could otherwise live on
their own. Between now and 2020, we will have 13 million more Americans
aged 50-64 and 18 million more over 65. Learn
more.
New Partners for Smart Growth Conference: Program Ideas Sought
The Fifth
Annual Conference of New Partners for Smart Growth will be held in Denver
January 26-28, 2006. They have issued a Call for Program Ideas.
If you have an idea for a workshop, panel or session you would
like to propose for the next conference, submit your idea by July 8,
2005. Read
more information.
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Credits/Subscription
Info
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Land Use
Update is edited by Kate Kimball and brought to you by 1000 Friends
of Oregon, a statewide organization dedicated to protecting Oregon's quality
of life.
To help support
this work, including the distribution of Land Use Update, please
consider making a tax-deductible donation online at http://www.friends.org/support
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