Oregon Land Use Update
June 29, 2006

In this issue:

1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON

• Envision Oregon comes to Portland August 3
• Land use task force surveys online: 1000 Friends responds and so can you
• Hood River Envision Oregon event drew capacity crowd

OREGON NEWS

• Measure 37 demand to drill, mine and build houses on volcano crater at Newberry National Monument
• $1 loss gets a Measure 37 waiver, but taxpayers' $2.7 million more can only process claims
• Oregon ranchers prove once again that agriculture is cutting-edge economic development

NATIONAL NEWS

• 2006 Cascadia Scorecard has been released: walkable communities keep you trim
• Idaho faces Measure 37 and eminent domain ballot measure
• Where does funding come for anti-community protection ballot measures?
• Resources you can use: toolkit of technical assistance programs
• The social side of suburban living
  

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"Envision Oregon" comes to Portland on August 3: save the date

The next Envision Oregon forum will be held in Portland on August 3rd from 5:45 to 8:45. Show up early for the food we provide to keep you going through this hands on conversation. The event is free, but space is limited so register online now.

Land use planning task force surveys online: 1000 Friends responds and so can you

The Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning has issued two surveys. The first is an issue-identification survey for organizations to fill out by June 30. Read 1000 Friends' response and learn more about the survey. The task force earlier this week posted an online survey of attitudes about land use for individuals. Please share your views on planning by July 10 at 5:30 pm. The task force will hold its next meeting at Salishan Resort on July 23-24. The meeting will be a retreat for the task force to consider responses to the surveys and next steps. The meeting is open to the public.

Hood River Envision Oregon event drew capacity crowd

Last Thursday evening, the room was filled with Oregonians sharing what they value about Oregon and their vision for Oregon's future. Ken Bailey, member of the Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning from The Dalles, welcomed the crowd and their ideas. Jefferson Smith of the Bus Project closed the evening with inspiring words about what we can accomplish together for Oregon. Coverage of the event is available from New West magazine and also the Hood River News. (Correction on cosponsors: missing in the article are: the Hood River Chamber of Commerce, Hood River Downtown Business Association, Mt. Hood Railroad, Hood River Valley Residents Committee, and Audubon Society of Portland.)

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OREGON NEWS

Measure 37 demand to drill, mine and build houses on volcano crater at Newberry National Monument

A Portland resident has demanded $203 million in compensation or the right to drill geothermal test wells, mine pumice and then build a 100-lot subdivision in the crater of the Newberry volcano. The first President Bush created the national monument in 1990. Read the full story.

$1 loss gets a Measure 37 waiver, but taxpayers' $2.7 million more can only process claims

Last week, Attorney General Hardy Myers and Lane Shetterly, Director of the Department of Land Conservation and Development, asked the legislative Emergency Board for and received an addition $2.7 million to process Measure 37 claims. During the hearing, Shetterly conceded that the department is not verifying that there is a loss in value, but justified this by saying that a loss of $1 is a reduction in value entitled to a Measure 37 waiver of land use protections. Yet none of the $2.7 million can be used to protect communities by providing compensation rather than a waiver. The funds are for new staff to process twice the number of claims the state anticipated. Myers also said at the hearing that the department will vigorously defend its legal opinions interpreting Measure 37, including the legal opinion that Measure 37 claims are not transferable. Learn more.

Oregon ranchers prove once again that agriculture is cutting-edge economic development

In the economically turbulent 1980's, ranchers Doc and Connie Hatfield knew there had to be a better way. The ups and downs of beef prices, with increasing costs of production, put the Hatfields in an economic bind that led them to invent another way to produce and sell beef through the co-op they started, Oregon Country Beef. Read more about how they did it and what it's like for ranchers who are members.

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NATIONAL NEWS

2006 Scorecard has been released: walkable communities keep you trim

The third Cascadia scorecard is out and this year they point out that neighborhoods where you can walk are places where neighbors are healthier and that growing Portland does a good job of protecting rural lands. The Scorecard also assesses mortality from automobiles as an unaccounted cost of how we live. Learn more information and access details, regional charts, and interactive maps.

Idaho faces Measure 37-based and eminent doman ballot measure

A ballot measure similar to Measure 37 will be on the November ballot in Idaho, giving voters there a chance to decide if they want to gamble their future on a ballot initiative that hurts neighbors and weakens communities. Funding reportedly comes from groups in Montana and New York to pay a Colorado firm to gather signatures. Confusing to voters mgiht be the addition of a Kelo eminent domain provision. Kelo is shorthand for a 2005 case decided by the US Supreme Court that eminent domain (condemnation) could be used for urban renewal projects in which the ultimate landowner is a private entity. Eminent domain is unrelated to Measure 37. Find out more.

Where does the funding come for anti-community protection ballot measures?

Oregon In Idaho, the Measure 37-type initiative made it on the ballot because of funds that came from out of state. In Washington, where voters will be faced with a similar ballot measure, I-933, the big money for the initiative is coming from Americans for Limited Government. Read more.

Resources you can use: toolkit of technical assistance programs

Land use The Smart Growth Network has put together a list of organizations and the technical assistance they offer. Areas include farmland protection, historic places, and urban development, among others. Download a free copy.

The social side of suburban living

On May 4, The side of suburban living most of us think of is the physical side: the large lots, large houses, and two cars in the driveway. Maybe the social side of suburban living deserves more attention, suggests one commentator. A different article discusses how weak the ties to our community and neighborhood have become.

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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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