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 the private sector need to work more strategically to invest limited public resources more wisely and encourage greater private investment in the communities we already call home.”

EARLIER:

The Metro Council put a final stamp of approval on a plan to guide growth in the region for the next 50-years. The vote was 5-2.

The plan creates 28,000 acres of urban reserves, areas outside the urban growth boundary that will be set aside for most new business and residential development.

It also preserves 272,000 acres as rural reserves, places protected as farmland and natural areas.

The broad outlines of this plan have changed little since it was introduced to the public earlier this year.

A series of public meetings, and an alternative plan offered by a coalition of farming and conservation groups had little impact. The coalition version called for 15,000 acres of urban reserves, saying that anything bigger could damage the metro area’s vibrant agriculture community.

In the end, the council decided to stay close to a plan that was drawn up by a group called the Core 4 committee. The committee was made up of a representative from the Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington county commissions. The fourth member was from the Metro council.

In order for any plan to succeed, it needs the approval of all four of these governments. So a version drawn up by their representatives was probably destined to survive all the others. Each of the counties approved their part of the agreement earlier today and on Tuesday.

But rather than going straight to the Senate floor, SB 1059 will be taking an unexpected detour.

Eric Stachon of 1000 Friends of Oregon says the bill was forwarded to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. Stachon says that’s because the bill requires some federal funds to be moved from one account to another, something that Ways and Means has to approve.

It’s not clear if this helps or hurts the bill’s prospects. But if Ways and Means goes along, the bill can move to the floor of both houses without any more hearings.

Here’s what’s in SB 1059 in its current form.

• Requires ODOT and the Department of Land Conservation to set overall state strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
• Requires emissions targets that the state’s largest metro areas have to reach by 2035. This includes Salem-Keizer, Eugene-Springfield, Bend, Medford and Corvallis. It doesn’t include Portland because that metro area is covered by separate legislation.
• Provides the metro areas with ideas, strategies and plans to help them achieve the new goals.

Supporters hope this will lead to more mass transit in the regions covered by the bill, and help prevent sprawl.

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, Portland

Georgia Pacific Wastewater Meeting

Oregon Surfrider, Oregon DEQ, the Georgia Pacific company and OSU are leading a public meeting in Newport to talk about G-P’s wastewater permit for its mill in Toledo, Oregon.

In the past, Surfrider has complained that the permit doesn’t address important issues such as how much bacteria is in the wastewater, the cloudiness or turbidity of the discharge, or what it does to oxygen levels in the Pacific Ocean.

The G-P mill wastewater is sent out through a pipe that extends 4000 feet into the ocean near Nye Beach.

Details: 6:30pm, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Hennings Auditorium, Newport

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.

It’s the latest step in an unbelievably complicated process that will determine how the Portland metro areas grows and develops over the next four or five decades.

Metro may be best known for the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) around the Portland region. That’s the magical line that roughly divides the urban areas from the rural areas.

What it’s looking at now is how to plan growth outside the UGB. A new state law says Metro needs to figure out what are the best places to set aside for future development (urban reserves) and what are the best places to preserve as farmland and natural areas (rural reserves). And if that wasn’t difficult enough, officials from Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, plus the Metro government, all have to agree on the same plan!

This is supposed to be wrapped up by the end of February. The Metro Council has a meeting scheduled for the 25th.

What happened today is that the Core 4 committee drew up a plan that covers 99.5% of the area outside the UGB. They couldn’t agree on what to do with the remaining half-percent. So each of the three counties will hold separate talks with Metro on working out those details.

Metro held six public events during January that were attended by hundreds of people who wanted to look at urban reserves maps, ask questions, and testify before the Council.

See: VIDEO: Jobs and the Economy Drive Metro’s First Hearing on Urban Reserves

The amount of land set aside for urban reserves is still almost twice as large as a proposal from a coalition of environmental and agricultural groups. They wanted Metro to set side only 15,000 acres for urban reserves. The biggest disagreement came over how much land to allow for development in Washington County. But the coalition proposal never gained traction with Metro officials.

See: Farmers, Conservation Groups Come Together On Urban Growth

HUD Secretary Donovan. Photo from HUD.

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 the country.

He also says that sustainability – including more energy efficient homes and apartments, as well as access to mass transit – needs to be made more affordable.

Video: New Types Of Mortgages To Help People Buy Sustainable Homes

Donovan says one way HUD can help is by developing new types of financing that look at how much we spend on transportation. People who live closer to mass transit, he says, save money on transportation and can afford to spend more on a home. Same thing is true if the house is made energy efficient. Because HUD writes about a third of the home mortgages in the country, Donovan says the department can develop new rules that allow people buying these homes to get larger mortgages. Once HUD proves it works, Donovan predicts the private mortgage industry will follow. (See the above video for more information.)

To help other communities follow Portland’s example, Donovan says HUD’s budget includes $100 million for regional planning projects and $40 million for planning at the local level.

But it’s home to wildlife as well. Herons, sea lions, otters and fish spend some or all of their lives here. Fall salmon numbers in the upper Willamette system have been surprisingly robust, giving hope that the endangered fish might be making a comeback. For that to happen, salmon and steelhead have to migrate at least twice through the dirtiest section of the Willamette. The working part of the river. A Superfund site.

Soon, the Portland City Council will hold a public hearing on a plan to reconcile all these different demands. Two of Portland’s best known environmental groups, Willamette Riverkeeper and the Audubon Society, are concerned over industry attempts to weaken some of the environmental protections in the plan. Those industry objections led Mayor Adams to cancel a public hearing that was scheduled for last month. It could also be the reason why Thursday’s planned hearing was put off as well.

The North Reach River Plan

The so-called “North Reach” of the Willamette runs from downtown Portland near the Fremont Bridge to where the river meets the Columbia.

In typical Portland style, the plan for this area is designed so that there’s something in it for everyone.

For Business:

• The plan protects prime industrial property along the riverfront, calls for spending more public money on infrastructure such as rail and road access, and simplifies rules needed for permits.

For Recreation:

• Creates a Greenway trail on both sides of the river. They are already walking and biking trails through the area. But the city’s plan calls more adding more trail miles, changing some of the current routes, creating scenic viewpoints and adding more spots for people to access the trails.

For Wildlife:

• Sets aside some 21 areas along the river for wildlife habitat. If a business tries to expand or build a new facility along the riverbank, it has to mitigate for that by restoring an equal amount of riverbank somewhere else on its property. If for some reason that doesn’t work out, the business could restore wildlife habitat somewhere else on the river, or pay a fee to the city for doing it. Eventually the goal is to create a privately run mitigation bank.

Why Business Is Unhappy

Businesses located along the river are vigorously fighting the plan. Many of them are represented by the Working Waterfront Coalition. The members say the costs of mitigation, or the fees they have to pay, are way too high. Back in July, Schnitzer Steel told the Portland Business Journal that if they wanted to build a new $20 million dollar dock, the costs of mitigation would tack on an extra $2.7 million. The business community says this will halt or slow expansion, the wrong kind of move especially during a recession.

“We’re not insensitive to the economic realities out there,” says Travis Williams, Executive Director of Willamette Riverkeeper. But he’s skeptical about business claims as to how much they’ll have to pay. “How does this kill you,” he wants to know, “Are you sunk because of this fee you can pay out over time?”

The Needs Of Wildlife

No expects this section of the Willamette to be restored to it’s former glory. All sides that it really is a working river, and will remain that way into the foreseeable future. But Williams sees the plan as a way to get back some of what’s been lost. “How is doing the right thing, and asking a bit more, somehow the wrong thing to do? How much do we water these things down?”

There’s an increasing consensus that even setting aside a small amount of land for habitat can make a difference for wildlife. The 21 natural areas in the plan will help salmon as they migrate through the area. They’ll provide resting places for salmon and steelhead to stop and feed before moving upriver to their spawning grounds. Williams says, “The science is telling us that’s what they use, that’s what they need.”

To Have Your Say:

Until a public hearing is scheduled, you can submit written testimony to…

Council Clerk
1221 SW 4th Avenue, Room 140
Portland, OR 97204
Fax: (503) 823-4571
Email: kmoore-love@ci.portland.or.us

Two very different men, with very different visions of the future, debated the issue Monday night in Hillsboro. On one side, Washington County Chair Tom Brian who supports expanding the boundary. County leaders are looking at plans to open another 34,000 acres as urban reserves, areas where farmland could be replaced by development.

Then there’s Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who believes in more dense development as a way to control sprawl, transportation costs and pollution, and create livable neighborhoods where people don’t have to travel far to find basic needs.

The debate was sponsored by OPB’s Think Out Loud program and the Forest Grove News-Times. It will be aired on Think Out Loud at 9:00am Tuesday morning.

Meawnhile, a short excerpt from the hour long event. The two men discuss infill, with Brian saying it costs more than people realize and could lead to more expensive housing. Adams says infill reduces costs.

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 ask) was probably migrating south from Alaska to its winter home in Mexico when it decided to wander up Coos Bay for a quick diversion. From the Coos Bay World.

Why Eat Local?

It’s not just Portlanders who are getting into the eat local craze. It’s catching on in Central Oregon, too. An article in the Bend Bulletin looks at why this is becoming so popular, and the reasons for choosing food grown locally.

What To Do With Eugene’s Riverfront

People in Eugene are trying to figure out what to do with 27 acres of riverfront property near downtown. The land is current owned by EWEB, the city’s electric and water utility. EWEB is moving to a new location and is inviting public comments on how to develop it. Some kind of chic urban motif appears to be popular. From the Eugene Register Guard.

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 response to plans by two developers to build destination resorts inside the basin.  The Senate approved the same legislation on Friday.

Those who voted against the bill seemed to be concerned about the process of how it was put together, rather than what it would do for the Metolius.  The two resorts had been approved by Jefferson County, and many local government officials griped that the protection plan was a power grab by state officials in Salem.  That argument held sway over many who voted, “no.”

Among them was House Speaker Dave Hunt, who released this statement after the vote.  “I believe this bill usurps the land use process that Jefferson County adopted in approving these resorts. It is not our job to decide if Jefferson County made the right or the wrong decision.”

The bill may come up for another vote tomorrow.  Rep. Brian Clem, the bill’s sponsor, switched his vote to “no” when it was clear the bill wasn’t going to get enough votes to pass.  This allows him to get more supports, and bring the bill up for another vote tomorrow.

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 fishers are reproducing on their own, in their once native territory.

Mother fisher carrying a kit. Courtesy National Park Service.

The images were captured on an automated camera placed deep in the woods on the Olympic peninsula, southeast of Port Angeles, Wash.  Getting the images was no small feat.  It took biologists several weeks of hiking and tracking to find the den and install the camera.

“This is a very exciting outcome,” says Phil Anderson, WDFW’s interim director.  Anderson says it’s sign that the reintroduction program is off to a good start.  The photos, plus evidence that other fisher females are denning, he says, “Give great hope for the future of fisher recovery in Washington.”

Fishers were wiped out in Washington state by the middle of the last century due to hunting and loss of habitat.  They’re on the state’s endangered species list.  The reintroduction program began in January of 2008, and since then 36 fishers have been released in the Olympic National Forest.  A final group will be released next winter, and then the program begins ten years of monitoring.