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Oregon
Land Use Update
May 25, 2006
In
this issue:
1000
FRIENDS OF OREGON
- Share
your ideas for Oregon's future in Hood River on June 22
- Bob Stacey's
suggestions to the Big Look task force
- Updated
Measure 37 guidance available
- Read the
latest Oregon stories online
OREGON
NEWS
- Big Look
Task Force
- Hemstreet
850-house Measure 37 subdivision trimmed to 10
- Rural
residents hurt farming
- Tasting
the fruits of farmland protection
- Grande
La Grande Measure 37 claim hearing on June 7
- Agriculture
an economic engine throughout Oregon
NATIONAL
NEWS
- The higher
cost of waiving laws in Washington
- Farms
for fuel or food?
- Leapfrogging
development means higher taxes
- Michigan
Republicans challenge lack of county funding for farm protection
- Transit-related
development booming trend in Northern Virginia
- Polluted
Water: One Cost of Uncontrolled Rural Development
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you would like to receive Land Use Update via email, please subscribe
at http://www.friends.org/update.
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1000
FRIENDS OF OREGON
Share your
ideas for Oregon's future in Hood River on June 22
Join other
Oregonians to share your values and vision for Oregon's future in Hood
River on June 22 from 5:45-8:45 at the Hood River Hotel. It's free and
we provide a light supper. This is not a night of lectures, but an evening
of sharing ideas with other Oregonians for a better future for our state.
We will submit a report to the Big Look Task Force on the group's discussions.
Read
more information and to register here. Read the report
to the Big Look task force from the Corvallis event.
Bob Stacey's suggestions to the Big Look task force
Yesterday
Bob Stacey, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, testified
before the Big Look task force created by Senate Bill 82. Stacey highlighted
the law's directive to review how well the land use planning program
meets the current and future needs of all Oregonians. Stacey suggests
this means we should look at how Oregon is likely to change as we add
2 million more people and then find out how Oregonians want the state
to change. Do we have the right land use tools in place to deal with
tomorrow's growth?
Updated Measure 37 Guidance Available
1000 Friends
has revised "Measure 37 and You," a citizens' guide to Measure
37 claims that affect you and your community. Topics include: How to
find out if there is a Measure 37 claim near you, what to do about claims,
how to participate in the land use hearings for development based on
a Measure 37 claim, and sharing your experience. View
or download a free copy.
Read the latest Oregon stories online
Oregonians
are sharing their stories online, where you can read them or offer your
own. You can write your
story online or call in your story to the Oregon Story hotline at
(503) 922-3123.
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OREGON
NEWS
Big Look
Task Force
The Big
Look Task Force met yesterday, adopted a work plan and heard testimony
from experienced land use professionals. They've shifted their website,
which has an audio version of the last task force meeting and documents
related to their meetings. Their next meeting is tentatively scheduled
for June 2 and then July 24. Learn
more.
Hemstreet 850-house Measure 37 subdivision trimmed to 10 houses
North of
Sheridan, Bob Hemstreet submitted a Measure 37 claim for an 850-house
ranch-style subdivision on farmland on Thomson Mill Road in Yamhill
County. But the county had an 80-acre minimum lot size in effect when
the corporation Lazy H Ranch acquired the property. That leaves Hemstreet
with a total of 10 new houses he could build, said the county counsel.
Read
more.
In a meeting
on May 23, the Yamhill County Commission voted 2 to 1 to not hold a
hearing on the proposal to build 10 lots because Hemstreet is eligible
to be approved for fewer homes than he proposed in his Measure 37 claim.
Read
more.
Rural Residents Put a Halt to Farming
Michael
and Rhonda Taylor were told that they had to stop keeping birds away
from their fifty-year-old orchard because their non-farming neighbors
objected. This is but one example of the price farmers pay for increasing
numbers of rural residents. That's one conclusion of one Oregon observer
looking at rural-urban issues. Read
news coverage.
Tasting the Fruits of Protecting Farmland
Protecting
farmland has many benefits, but you can drink in some of them –
literally. There are too many wineries in Oregon to see them all in
one day, but there are mini-tours that make a memorable outing. See
a list of ideas for the north Willamette Valley (and a reminder
to have a designated driver).
Grande La Grande Measure 37 claim hearing on June 7
A claim
to develop 1400 acres of land into 5-acre lots for houses has been submitted
to Union County. This proposal would create 335 new lots for houses
on farmland that would put more pressure on neighbors' faltering wells.
At issue is the ownership date, as the applicant Martha Rasmussen conveyed
her interest to Terra Magic in 1976. A hearing on this claim will be
held by the Union County Board of Commissioners on June 7 at 11:15 am
at 1001 Fourth St. in La Grande.
Agriculture an Economic Engine Throughout Oregon
Agriculture
sales increased in 29 of 36 of Oregon counties in 2005. For the first
time since 2002, sales increased in all top ten counties. The same counties
remain in the top ten, although the rankings shifted. In descending
order, they are: Marion, Clackamas, Washington, Umatilla, Yamhill, Linn,
Morrow, Malheur, Klamath and Polk. Overall, the state topped $4.1 billion
in sales for 2005, the highest total ever. Remarkable gains include
Malheur County's 66% increase in storage onion prices. Unlike many other
states, five of the top six counties are within an hour's drive of our
largest city. Effective land use planning helps protect these vulnerable
family farm operations. Browse the new 2005 database for more information
at OSU's Oregon Agricultural
Information Nework.
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NATIONAL
NEWS
The Higher
Cost of Waiving Laws in Washington
Washington
is facing a ballot initiative (I-933) based on Measure 37 in the fall
election. But the cost to state and local governments may be even higher
than in Oregon because I-933 excuses claimants from paying any fees
and requires governments to complete numerous studies. This analysis
concludes that it could cost taxpayers $1-$2 billion per year to implement
I-933, if it passes. Read
more.
Farms for fuel or food?
As oil
prices increase, farmers are faced with the option of growing fuel or
food. The Oregon Farm Bureau and Climate Solutions have information
about the benefits of biodiesel fuel. The Earth Policy Institute
shares its view of possible
impacts of shifting from to fuel production. Large agricultural
producers Cargill
and Archer Daniels Midland have different approaches.
Leapfrogging Development Means Higher Taxes
Lincoln
County, Nebraska is finding out the hard way that rural development
costs taxpayers more money. Putting homes on land outside of cities
may seem less costly at first, but that is because the costs come in
after the houses are built. Those homes need services such as roads,
fire and safety protection, water and sewer. Those costs may not be
included in the price of the house, but they will be in the higher taxes
all county residents have to pay. Learn
more. What is true in Lincoln County experience shows is true elsewhere
in the country, based on the American
Farmland Trust's Cost of Community Services studies.
Michigan Republicans Challenge Lack of County Funding for Farm Protection
In Kent
County, Michigan incumbent Republican commissioners may face a primary
challenge because they will not use county taxes to pay for farm protection.
An agricultural easement program was created four years ago to buy development
rights from farmers without using public money. Critics charge that
public funds are being used to build roads and provide sewer to development
on farmland and they want taxes used to protect farms. Read
more. Oregon protects our agriculture lands through zoning
to minimize conflicting development. In addition, Oregon land trusts
are buying agricultural easements: Learn more from the Oregon
Rangeland Trust and other
land trusts.
Transit-related Development Booming Trend in Northern Virginia
There is
a limit to sprawl and maybe Northern Virginia has found it. After decades
of pushing outward into more remote and auto-dependent developments,
now the desirable areas are those near public transportation. Traffic
and increased fuel costs help consumers reach different conclusions
about where they want to live. Pedestrian-friendly urban areas would
help even more. Learn
more.
Polluted Water: One Cost of Uncontrolled Rural Development
In Connecticut,
one observer sees uncontrolled growth as a cause of water pollution
from runoff. More pavement creates more stormwater runoff that flows
into streams and lakes, degrading water quality and reducing recharge
of underground aquifers. Read
more.
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Credits/Subscription
Info
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of people who should be on the Land Use Update email list, they
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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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