Older news articles (from 2011) about the reserves process

• Washington County Farm Bureau ousts 3 who sided with environmental groups in land-use planning
  (December 14) Three of the organization's nine board members [Dave Vanasche, Bob Vanderzanden and Larry Duyck], all linked with recent efforts to block expansion of urban uses into the county's rural areas, failed to invalidate results of an October election that saw them surprisingly defeated in bids for new terms.  Vanderzanden and Larry Duyck did not return calls to comment on the vote.  Others, including newly installed board member Jim Baggenstos, said the trio was booted because of their unfailing support for land-use groups such as 1000 Friends of Oregon and Save Helvetia. Read more…
• New report says Oregon's farmland is valuable for more than what grows on it
  (December 28) Farming's direct economic impact in Oregon adds up to 10 percent of the state's sales, 12 percent of jobs and 7 percent of its value-added activity, according to a new report by the state Department of Agriculture. … Farmland is under constant development pressure, [ODA economist and policy analyst Brent Searle] says.  Development may provide short-term value spikes, but over time "it is questionable whether these other uses will equal the perpetual benefits of agricultural productivity," Searle says, "especially when accounting for amenities that accrue beyond simple economic gains."  Searle singles out Washington County as a place "often at the heart of the debate about land use and additional agricultural lands being brought into the urban growth boundary." Read more…
• January open house in Hillsboro to outline major work on U.S. 26 interchange
  (December 23) A dramatic revamping of a major interchange on U.S. 26 will be on the agenda Jan. 17 during an open house in Hillsboro.  The two-hour drop-in session will give the public a chance to ask questions about plans that could include new travel lanes and other significant additions to the U.S. 26's interchange with Northeast Brookwood Parkway and Northwest Helvetia Road. … The open house begins at 5:30 p.m. at Liberty High School, 21945 NW Wagon Way, Hillsboro. Read more…
  See also: Save Helvetia's testimony about the Helvetia Interchange TIGER grant proposal.
• Washington County Farm Bureau ousts 3 who sided with environmental groups in land-use planning
  (December 14) Others, including newly installed board member Jim Baggenstos, said the trio was booted because of their unfailing support for land-use groups such as 1000 Friends of Oregon and Save Helvetia. Read more…
• Increasing frustration with MPAC leads mayors to convene their own group
  (November 29) [Forest Grove Mayor Pete] Truax said another problem at MPAC is the charter-mandated non-elected representatives on the committee, including citizen representatives and appointed members from boards like TriMet.  "Non-elected people at the table share the same voice as those of us who have election certificates," Truax said. Read more…
• Intel's D1X excavation erupts in mud slinging in Washington County
  (November 20) Some county farmers are griping that a fast-tracked permitting process resulted in huge "dirt dumps" smothering prime agricultural sites. Read more…
• Pam and Spencer Gates' North Plains farm focus of film school piece
  (November 1) A 125-year-old farm just outside North Plains gives focus to a new short film by Melissa Rue.  "Century Farm," premieres Sunday as part of "Certifiably Yours: New Films From the School of Film." … Rue spent nearly a year shooting her 10-minute piece. She included significant historical moments captured in stills … and followed as the Gates worked their farm.  She also followed them in navigating the demands of the land-use system with the group Save Helvetia, which successfully fought to have the agricultural area north of West Union Road declared high-value farmland with unique historical, cultural and environmental features. Read more…
• More than 40 speak about urban growth boundary at Washington County hearing
  (October 7) The conversation wasn't just about homes.  North of Hillsboro, Metro is eyeing 300 acres for large lot industrial sites.  But with the down economy, Helvetia resident Cherry Amabisca said the time wasn't right to add land for jobs.  "It doesn't mean never. It just means we wait until 2015 and see if conditions have changed," Amabisca said.  "Having an inventory of large lots is not a panacea.  We should wait until 2015 and see what the economy does." Read more…
• UGB FAQ: All about the Metro Council's look at the urban growth boundary
  (October 5) This month, the Metro Council is deciding whether to expand the region's urban growth boundary, and if so, how much.  What does the boundary do?  How will Metro decide what to add to the boundary?  Here's some basics about Metro's study of the boundary, which should lead to a decision later this month. Read more…
• Metro to tackle urban boundary issues
  (October 3) Metro’s council will start hammering out its final decision on possible expansion of the area’s urban growth boundary this week.  The council will hold a public hearing Thursday on the matter at the Beaverton Library, 12375 S.W. Fifth St. Read more…
• MPAC gets heated as leaders talk about density on the edges
  (September 29) Very early in the meeting, the committee voted 12-6 to support Portland Mayor Sam Adams' recommendation that Metro expand the urban growth boundary by no more than 1,600 acres, giving preference to proposed UGB expansion areas planned to have at least 20 units of housing per acre. … Adams' maneuver sent several Washington County MPAC members into fits.  Why? Read more…
• Helvetia Culture Fest celebrates community
  (September 6) When a handful of Helvetia residents first gathered in 2009 to discuss what might happen on their rural hillsides as a result of Oregon's land-use planning process, everyone attested to the area's specialness.  But they also realized that feelings wouldn't convince politicians, so the group set out to quantify exactly what made Helvetia and its farmland worth preserving. Read more…
• LCDC approves 50-year land-use plan
  (August 23) "We are worse off in this process than we ever were in the other process," said Bob Vanderzanden, a representative of the Washington County Farm Bureau. "They co-opted far more land than what they ever intended to use," he said. Read more…
• Metro area's 50-year growth plan wins state approval; designates urban and rural 'reserves'
  (August 19) The land-use watchdog group 1000 Friends of Oregon and the Washington County Farm Bureau strongly opposed the urban and rural designations in Washington County.  They believe prime farmland in Helvetia and north of Cornelius was wrongly designated as urban reserves or as "undesignated," respectively.  Mary Kyle McCurdy, 1000 Friends policy director, said there are legal grounds to appeal the decision, but no decision has been made on whether to pursue them. Read more…
• State Officials Approve New Plan For Urban Growth
  (August 19) Several members of Oregon's Land Conservation and Development Commission griped about how the long-term plan deals with certain areas. Allowing farmland north of Highway 26 outside of Hillsboro to be designated for future urban development was particularly unpopular. … Farmland defenders argue LCDC could have rejected parts of the plan and still kept to state law.  They intend to appeal the reserves' plan.  Such a challenge would go straight to the state Appeals Court. Read more / listen to the article…
• Long-range growth plan for Portland area faces vote on Friday
  (August 18) An unprecedented long-range growth plan for the tri-county Portland area faces a vote Friday as the state Land Conservation and Development Commission wraps up two days of testimony and deliberations. … Many of those who testified Thursday, however, asked the commission to make changes.  Cornelius officials said land north of town should be changed to urban reserves, to attract development and jobs.  Helvetia residents, north of the Sunset Highway, asked that their area be designated as rural reserves because it is prime farmland. Read more…
• Portland Region's Growth Plan Near Final Approval
  (August 18) "We think that they have plenty of foundation farmland designated as urban reserve that the Washington County Farm Bureau has said 'we'll live with that, if that's the end of it.'  But Washington County overreached," said Mary-Kyle McCurdy with 1000 Friends of Oregon.  Her group and the Washington County Farm Bureau argue that the urban reserve designations would disrupt the region's farm economy. Read more / listen to the article…
• Opt In survey reveals nuanced view of urban growth boundary
  (August 12) DHM Research, which conducted the survey of Opt In members in late July, released the results of the survey on Friday.  DHM's Rebecca Ball said the results show a nuanced view of the urban growth boundary review that's underway at Metro. … For example, in the industrial lands survey, 65 percent of participants said they thought there was enough land within the urban growth boundary to accommodate job growth in the region over the next 20 years; 59 percent said they opposed expanding the UGB to provide more industrial land. … There was one other number that stood out from the survey – people want to see farmland preserved.  Seventy-five percent of participants oppose an expansion onto farmland for industrial purposes;  69 percent of participants said they'd support a small urban growth boundary expansion if it would keep more farmland in production. Read more…
• State recommends approval of Portland area's long-range growth plan
  (August 1) Metro and the counties submitted amendments in May, accompanied by 14 objections from two cities, neighborhood groups, individual property owners and advocacy groups.  The state Department of Land Conservation and Development reviewed the amendments, considered the objections and recommended the commission approve the package. Read more…
• Weigh in on Metro's urban growth proposals
  (July 18) This fall, the Metro Council will decide whether to expand the urban growth boundary and, if so, where.  This decision will not just be about lines on a map. It will affect how the region’s communities develop and thrive.  A proposal has been released for public comment. Learn more about that proposal, ask questions and share your ideas at an open house on July 28, from 5-8 p.m., in the Hillsboro Civic Center Auditorium,150 E. Main St.  Also, a survey is now available through Metro’s Opt In panel.  Through this survey, participants can provide feedback on this fall’s decision and offer their opinions on the individual areas that are being considered. Read more…
• Cultural Coalition awards grants
  (July 5) … Helvetia Community Association, Helvetia Cultural Fest, $1,000 … Read more…
• Portland Metro's UGB expansion study is under fire
  (May 27) "I own three tax lots that total 125 acres inside this area," DeLoris Green [sic] said.  "This land has been farmed by my family for over 100 years, producing high-value grass seed, clover and wheat.  "I remain opposed to any UGB expansion in this area.  I do not want my properties to be annexed to the city of Hillsboro." Read more…
• Will county get what it reserves?
  (April 29) In response [to LCDC's rejection of WaCo reserves], the county moved to place urban reserves on 585 acres in Helvetia.  Even though the compromise pared that to 352 acres, Helvetia conservationists continue to say their area is even more valuable farmland.  Representatives said Tuesday they’ll likely sue to have it returned to rural, hoping to force more appropriate choices. Read more…
• Jobs or farms? Plans spur land fight
  (April 28) [1000 Friends' attorney Mary Kyle] McCurdy says 1000 Friends of Oregon has no objections to the thousands of designated urban and rural reserves in Multnomah and Clackamas counties.  However, she says the organization is opposed to hundreds of acres recommended for urban and undesignated classifications in Washington County.  During the final Metro hearing on the reserves on April 21, McCurdy raised the possibility of litigation if LCDC ratifies the Washington County designations. Read more…
• Helvetia remains the battleground for Washington County urban growth plan
  (April 26) Yet it's somehow only fitting that Washington County's piece of a regionwide process to map future growth isn't ending smoothly.  Multnomah and Clackamas counties, after essentially "divorcing" Washington County in December 2009 over the latter's insistence on including the contentious Cornelius parcels, saw their respective growth plans sail through the state review process.  Organized challenges to those plans have yet to materialize.  Not so in Washington County, where a number of state agencies, along with advocacy groups such as 1000 Friends of Oregon and the Washington County Farm Bureau, are on record as opposing the county's move to urbanize Helvetia. Read more…
• Washington County commissioners, in a 3-2 vote, approve long-term growth plan
  (April 26) Pro-Helvetia forces, who used Tuesday night’s meeting to make one last plea to keep the area rural, said afterward that they plan to go to court, if necessary, to challenge the board’s decision.  “We still need to hear how the state is going to rule on all of this,’’ said Cherry Amabisca, a founding member of Save Helvetia.  “There’s a long way to go yet.” Read more…
• Metro approves retooled Washington County reserves map
  (April 22) Amabisca added that she feels the farmers in Helvetia are being pitted against the farmers in Council Creek. “(Washington County commissioners) told us that one of the areas is going to be an urban reserve and we basically have to choose,” she said.  “The soil quality is great in both areas and neither should be developed.”
  [Metro Councilor Shirley] Craddick agreed with the opponents of the revised map.  “I’m not happy with the decision in Washington County,” she said.  “I believe too much farmland is in urban reserves.” Read more…
• Reserves process wears thin
  (April 22) Former Commission Chair Linda Peters, a Cornelius-area resident, said local governments didn’t think farms and forests would be just as important to residents as laying out the future of urban growth. “We were led off into a wild blue yonder of fantastic aspirations that have nothing to do with building a really good urban form,” with more livable neighborhoods and industrial lands within existing urban growth boundaries, Peters said. Read more…
• Metro Council adopts final component of 50-year growth plan
  (April 21) Councilor Shirley Craddick cast the lone dissenting vote on the ordinance.  She was also the only no vote on the Metro Council on the final agreement with Washington County at the March 15 joint meeting.  While noting her support for the process that has led to urban and rural reserves, and her support for urban and rural reserves already acknowledged in Clackamas and Multnomah counties, "I am not happy with the decision in Washington County.  I believe too much farmland is in urban reserve.  I have to stay with my values." Read more…
• Washington County commission hears concerns about reserves agreement
  (April 19) Cherry Amabisca, one of the leaders of Save Helvetia, said her group is likely to sue over the agreement, which created a new urban reserve north of U.S. 26, west of Helvetia Road.  "Now that you've decided to add another of 350 acres of urban reserves north of Sunset Highway, it makes our decision (on whether to go to court) a whole lot easier," she said. Read more…
• Where To Grow, What To Protect? Battle Lines Being Drawn In Washington County
  (April 6) Farmland advocates like [Greg] Mecklem say that rather than pitting one set of farms against another, the region should focus development inside existing urban areas.  That means growing up, instead of growing out.  Farming advocates argue the state land-use board could find some of the same problems with Helvetia that it found already, north of Cornelius. Read more / listen to the article…
• Farmers contend urban reserve eroding farmland
  (March 31) Real estate agent Clint Currin is advertising 89 acres of Washington County farmland for sale at $3.3 million.  Although zoned exclusive farm use, the land is among approximately 13,500 acres designated "urban reserve" in the county's long-term land-use plan.  The designation increases the value of the property by $2.8 million over its farm-use assessment, according to the Washington County Farm Bureau, essentially pricing the land out of farming. Read more…
• Places to live and places to play - But will there be places to work?
  But after listening to hours of public testimony, the Metro Council and County Commission could still not agree on replacing the urban reserves north of Cornelius with the 585 acres north of Highway 26.  Finally, to break their stalemate, the officials agreed to split the baby. Read more…
• Bringing in the reserves
  (March 18) 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. Read more…
• Cornelius, Hillsboro at odds on reserves
  (March 16) Jerry Willy, Mayor of Hillsboro, argued in favor of [the] Helvetia plan.  He said he wants to ensure opportunities to create jobs, livability in city and state as a whole.  Developable land would do that.  "This is not about Hillsboro. This is about our state."  Bob Clay, of the city of Portland, gave a different message.  He said he was sent on behalf of Portland Mayor Sam Adams and city commissioner Amanda Fritz to plead with the two bodies to dump the idea of an urban reserve in Helvetia. Read more…
• After marathon meeting, Washington County and Metro agree on reserves plan
  (March 16) Many on the council expressed concern with the idea of designating urban reserves north of the Sunset Highway.  "Are we, by adding this change north of 26, putting at risk this whole process?" asked Councilor Rex Burkholder.  "We have nothing to judge whether this would be supported by the (state land use) commission or not." Read more…
• Helvetia and Cornelius land at the center of Washington County urban reserves plan
  (March 17) "I'm not sure anyone knows what exactly will happen next," said Cherry Amabisca, whose Save Helvetia group came away frustrated by the decision to designate about 265 acres north of U.S. 26 in the Helvetia area as an urban reserve.  "In our case, we'd really prefer not to appeal this.  But unless something unexpected happens, I don't see any way around it."  She may have to get in line.  Groups such as 1000 Friends of Oregon, the Washington County Farm Bureau, a Portland-based developer or two and some residents of a residential development in rural Washington County all have indicated interest in challenging the county's urban-rural reserves decision in court. Read more…
• Metro, Washington County agree on growth plan
  (March 16) With the loss of urban reserves in Cornelius, county officials wanted to add potential development acreage somewhere else, and the only reasonable place was the parcel near Helvetia.  But that brought opposition from residents, land-use advocacy groups and farm interest organizations.  “We literally have the best farming soil that can be found in the country on this area and they are trying to develop it,” said Cherry Amabisca, chairwoman of conservation group Save Helvetia.  “It just doesn’t make sense.” Read more…
• Metro, Washington County broker deal on land for future development
  (March 15) Plans for an urban reserve north of Highway 26 and near Helvetia drew a mixture of support and opposition. … The Metro council indicated a preference for ensuring success at the state level by endorsing unanimously a proposal that would grant Cornelius undesignated land north of the city but remove the urban reserve from Helvetia.  That proposal didn't have support on the Washington County board. Read more…
• Metro Council, Washington County board agree on long-term urban growth plan
  (March 15) In the end, a deal was struck only because county Commissioner Roy Rogers reluctantly agreed to vote on a plan designating about 265 acres in Helvetia as urban reserves.  That plan leaves an additional 320 acres in Helvetia as undesignated. … Most Metro Council members were clearly uncomfortable with moving across U.S. 26 into Helvetia for potential growth land.  "It's only with deep reluctance that I do this," Councilor Carlotta Collette said. Read more…
• Cornelius development advocates to make last-ditch plea for urban reserves before county commissioners vote upon a 50-year growth plan
  (March 14) The plan, dubbed the Community – Farmland Compromise Map, would return 350 acres north of Cornelius to an urban reserve designation, while keeping the remaining land 274 acres rural.  The 585 acres slated for urban reserves north of Helvetia would be returned to undesignated.  An additional 274 acres of land between Rosedale and Farmington roads in southern Hillsboro would also be designated as Urban Reserve "where there is support from all stakeholders."  The plan hasn't gotten official approval from the Save Helvetia or the Farm Bureau, which opposes urban land anywhere north of Council Creek, but Meyer said he's discussed it with members of both organizations. Read more…
• Reserving farmland
  (March 9) Washington County and Metro will take another run at setting aside reserves of land for future development and preservation next week, and whatever they choose to do, someone will sue.
  … [Don] Schoen doesn’t want his land designated as an urban reserve.  At 78, he’d rather be allowed to grow nuts on his property and avoid the hassles of the exurban sprawl a few miles down West Union Road from his property.  “It just seems to me this is the wrong place to plan an expansion because we have some of the best soils in the area,” Schoen said. Read more…
• A key hearing nears, but Washington County's future urban-rural plan remains an elusive quest
  (March 9) Several groups, including the Washington County Farm Bureau, Save Helvetia and 1000 Friends of Oregon, are strongly considering appealing any county proposal allowing development north of U.S. 26. … "That's just a nonstarter for us and we've told them that," said Dave Vanasche, a Cornelius-area farmer and past Farm Bureau president.  "We hope they change their minds, because we don't want to see taxpayers forced to spend a lot of money on appeals." Read more…
• Planning commission rocks reserves boat
  (March 4) Duyck said it is unfortunate that the proposal being considered by Metro and the Commissioners represents the best possible outcome given the parameters presented.  “The planning commission expressed frustration that Cornelius was slighted by the previous LCDC decision and special interest groups,” Duyck said.  “I agree with this assessment, but find it difficult to continue beating a dead horse.” Read more…
• Washington County planning commission vote on urban reserves irks County Commission Chairman Andy Duyck
  (March 3) County Commission Chairman Andy Duyck, while saying he values the planning commission's work, said this was an issue that the latter body should have avoided entirely.  "They can have hearings, but they don't have to take ownership on this like we do," he said.  "They don't have to make it work with other jurisdictions to get the votes.  On something like this, they truly are just a rubber stamp." Read more…
• Metro, county plan joint reserves confab March 15
  (February 25) Developed after more than two years of study, public review and evaluation, the new map removes a 624-acre urban reserve north of Cornelius rejected by the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission in October 2010, and changes a portion of an urban reserve north of Forest Grove to undesignated land.  Those two areas are essentially replaced with a 585-acre urban reserve in previously undesignated land north of Highway 26 and south of NW West Union Road. Read more…
• Duyck and Hughes dish up a steaming, hot plate of suck
  (February 24) Yesterday, Washington County Chair Andy Duyck and Metro President Tom Hughes made it clear that they're going to continue the long standing practice of giving residents of Washington County the finger on Urban & Rural Reserves with a joint letter, sent in a Metro eblast. Read more…
• OSU study shows Oregon's farmers grow money from dirt, even in tough times
  (February 23) Oregon's farmers say they're often overlooked when people talk about the state's economy.  A new study by Oregon State University confirms agriculture is a significant sector. … Oregon Department of Agriculture: New study shows ag responsible for 15% of state's economy. Read more…
• New deal on reserves, Cornelius out of luck
  (February 23) The agreement is similar to a proposal offered by Washington County officials late last year that was ultimately rejected by Metro councilors in that it includes an urban reserve of 585 acres north of Highway 26 bounded to the west by Helvetia Road. Read more…
• Washington County, Metro reach tentative urban reserve land pact
  (February 22) [The proposal] changes a portion of an urban reserve north of Forest Grove to “undesignated” land, adds a new 585-acre urban reserve in previously undesignated land north of Highway 26 and south of Northwest West Union Road, and creates a new undesignated area out of previously rural reserve land south of Southwest Rosedale Road and west of Southwest Farmington Road. … “But let’s be clear: our work will not be done until the public has a chance to thoroughly review and comment on this important decision,” according to a prepared statement from the two men. Read more…
• Reserves deal comes sooner than figured
  (February 22) Helvetia activist Cherry Amabisca called the compromise “a major step towards industrializing Helvetia, expanding the commercial ghetto north of Highway 26 and removing productive farmland from Helvetia’s vibrant agricultural economy.” … “Washington County is intent on ramming through this latest land grab by using the classic tactics of career politicians and government bureaucrats,” Amabisca wrote in an e-mail.  “Behind-the-scenes negotiating, making decisions out of the public eye and limiting citizen participation.” Read more…
• Here's hoping Barbara Roberts seizes Metro Council job
  (February 20) As a former governor and mentor to dozens of other would-be elected officials since her lone term ended in 1994, Roberts has the clout to demand that Washington County leaders make a better case to expand urban reserves and potentially the urban growth boundary on the region's western edge. … We cannot wait two years for leadership.  Too much damage can be done, through either overt steps to dismantle the region's growth-management strategy or benign neglect.  Decisions about the Columbia River Crossing and the future of Washington County -- about how to balance industry's desire for more land with the need to protect rural treasurers [sic] such as Helvetia, our region's version of "Brigadoon" -- must be made now. Read more…
• Commissioners extend urban reserves deadline
  (February 18) Commission Chair Andy Duyck said the extension shouldn’t be seen as an attempt by the government to pull the wool over the public’s eyes, but rather as a courtesy to a Metro Council in transit.  Still getting used to the new president, the council is conducting interviews to replace District 6 Councilor Robert Liberty, who recently resigned. Read more…
• Washington County, Metro leaders close to deal on reserves
  (February 18) "We're looking at some sort of approximate replacement for the Cornelius land in terms of what would be at least as usable as the Cornelius land would have been for industrial growth," Hughes said in an interview Monday, before the latest conversations with Washington County.  "Washington County's proposal had that north of (U.S.) 26 and west of Helvetia Road.  I'm not sure that's a bad place to set it." … The new urban reserve north of U.S. 26 isn't likely to sit well with land conservation advocates, who are still pushing Washington County and Metro to scale back their urban reserves proposal. Read more…
• Residents weigh in on urban expansion in North Hillsboro
  (February 10) Long-time rural residents questioned the need for more industrial land, when there are already sizable tracts of land set aside for industrial development in Metro territory — including Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties.  One attendee pointed out that along with the big-industry successes, there’s been plenty of strip retail or small office developments that aren’t nearly as attractive.  “Don’t bait and switch us,” one attendee said.  “Years ago we heard these same arguments for the need for large tracts of land for industry, and we’ve ended up with small retail strip malls.” Read more…

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