Let's add the void of funding created by a possible delay in TDT rates to the $130 Million shortfall on the taxpayers backs already. http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2011/10/washington_county_may_delay_fi.html 1 Comment Bringing in the reserves Published: Friday, March 18, 2011, 8:35 AM By Kurt Eckert, The Hillsboro Argus And the process of designating urban and rural reserves was just getting under way. Though it comes far from making everyone completely happy, a palpable relief cut the air Tuesday night when a joint meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners and the Metro Council finally ended in a compromise on the issue. The commissioners voted 3 to 2, and the council 6 to 1, to approve an intergovernmental agreement on 13,817 acres of urban reserves and 151,574 acres of rural reserves in Washington County — including splitting two contentious parcels along lines both entities think will be acceptable to the state’s Land Conservation and Development Commission, which must approve the agreement. The reserves process was supposed to be a consensus plan developed by Metro and Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties to designate the best areas for urban expansion and agricultural protection for the next 50 years, but when that process dissolved early on, each county was left to make individual deals with Metro. After months of infighting and aggravation, hard work and haggling, frustration and consideration — and more than a few surprises, the county submitted its original plan to the development commission in early 2010. But in October 2010, LCDC sent the entire package back for reconsideration, saying 624 acres of “foundation farmland” north of Cornelius and a small parcel north of Forest Grove were unacceptable as urban reserves. Greg Macpherson, an LCDC member, said March 12 that studies show land north of Council Creek is some of the best temperate zone soil in the country, he said. “North of Cornelius was so beyond the pale, we were able to reject it,” Macpherson said. Controversy stirred again in February, when Hughes and Commission Chair Andy Duyck answered LCDC’s remand with a plan splitting the Cornelius acreage into rural reserves and undesignated land and adding a 585-acre urban reserve on formerly undesignated land in the Helvetia area — north of Highway 26 and south of West Union Road. The plan angered Helvetia conservationists, and confounded Cornelius expansionists. After hearing from several upset citizens in early March, the county’s Planning Commission recommended giving at least some industrial expansion land to Cornelius, and removing the urban designation from Helvetia. The planning commission serves as a volunteer advisory body appointed by the county commissioners, and its decisions are not binding. Dozens of the same people testified again Tuesday, but within the parameters of the LCDC instructions, what they wanted was not possible, Duyck said. But an attempt to pass the Hughes/Ducyk plan as-is failed 3 to 2. The compromise reached after several more unsuccessful votes essentially turns the Hughes/Ducyk proposal on its ear. Instead of being divided to the west and east by Susbauer Road, there will now be 363 acres of undesignated land on the south and 260 acres of rural reserves to the north, divided by Hobbs Road. Urban reserves in Helvetia were nearly halved, with Groveland Road now dividing 233 undesignated acres from 352 acres of urban reserves. The small Forest Grove parcel went from urban to undesignated, and a new undesignated parcel was designated southwest of Aloha. In the end, Cornelius doesn’t get the urban reserves designation it wanted, and part of Helvetia still ends up as urban reserves, but for a couple of months, at least, it’s over. The county has scheduled two public hearings in April on a binding ordinance before the LCDC presumably gets another chance to consider the entire package in August. Cornelius officials say they desperately needed the urban designation, and now all seems lost, said Cornelius City Manager Dave Waffle. “It’s better than a rural designation, that clearly would lock it up for 50 years,” Waffle said. “(But) I characterize this as now the glass is half-empty. It’s got something in it we might be able to drink sometime in the future.” Hughes said Metro staff will continue to work to convince the state there is land north of Cornelius that is suited for industrial development, and isn’t particularly valuable as farmland. “You want to get the big picture right, so you can lock that into place, then you can work to make changes around those over time,” Hughes said. “But I don’t think Cornelius got anything close to what they wanted.” Duyck said the marathon hearing and extended debate proves the government tried to get every viewpoint. “In the final analysis, we were all just glad to come to an agreement,” Duyck said. “We can now move forward with the reserves.” Bethany Boulevard Open House Thursday, January 27 5:00-7:30 p.m. Sunset Presbyterian Church 14986 NW Cornell Road (East Entrance) This will be the last opportunity for public input before the Board of Commissioners vote on February 22, 2011. Be sure to complete a County Comment Form _________________ Contributions are needed NOW for traffic analysis and legal fees Contribute through PayPal at www.3not5.org or mail contributions to: 3not5, Inc. Gary Cooper, Vice President 15725 NW Perimeter Drive Beaverton, OR 97006 -- Keith Blankenbaker <keith@mekwin.com> 5413 NW 169th Place Portland, OR 97229 503.629.7519 Citizen Participation Organization 7 Monday, July 26, 2010 7:00PM Community Room of Bethany 15220 NW Laidlaw AGENDA 7:00PM Welcome CPO Announcements and Updates (including candidate announcements) Open forum (including new business not on the agenda) 7:15PM North Bethany Ordinance: Mike Dahlstrom, Program Educator for Washington County Long Range Planning, will provide a status report on the North Bethany Ordinance, Ordinance 730 and the upcoming Open House on Wednesday, July 28. 7:30PM Help we are trapped in our neighborhoods north of Highway 26 and can't get out! Representatives from Washington County, City of Hillsboro, City of Beaverton and Oregon Department of Transportation will join us to discuss long-term plans to solve the problems created by Sunset Highway for north/south traffic in CPO 7. 8:50PM Wrap and Adjourn The May 22nd Local News section of The Oregonian ran the story "Cedar Mill businesses spruce up neighborhood to give town center a stronger identity." Seems the Cedar Mill area was the beneficiary of landscaping from Metro, but since maintenance of the landscaping is more of a city service-and Cedar Mill is not a city-there was a question about who would maintain the gift. Fortunately, Cedar Mill businesses are stepping up to the plate in a big way and are taking on the responsibilities of a city as a way to show their comunity pride. | ArchivesMarch 2012 CategoriesAll |
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