Oregon's land use program, its communities, and its working and natural lands are under attack this legislative session. HB 4079 has been declared a MAJOR THREAT by the Oregon Conservation Network! HB 4079 would bust open urban growth boundaries on to farm and forest lands and natural areas, using affordable housing as the ruse, when no affordable housing is likely to ever be developed. This bill would allow two “pilot project” cities, one large and one small, to expand their urban growth boundaries by 50 acres each for residential use without showing that they need more land. The bill allows that expansion onto farm, forest and natural lands first.  In exchange, an unspecified portion of the 50 acres would be available for affordable housing – the definition of “affordable,” the percentage that would be “affordable,” and other terms are not defined. Make no mistake, the bill is a trojan horse…

The County's long awaited Cell Tower Ordinance has a second hearing before the Planning Commission onApril 6th at 5:30 pm (See staff report). A Citizens' Advisory Committee organized by HRVRC worked with the County for 18 months to come up with the draft proposal which seeks to strike a balance between providing a necessary service and minimizing visual impacts on residential areas and our county's scenic views. In January, ATT sent a team of lawyers to review the draft ordinance and propose a "redline draft" of industry-written changes, often at the expense of the scenic and quality of life values the original draft was designed to protect. The Planning Commission will now need to decide standards for where cell towers can go, how high they can be and what they can look like. Meanwhile, a proposed cell tower at Windmaster Corner has been appealed by neighbors to the project (hearing April 13th). Our…

Our case against the US Forest Service had its first test in Federal District Court on Wednesday and we emerged with a win! Last July, we filed suit against the Forest Service for "unreasonable delay" after waiting more than six years for them to complete the Mt. Hood/Cooper Spur land exchange ordered by Congress way back in 2009. The Forest Service had sought to have the case thrown out, saying that the court did not have jurisdiction to compel the agency (USFS) to act. Judge Anna Brown disagreed and denied the  Forest Service's Motion to Dismiss. At the hearing the judge said that the "agency can't ignore a mandate of Congress, put it on a shelf and let years go by." In such situations, the court can enforce a mandate of Congress. In denying the Forest Service's Motion to Dismiss, Judge Brown noted that the sheer lapse of time would…

Hood River County is in the final stages of updating its entire Farm and Forest zoning code for the first time in 20 years. The purpose of the update is to bring Hood River’s code into harmony with changes in state law and to make those code sections clearer and easier to understand. While that sounds simple, it has been a Herculean task for the county’s Planning Commission and staff. There have been seven work sessions and three hearings. Preserving farm and forest land for farming and forestry is at the core of our mission, so you can be sure that we have been present at every session. We are supportive of the proposed changes which generally offer more robust protection for our working landscapes with particularly strong protections for the county’s best farmland. The two key issues for HRVRC were prohibiting destination resorts in the forests of Mount Hood and the…