Oregon Land Use Update
December 21 , 2006

In this issue:

1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON

• 1000 Friends' Legislative Briefing January 2: "The Legislature's Last Chance to Repair Measure 37"
• 1000 Friends expands by two new staff members
• Taking a stand for Oregon: suspend Measure 37 and hold field hearings

OREGON NEWS

• Governor will address Measure 37 this legislative session
• Umatilla County host to 24,000 acre Measure 37 claim
• Oregon loses a land use giant
• Hood River County: over 1/3 farmland in Measure 37 claims, Residents engaged
• Measure 37 claims hit Portland
• Washington County eliminates some public hearings on Measure 37 claims
• Schreiner's Iris Garden files Measure 37 claim
• Oregon City: Measure 37 claim to build houses around airport
• Take the "Shift the Balance" survey on transportation
• The changing face – and feel – of Medford

NATIONAL NEWS

• Ontario, CA's "Places to Grow" plan wins American Planning Association Award
• Farm and Food Policy Project coalition supports farm bill reforms and family farms

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1000 Friends' Legislative Briefing January 2: "The Legislature's Last Chance to Repair Measure 37"

Join us on Tuesday, January 2 at noon for a legislative briefing on the upcoming session in Salem. Executive Director Bob Stacey and Legislative Affairs Director Dan Eisenbeis will share 1000 Friends of Oregon's legislative strategy for reforming Measure 37. You can bring your lunch, or call us to order a box lunch for $8.00. Please RSVP to Michelle at <michele@friends.org> or call her at 503-497-1000, ext. 123. The briefing will be held on Tuesday, January 2, 2007 at noon at the Ecotrust Building, 721 NW 9th Ave., in the Billy Frank Jr. Conference Center. Read more about the strategy here: http://www.friends.org/issues/M37/officials.html

1000 Friends expands by two new staff members

Gerik Kransky has joined the 1000 Friends staff as our new Outreach Director. Gerik comes to us from SOLV where he coordinated outreach efforts there. Gerik brings a lot of experience and new ideas to help us connect with more Oregonians. You can reach Gerik at <gerik@friends.org> Adding to our outreach capacity, Mickey Killingsworth has also joined the staff as our first Rural Organizer. Mickey, a sheep farmer from Madras, has long been active in the Oregon Farm Bureau and is past president of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau. You can reach her at <mickey@friends.org> We welcome both Gerik and Mickey to the staff and are delighted that they chose to join us.

Taking a stand for Oregon: suspend Measure 37 and hold field hearings

1000 Friends continues its call to Oregon legislators to suspend Measure 37 and hold field hearings around the state to hear from Oregonians. Find out how you can be part of the effort to reform Measure 37 here: http://www.friends.org/issues/M37/officials.html See one editorial response: http://www.friends.org/ and go to "Revisit Measure 37."

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Governor will draft a Measure 37 proposal for this legislative session

Last week, Governor Kulongoski told the Mike Thorne, chairman of the Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning, that he will take a Measure 37 proposal to the legislature this session. The flood of recent Measure 37 claims is creating momentum to reform Measure 37. Click on "Governor plans to address Measure 37" story to download: http://www.friends.org/

Umatilla County host to 24,000 acre Measure 37 claim

Massive Measure 37 claims were filed in Umatilla County by Corey and Levy family sheep and cattle companies. The claims cover over 24,000 acres, making them among the largest in the state. It's too soon to know if this is the largest because cities and counties are still digging through the deluge of claims filed before the first deadline of December 4. http://www.friends.org/ and click on "Landowners file major Measure 37 claims"

Oregon loses a land use giant

We seem to have moved past the era of political giants, but one of Oregon's own, Ted Hallock, passed away last week. He was a key figure in transforming the dream of a livable Oregon into a reality through adoption of SB100. http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1166500552308980.xml?oregonian?lcfp&coll=7

The Oregonian notes the impact of Measure 37 on Hallock's legacy: http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1166577907300930.xml?oregonian?ede&coll=7

Hood River County: over 1/3 farmland in Measure 37 claims, Residents engaged

Measure 37 is hitting Hood River County hard: about 39% of the county's farmland could be converted into houses and subdivisions. The Hood River Valley Residents Committee had made Measure 37 a priority, hosting educational forums and challenging Measure 37 decisions. http://www.hoodrivernews.com/News%20stories/101_news_2.htm

Measure 37 claims hit Portland hard

The City of Portland receives as many claims between Nov. 1 and Dec. 4 as it had during the previous two years, mirroring the trend around the state. Jay Zidell filed to waive all the rules to develop high rise buildings on the 30-acres he owns at Willamette Riverfront that is currently contaminated property. Shilo Inns filed a claim to waive all zoning and development codes for the hotels near the airport and in the Lloyd District. Oregon Worsted, owner of the property that is the possible site of a Wal-Mart on NE McLoughlin, also filed a claim to be excused from complying with the city code. The possible site of a Wal-Mart in Sellwood is also the site of a Measure 37 claim now. http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=116649078192709100

Washington County eliminates some public hearings on Measure 37 claims

Washington County did not know what to do with the flood of claims they received and the requirement under the law that they make a final decision in 180 days. They decided to speed up the process by allowing staff to make decisions on claims to create a 10-house subdivision or less without a public hearing. http://www.blogs.oregonlive.com/default.asp?item=396868

Schreiner's Iris Garden files Measure 37 claim

If you look forward to seeing a stretch of I-5 by Keizer bloom in the spring, this spring could be the last time. Schreiner's Iris Gardens has submitted a series of Measure 37 claims covering about 400 acres of land and claimed $9.5 million in compensation. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612190309

Oregon City: Measure 37 claim to build houses around airport

In Clackamas County, one of the Measure 37 claims received in the county and in Oregon City was to build 850 houses and condominiums around Fairways Airport. Before Measure 37, good growth management practices maximized safety and minimized conflict between airports and homeowners by keeping some distance between the two. http://www.oregonlive.com/metrosouth/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_south_news/1166410526133160.xml&coll=7 For more on Clackamas County claims: http://www.oregonlive.com/metrosouth/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_south_news/116570310548900.xml&coll=7

Take the "Shift the Balance" survey on transportation

The Coalition for a Livable Future is looking at the imbalance in our choices when we travel. Do you have all the options you want? Read more about their "Shift the Balance" initiative and take the survey here: http://clfuture.org/projects/ShiftTheBalance/

The changing face – and feel – of Medford

West Main Street in Medford may undergo more than a facelift in coming years, it could turn into a different experience where residents can safely walk to work and stores. There will be more options in the kinds of housing that are available. These changes and more are designed to make the area more inviting to people and reduce dependence on using only the automobile. http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2006/1219/local/stories/streetscape.htm

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Ontario, CA's "Places to Grow" plan wins American Planning Association Award

The American Planning Association gave the Ontario provincial government its first non-US award for outstanding large-scale planning. The 2007 Daniel Burnham Award honored Ontario's "Places to Grow" plan that plans for the 4 million new residents expected around Toronto. The planning area includes the Toronto metropolitan area and over 100 municipalities. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2006/12/19/apa-ontario.html

Farm and Food Policy Project coalition supports farm bill reforms and family farms

A new coalition of groups representing agricultural, rural concerns, anti-hunger, environmental and faith-based groups are working together to share a new vision for US agriculture in the 2007 Farm Bill. The resulting Farm and Food Policy Project has agreed on a set of values and policies to support those values. Learn more: http://www.farmandfoodproject.org/ Organizations can sign on to the Project's Declaration until January 17, 2007.

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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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