Posted by Evan Manvel on February 04, 2003 at 17:43:44:
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Oregon Land Use Update
February 4, 2003
1000 Friends of Oregon
=============================================In this issue:
* LEGISLATIVE NEWS
- “Spawn of Measure 7” Morphs into Sprawl Bill
- HB 2369 Revisits Failed Farmland Laws of Past* OREGON NEWS
- Eugene Trail System Dedicated to Ruth Bascom
- Court: Communities Can Recover Some Costs of Growth* NATIONAL NEWS
- Market Failing to Provide Housing Choices
- Builders Give, Rescind Award for Growing Smart Project
- When Highways Shrink, Traffic Follows
- Detroit Struggles with Sprawl, Looks to Future* INTERNATIONAL NEWS (oh yeah!)
- British Government Rejects Big Box Sprawl
- China Awaits High-Speed MagLev Train* EVENTS
- Land Use 101: A Half-Day Training (Portland)
- Getting Involved in Local Land Use Decisions (Tualatin)
- Olmstead Legacy Celebration (Portland)* RESOURCES
- Web Resources on Race and Sprawl
- Oregon Coastal Atlas on Web
- Community Organizing and Smart Growth Paper
- Review of Mass Transit’s Effect on Property Values
- Study: Big Box Stores Drain City Tax Revenue
- Study: Local Stores Create More Local Economic Activity-----------------------------------------------------------------
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
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MEASURE 7 MORPHS INTO SPRAWL BILL
After hearing testimony about Measure 7 and the “Spawn of 7” Bill, HB 2137,
for several days, House Environment and Land Use Committee Chair Bill
Garrard has set up two work groups to tackle different parts of the issue.
While additional bills are also expected, they may be worked into the
efforts of the working groups, which include 1000 Friends lobbyist Randy
Tucker. The work groups may take months to craft potential legislation.Tellingly, the interests behind Measure 7 are revealing their true agenda –
not to pay a handful of property owners who may have suffered unfair and
disproportionate harm, but to roll back land use laws that protect our farm
and forestland. Rep. Garrard argues the bill should going in that
direction. More from various media sources:
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=55376
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/10438462175254
0.xml
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_I
D=447616
(these may have to be re-entered into your browser)FAILED FARMLAND IDEA RISES FROM PAST
On Thursday, Feb 5th, 8:30 am, in Hearing Room E of the State Capitol, the
House Water and Environment Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 2369.
HB 2369 directs LCDC to adopt rules for farm dwellings based on soil
capability, parcel size, and adjacent agricultural operations. By creating
an additional and weaker standard to the farm income standard, this bill
undercuts that standard. Such "capability tests" do not evaluate whether
the land is actually being farmed, and would in fact allow individuals who
are not farming, and perhaps have no intention to farm, to receive approval
to build a farm dwelling. Nor is a "capability test" a new idea - it was
used widely in the 1980s under which so-called farm dwellings with no real
connection to commercial agriculture proliferated on high-value farmland.
1000 Friends is OPPOSED to the bill.More about the farm income standard (PDF file):
http://www.friends.org/issues/downloads/qa/farmincome.pdf-----------------------------------------------------------------
OREGON NEWS
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BASCOM TRAIL SYSTEM DEDICATED IN EUGENE
1000 Friends Board Member Ruth Bascom, who started pushing for bike paths in
1971, recently had a 12-mile trail system loop in Eugene dedicated in her
name. Read the story of Bascom and the trail:
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/01/31/1c.cr.bikepath.0131.htmlCOURT: COMMUNITIES CAN RECOVER COSTS OF GROWTH
The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled that the government can impose fees on
new developments to help pay for expanding public services. The challenge
to system development charges was brought by Homebuilders Association of
Metropolitan Portland after the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District
adopted a development charge to fund parks and recreational facilities.The builders association argued that the charges violate state and federal
constitutional protections against taking private property “without just
compensation.” The court disagreed, noting, among other things, that the
home builders didn’t provide any proof that the fees were unreasonable or
arbitrary. Read the decision:
http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/A111827.htm-----------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL NEWS
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MARKET FAILING ON HOUSING CHOICE
The critical issue for the smart growth movement, says Funders’ Network for
Smart Growth leader Ben Starrett, is choice in the residential communities
that will be available for the projected 60 million new Americans by 2020.
Starrett cites research from the University of Southern California
predicting the demand for more dense housing will double, with close to half
the population, by 2015, preferring more urbane, diverse housing choices.
The market, Starrett notes, is only providing a tiny percentage of that form
of housing right now.
http://www.citistates.com/growth.html
Upscale, downtown apartment sales boom in Portland:
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/104410
436750330.xml
(this may have to be re-entered into your browser)BUILDERS GIVE, WITHDRAW AWARD FOR GROWING SMART
Bowing to pressure from its home builder subscribers, Professional Builder
magazine withdrew its 2003 Professional Achievement Award that it had
planned to present to the American Planning Association for its Growing
Smart planning statute reform project.
http://www.planetizen.com/news/item.php?id=8420WHEN HIGHWAYS SHRINK, TRAFFIC DISAPPEARS
Just as expanding highway capacity generates more traffic, reducing capacity
seems to eliminate some of it... (from the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134620379_lesstraffic23m.htm
lDETROIT STRUGGLES WITH SPRAWL, LOOKS TO FUTURE
The Detroit News recently featured a series of stories on sprawl and Smart
Growth:
http://www.detnews.com/specialreports/2002/sprawl-----------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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BRITISH GOVERNMENT REJECTS BIG BOX SPRAWL
In a move that could derail big box development projects throughout England,
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has rejected a bid by the furniture
chain Ikea to build a 300,000-square-foot store (seven times the size of a
football field) outside the city of Stockport. Prescott said the proposed
store violated several provisions of both national and local planning
policy. Major factors included the store's impact on the vitality and
viability of Stockport's downtown and other nearby town centers, and the
fact that it would foster increased automobile usage.Prescott suggested that Ikea substantially reduce the size of its stores and
locate them in or adjacent to town centers. While planning and development
is strictly a state and local matter in the United States, in England, local
policies must follow broad national guidelines.The government's recent rejection may reflect a renewed interpretation of
"Planning Policy Guidance Note 6: Town Centres and Retail Development"
(PPG6), a national policy that requires town centers be given preference for
all new development, followed by edge-of-town sites (defined as within
walking distance of the downtown). Out-of-town development is allowed only
if the developer demonstrates a need that cannot be satisfied with a more
centrally located project.
http://www.planning.odpm.gov.uk/callins/oct2_2002/index.htm
PPG6: http://www.planning.odpm.gov.uk/ppg/CHINA AWAITS HIGH-SPEED MAGLEV TRAIN
Shanghai, China's largest city, is gearing up to launch the world's first
commercial maglev train, which uses electromagnetic levitation to carry
passengers at speeds of up to 430 kmh. The 30-km (18-mile) maglev line,
built at a cost of more than $1.2 billion, is launching sometime in summer
2003. It enables passengers to travel from Shanghai's financial district to
its international airport in about eight minutes. The same journey by car
typically takes between 45 minutes to one hour.Its supporters claim that maglev technology offers many advantages over
traditional high-speed railways: less maintenance, vibration and noise,
greater energy efficiency and no exhaust emissions. Critics, however, claim
that maglev is too expensive to build.Even more ambitious maglev projects in China are proposed for the near
future, including an ambitious 775-mile link between Shanghai and Beijing
costing an estimated $22 billion. In March, the U.S. government will provide
$950 million to a maglev program in either Pittsburgh
(http://www.maglevpa.com/) or in the Baltimore-Washington region
(http://www.bwmaglev.com/) More: http://www.calmaglev.org/
(from Wired, January 20, 2003, http://www.wired.com/)-----------------------------------------------------------------
EVENTS
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LAND USE 101: A HALF-DAY TRAINING
Saturday, February 15, 9:00 am - 1:30 pm
Heron Hall, Audubon Society, 5151 Cornell Road, PortlandThis workshop will help explain Oregon's land use laws, how they affect you,
and how you can affect their implementation. Learn about the Portland urban
growth boundary, land use proceedings, and the Son of Measure 7 effort in
the legislature.Sponsored by Friends of Forest Park, 1000 Friends of Oregon, the Coalition
for a Livable Future, and Audubon Society of Portland. Suggested donation
$5-$10. More: info@FriendsofForestPark.orgTRAINING ON GETTING INVOLVED IN LAND USE DECISIONS
Saturday, February 22, 8:30am - 12:30pm
Tualatin Hills Nature ParkThe Tualatin Riverkeepers, in collaboration with 1000 Friends of Oregon,
presents “Weighing In On Land Use: Community Involvement in Land Use
Decisions”, training for community members and grassroots activists on how
you can influence land use decisions for a more livable community. Learn
about effective involvement with local land use proceedings, as well as how
to effectively participate in State and Federal wetland permit decisions.Cost is $10. Register: brian@tualatinriverkeepers.org.
THE ROLE OF PARKS AND GREENSPACES
IN BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
April 28-April 30th
Portland State University, Smith Memorial Student UnionIn 1903 citizen park boards in Portland and Seattle collaborated in bringing
John Charles Olmsted to prepare park master plans for both cities. Olmsted
shuttled by train between the two cities as he developed plans for
comprehensive, interconnected parks systems. As part of a year long Olmsted
2003 Centennial celebration, park planners, citizen advocates, land use
planners, landscape architects, architects, and civic leaders will gather to
celebrate Olmsted’s park and landscape legacy in the Portland-Vancouver
metropolitan region.The symposium’s objective will be to celebrate both the genius and foresight
of Olmsted’s Portland Park master plan as well as to challenge the
Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region to create a 21st century park and
greenspace legacy that equals our Olmsted legacy. Online registration will
be available at http://www.olmsted2003.org.-----------------------------------------------------------------
RESOURCES
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RACE AND SPRAWL RESOURCES
Given a recent (discredited) report suggesting smart growth hurts minority
populations, 1000 Friends of Oregon compiled a few resources on race and
sprawl:
http://www.friends.org/resources/raceandsprawl.htmlOREGON COASTAL ATLAS ON THE WEB
DLCD coastal staff recently unveiled a cool new product, the Oregon Coastal
Atlas. You can use the Atlas to look at several existing maps, or use the
tool to make your own map in .pdf format. There's also a tutorial that uses
the history of the coast as a narrative tool to teach lessons about
cartography/GIS.
http://www.coastalatlas.netCOMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND SMART GROWTH PAPER
The Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities recently
published, "Community Organizing: A Populist Base for Social Equity and
Smart Growth." The paper describes the efforts of low-income community
organizations to understand and address the regional inequities of sprawl.
This is the first paper in a series that highlights strategies being applied
successfully, explores tensions that can surface when applying
interdisciplinary strategies, and helps to encourage informed debate on
important topics. The paper is available at:
http://www.fundersnetwork.org/usr_doc/Community_Organizing.pdfMASS TRANSIT AND PROPERTY VALUES
Generally, property values increase for land adjacent to mass transit, with
property values rising 4% to 30% for office, retail and industrial buildings
within walking distance of light-rail and commuter rail stations. More
information:
http://www.planetizen.com/news/item.php?id=8465BIG BOX STORES DRAIN CITY REVENUE, STUDY FINDS
Big box retail, shopping centers, and fast-food restaurants cost taxpayers
more than they produce in tax revenue, according to a fiscal impact analysis
in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The study compares the tax revenue generated
by different kinds of residential and commercial development with the cost
of providing public services for each land use.It found big box retail generates a net annual deficit of $468 per 1,000
square feet, and shopping centers produce an annual drain of $314 per 1,000
square feet. By far the most costly type of development, according to the
study, are fast-food restaurants, which have a net annual cost of $5,168 per
1,000 square feet. The two main factors behind the higher costs are higher
road maintenance costs (due to more trips) and greater demand for public
safety services.In contrast, specialty retail, a category that includes small-scale Main
Street businesses, has a positive impact on pubic revenue (i.e., it
generates more tax revenue than it costs to service). Specialty retail
produces a net annual return of $326 per 1,000 square feet.
http://www.tischlerassociates.comLOCAL STORES CREATE TRIPLE THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF CHAINS
When you spend $100 at the chain Borders Books & Music, your purchase
creates only $13 worth of local economic activity. That same $100 spent at
locally owned book or record store generates $45, or more than three times
as much local economic activity.That's the conclusion of a new study conducted by Civic Economics and
published by Livable City in Austin, Texas. The study, "Economic Impact
Analysis: A Case Study," examines the local economic impact of two of
Austin's venerable independent businesses---Waterloo Records, widely
considered to be the best music store in the nation, and Book People, a
beloved, 32-year-old bookstore. The study compares their contributions to
the local economy with the economic return the community would receive from
a typical Borders store.
http://www.liveablecity.org/projects/aas_121102.htm
http://www.civiceconomics.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
CREDITS/SUBSCRIPTION INFO
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update@friends.org.Oregon Land Use Update is compiled and edited by Evan Manvel, with copy
editing by Sarah Petras. It is brought to you by 1000 Friends of Oregon, a
statewide organization dedicated to protecting Oregon's quality of life. To
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please consider making a tax-deductible donation online at
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