| Oregon Land Use Update
March 1, 2007
In this issue:
1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON
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Join us in Bandon on Saturday, March 17
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Volunteer to keep Oregon special
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Speak out on Measure 37
OREGON NEWS
Measure 37 articles:
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Oregon Legislature at Work on Measure 37
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Threat to Oregon Agriculture
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Unfair to Oregonians
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Harms Forest Resources that Provide Clean Water
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Farmers' Investments Unfairly at Risk
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OS Economist Concludes Planning often increases property values
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Costly to Rural Oregon
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Curry County prepares for Measure 37 hearings marathon
Beyond Measure 37:
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Oregon Vineyard production at all-time high
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Metro UGB evaluation analyses: now available online
SAVE THE DATE!
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March 17: Bandon forum on Oregon's future
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April 3: Environmental Lobby Day
NATIONAL NEWS
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The end of sprawl? Ontario adopts 25 year growth management plan
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New publication: This is Smart Growth
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1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON
Join us in Bandon on Saturday, March 17
In Bandon on Saturday, March 17, the Coastal Futures Project and Envision Oregon will be hosting a town forum on the future of Oregon. Onno Husing, Executive Director of the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association, will be the luncheon keynote speaker. This is a citizen-led event, so bring your ideas and we will feed you to keep you going. The forum is free, but we need to know you're coming so we will have food and materials for you. To register online: http://www.envisionoregon.org/events/20070317-bandon
Volunteer to keep Oregon special
Whether you are a native or new to Oregon, you know how unique Oregon is. Help us keep it a great place to live by volunteering with us. You'll meet great people, have fun, and do some good all at once. To learn more about matching your interests with our needs, contact Outreach Director Gerik Kransky at 503-497-1000 or gerik@friends.org
Speak up for Oregon on Measure 37
If you are reading this, you probably have an opinion on or an idea about how to fix Measure 37. Now is the time to share your views! Please contact your legislator and members of the Joint Special Committee on Land Use Fairness and let them know what you think. If you believe Oregon's future is at stake, then you know how important it is to speak up for Oregon. To find legislators and how to contact them, link here: http://www.friends.org/issues/M37/officials.html
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OREGON NEWS
Measure 37 articles
Oregon Legislature at Work on Measure 37
The Oregon legislature established one committee to find a legislative solution to Measure 37. The "Joint Special Committee on Land Use Fairness" has been holding hearings every Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 5 pm. Tonight is the first night off they have had since they began work. To date they have heard public testimony from hundreds of Oregonians and invited witnesses. The next hearing is on SB833, legislation introduced at the request of the Association of Oregon Counties, which provides new rules for handling claims filed October 5-December 5, 2006. To watch the hearing Tuesday night, or download the bill, go to http://www.leg.state.or.us/
Measure 37: Cities Take a Stand
Lincoln City, Albany, and maybe more local governments than we know about, are adopting resolutions urging the legislature to reform Measure 37. http://thenewsguard.1upprelaunch.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=144
Measure 37: Threat to Oregon Agriculture
Last week the Land Use Fairness Committee heard from Jim Johnson of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, who provided maps of Measure 37 claims along with zoning, soils and water limited areas. ODA's analysis concluded that Oregon could lose some of its best farmland due to Measure—and a lot of it: 2.5 times the acres of farmland that the state lost to development between 1982 and 1997. To see the ODA presentation and the maps, go here: http://egov.oregon.gov/ODA/NRD/m37.shtml
One editorial board heard the message, called for fast action to suspend processing of Measure 7 claims, and noted that "The 2007 session of the Oregon Legislature will be judged, in part, by how well legislators solve the terrible problems Measure 37 has inflicted on Oregon. The property-rights measure, approved by voters, jeopardizes the future of the state's agricultural industry." http://friends.org/issues/M37/documents/M37-Oregonian-2007-02-26.pdf
Gary Harris, a mint farmer from Madras, told the Bend Bulletin shared his conclusion, "The juxtaposition of these [Measure 37] housing tracts will only destroy agriculture's ability to function in Jefferson County." Harris notes this is a $52 million industry in Jefferson County. Download Harris's views here: http://www.friends.org/ ("M 37 wasn't intended to destroy valuable farmland")
Measure 37: Unfair to Oregonians
Many voices are now being raised against the unfairness inherent in Measure 37. The West Linn Tidings editorialized last week that "Measure 37 is likely one of those mistakes that will go down in the annals of government missteps." To sample a few, go to our home page and see what Oregonians are saying: http://www.friends.org/.
Measure 37: Harms Forest Resources that Provide Clean Water
Last week the Joint Special Committee on Land Use Fairness heard about the impacts of Measure 37 on forestry. One witness was Hal Salwasser, Dean of the College of Forestry at OSU. Dean Salwasser told the Committee: "Forests cover the headwater basins of every major river system in Oregon. Most of the precipitation that falls in Oregon falls on a forested watershed. Some of the water percolates into the soil, some flows down stream; some enters water tables deep beneath the land surface. All of it is the highest quality water that flows from any land use in the state. And all of it is vital to virtually every facet of our economy and community life." Read his full testimony here: http://friends.org/issues/M37/documents/02-22-07_salwasser_sjcluf.pdf
Measure 37: Farmers' Investments Unfairly at Risk
In an opinion piece published in the Oregonian, Heather Blaine-McCurdy, a fourth-generation orchardist from Hood River, points out that farmers routinely reinvest in their land, but these investments are placed at risk by Measure 37 development. Blaine-McCurdy asks, "But has anyone stopped to think about the investment that dedicated farmers have in their land—investments that may take a decade to recoup? ...The reinvestment we have made in our orchards will cost us almost $1.5 million by 2008. We hope to start to recoup the huge investment in 2010. But what will happen if our neighbors begin replacing their pear trees with multiple homes? Accepted farming practices are never tolerated for long where agricultural lands and subdivisions meet....We stand to lose not just eight years, but generations of investment."
http://friends.org/issues/M37/documents/M37-Oregonian-2007-02-23-imo.pdf
Measure 37: OS Economist Concludes Planning often increases property values
Dr. Bill Jaeger of OSU testifies Tuesday night before the Joint Special Committee on Land Use Fairness. He stated that land use planning often increases property values. Dr Jaeger also proposed a method that is more than twice as reliable as the dominant method used by governments for determining whether property values have decreased due to land use planning rules. Metro is using this method when considering Measure 37 claims. For a copy of the analysis Dr. Jaeger and his colleague, Dr. Andrew Plantinga, have done in terms non-economics can easily understand, go to http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=439&storyType=news
Measure 37: Costly to Rural Oregon
An editorial in the Canby Herald made clear that the cost of Measure 37 is measure in more than money: "But it seems — as we’ve said in the past — that Measure 37 cuts off the leg to treat the hangnail. Rather than repeal all of those laws that continue to preserve our rural character despite living 30 minutes from a downtown metropolis, it seems to make sense that we could change them rather than eliminate them. Many forget the reason our land values continue to rise while the rest of the nation falters is that we live in a desirable state." http://www.friends.org/ ("Finding the Middle of Measure 37")
Curry County prepares for Measure 37 hearings marathon
Similar to many other counties in Oregon, Curry County is facing a backlog of Measure 37 claims due to the surge in claims filed before December 4. The county plans on taking action soon to clear out their backlog. The Commissioners have decided to now spend 20 minutes per claim for the twenty claims scheduled for mid-March. For the story: http://www.currypilot.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=14591
Beyond Measure 37
Oregon Vineyard production at all-time high
Last year broke another record for Oregon wineries due to a 38% increase in vineyard production, valued at over $60 million in 2006. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2007/03/01/d1.bz.wine.0301.p1.php?section=business
Metro UGB evaluation analyses: now available online
The Metro region will increase in population, creating issues about how to manage competing demands for land. Read the latest presentation and reports, including the agriculture-urban study, by downloading them here: http://www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=23236
SAVE THE DATE!
March 17: March 17: Forum on Oregon's future
Join us on Saturday, March 17 to talk with other Oregonians about Oregon's future. Now is the time to share your ideas with other coastal Oregonians. Register and more information here: http://www.envisionoregon.org/events/20070317-bandon
April 3: Environmental Lobby Day!
Join other Oregonians for a day in Salem to make a difference. If you've thought about attending before, or if it's been a while since you last attended a lobby day, this is the year to go. This year may well turn out to be one of those legislative sessions that is long remembered, and you'll want to be there. To register, go to https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/232/personalopt1.asp?formid=calolcvef&c=7497759
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NATIONAL NEWS
The end of sprawl? Ontario adopts 25 year growth management plan
While in Oregon Measure 37 threatens the end of planning, in Ontario, Canada they are undertaking new planning to manage growth over the next two and a half decades. How will they do this? One tool having at least 40% of new housing within the current urban area by 2015. The current average is 15%, while Vancouver the rate is 70%. http://www.thestar.com/article/183194
New publication: This is Smart Growth
People talk about "smart growth," but what does it look like and what impact does it have? This new booklet explains the principles and the outcomes. For a print copy or to download a copy, go to http://www.smartgrowth.org/library/articles.asp?art=2367
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