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Oregon
Land Use Update
June 20, 2006
In
this issue:
1000
FRIENDS OF OREGON
- Your ideas for the future of Oregon are the Agenda for Hood River town hall forum this Thursday
- "Envision Oregon" comes to Portland August 3: save the date
- 1000 Friends shares its views at Urban Land Institute in Bend last weekend
OREGON
NEWS
- Land Use Planning Task Force and Public Involvement
- Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning focuses on issue identification from "stakeholders"
- Measure 37 claims compete in Central Oregon
- Umatilla County asks state to approve small parcels
NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- Planning for where more people will live in Vancouver, B.C.
- UN World Urban Forum webcast available
- How to engage the public: new resource available
- Billboards for the cows in Texas
- Opting out of the Highway Beautification Act
- Saving Wisconsin farms using the federal Farmland Protection Program
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
Your ideas for the future of Oregon are the agenda for Hood River town hall forum this Thursday
Register for an evening of sharing your ideas about Oregon's future with other Oregonians. Envision Oregon comes to Hood River this Thursday night from 5:45 to 8:45 at the Hood River Hotel. Share what matters most to you about Oregon and air those creative ideas you have with others who care about Oregon's future. The event is cosponsored by SOLV, the Bus Project, Audubon Society of Portland, the Hood River Chamber of Commerce, the Hood River Downtown Business Association, League of Women Voters of Oregon, Mt. Hood Railroad, and the Hood River Valley Residents Committee. This is a full participation event where your ideas get center stage and we provide the food to keep you going. The event is free, but space is limited.
We will collect your ideas and send them on to the Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning. You will be able to send your comments to them directly as well. Sign up and register today.
"Envision Oregon" comes to Portland on August 3: save the date
Envision Oregon is hosting a forum in Hood River this Thursday night. The next Envision Oregon forum will be held in Portland on August 3rd. We will have a registration page online after the Hood River event; check back for details at the Envision Oregon website.
1000 Friends shares its views at Urban Land Institute meeting in Bend last weekend
Last weekend, people concerned about managing growth met in Central Oregon to talk about their perspectives on land use planning. Executive Director Bob Stacey attended this event and shared his thoughts on why we plan and what we need for the future. The event is one of several showing that Oregonians may have more in common than reports suggest. Read one assessment of the event.
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OREGON
NEWS
Land Use Planning Task Force and public involvement
How should the Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning Proceed? 1000 Friends argues for a full engagement of Oregonians in a two-way communication. Some task force members argue for a more narrow look at planning in Oregon. Read an OPB story on the subject.
Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning focuses on issue identification from "stakeholders"
The Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning is asking "stakeholder" organizations to identify the issues they want the task force to address during its tenure. Responses are due June 30. Staff will integrate responses and prepare a memo for the July23-24 task force retreat at Salishan Resort. Staff will prepare an online survey that individuals can respond to, but it is not yet available. Read the survey online. Have an opinion about what the task force is doing or not doing? Tell the task force directly.
Measure 37 claims compete in Central Oregon
The local power company in Deschutes County wanted to upgrade power lines to meet increased electric demand in growing Central Oregon, but a landowner objected. The power company then had their Measure 37 claim approved to do this, and is trying to replace the power poles. The landowners are seeking a restraining order against the power company. These are the same landowners that also sought a Measure 37 waiver to subdivide their property. Owners of a new destination resort have also weighed in. Learn more about how Measure 37 claims can play out.
Umatilla County asks state to approve small parcels
For the first time in almost a decade, the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) is faced with a request to rezone Exclusive Farm Use lands from 160 acres to 20-and 40-acre parcels, a request by Umatilla County to "go-below" the current minimum lot size. Two companies that own land requested the smaller parcel sizes for their land to grow grapes and for houses. Area wheat growers have concerns about the impact of smaller parcels, more dwellings and higher water demands on their family farms. LCDC will take public testimony on this issue on June 29 at their next meeting in Pendleton. Read the hearing notice
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NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Planning for where more people will live in Vancouver, B.C.
In Vancouver, B.C., Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan announced "ecodensity Vancouver" last week as a way of addressing the question of where will hundreds of thousands of new Vancouver residents live without compromising the quality of life there. The United Nations World Urban Forum starts this week in Vancouver, giving participants even more to talk about. Learn more about Sullivan's vision of Vancouver. Sullivan is not the only Vancouver resident interested in these issues. Departing city planner Larry Beasley left with some ideas about the importance of quality of life and urban planning.
UN World Urban Forum webcast available
The third United Nations World Urban Forum is being held this week in Vancouver, B.C. The last one was held in Barcelona in 2004. Find out more information. If you can't make it but are curious about what is happening, you can see some of the sessions that interest you via webcast.
How to engage the public: new resource available
Oregon and its communities are expending a lot of effort on visioning and planning for the future. Key to the success of these efforts is engaging the public. But how to do that is not always clear, as the OPB story cited above suggests. The latest tool is "Public Deliberation: A Manager's Guide to Citizen Engagement" by Carolyn J. Jukensmeyer, President of AmericaSpeaks and Lars Hasselblad Torres, a researcher with the same organization for the IBM Center for The Business of Government. Download a free copy
Billboards for the cows in Texas
Land use planning also means taking into account how your community looks and feels. In rural communities in Texas, 32 feet high billboards affect residents' experience of their towns. These Texans are taking action to protect their communities from these signs, which are one of the first harbingers of rural sprawl. Read the full story.
Opting out of Highway Beautification Act
On May 4, the emergency supplemental appropriations act included an amendment allowing 13 southern states to opt out of the Highway Beautification Act regarding billboard standards. Current regulations bar a nonconforming sign that is destroyed in a storm from being reconstructed. The purpose of this rule is to help communities phase out nonconforming signs, particularly along scenic highways. Legal signs can be replaced. The bill is in a House-Senate conference. Learn more about this issue.
Saving Wisconsin farms using the federal Farmland Protection Program
Dan Stemper is a Wisconsin dairy farmer who agreed to sell development rights on his farm. The money from that sale will pay down his debt and leave his 200-acre farm more affordable to the next generation of farmers. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will purchase the easement rights on his farm and another 20 acres of wetlands nearby using state and federal funds. Read more about this effort. The federal funds come from the Farmland Protection Program authorized under the farm bill. Find out about what Oregon is doing.
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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.
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