Development

UPDATE: Council President David Bragdon releases a statement calling this a vote a “historic moment.” He goes on to write: “Our work is not done. We need to refocus our efforts on how we can best invest in attracting more jobs and residents to our existing communities inside the urban growth boundary. Metro, local governments and...
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A bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks was approved this afternoon by the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. But rather than going straight to the Senate floor, SB 1059 will be taking an unexpected detour.
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WEDNESDAY: Urban Reserves The Metro Policy Advisory Committee meets today to consider urban and rural reserves. It will make a recommendation based on the plan approved earlier this week by the Core 4 group. The committee’s job is to advise the full Metro Council on land use decisions. Details: 5pm, Metro Council Chambers, 600 NE Grant Ave,...
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The Metro regional government is “almost” at a decision on urban reserves. The latest plan, as proposed by a committee called the Core 4, includes setting aside 27,000 acres for urban reserves and 270,000 acres for rural reserves. That leaves about 2300 acres in the “undecided” category.
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Saying that, “everyone wants to be like Portland,” Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan came to this city to announce he’s creating a new office of Sustainable Housing and Communities. Donovan told a group at Portland State University that this office will lead Housing and Urban Development’s new emphasis on building stronger and more sustainable communities across...
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Cruise the Willamette downstream from central Portland and you’ll soon realize this is not the wild river our city founders knew.  Shipping terminals, cargo vessels, scrapyards, oil tanks, warehouses and gazillions of imported cars line the riverbank. This area, as city officials like to describe it, is a working river. An important area for...
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With more than a million new people expected in the metro area over the next 20-years, politicians are trying to figure out where to put all of them. Do we allow the area’s Urban Growth Boundary to expand to accommodate the growth? Or do we hold tight, and pack more people into the same...
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Whale Visits Coos Bay Casino One, maybe two, gray whales were spotted playing in the waters off the Mill Casino near downtown Coos Bay. It was enough to convince some gamblers to take a break from the slots and check out a close encounter with Mother Nature. The whale (or whales depending on who you...
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One of the mostly closely watched environmental bills of the session went down to defeat today in the Oregon House. House Bill 3298 would have protected the Metolius River Basin from development, first by declaring it an Area Of Critical State Concern, then by banning large scale resorts from the area.  The legislation was in...
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Reintroduced into the wild only 18 months ago, the fisher is off to a strong comeback in Washington state. New video released by Washington Fish and Wildlife, and the Olympic National Park, shows a mother fisher carrying four little ones down from their den in a tree.  It’s the first proof we have that the...
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