The Land Conservation and Development Commission will hold a special meeting March 24 to consider the future of the Metolius River Basin.
When we last heard from the commission, they voted to make the Metolius Basin an “Area of Critical State Concern.” But it also left open some important issues, including how much of the basin will be protected from development, and what will happen to two destination resorts that are planned for the area.
Governor Kulongoski set this process in motion last year when he asked the LCDC to draw up a plan to protect the Metolius. The draft version produced by staff would have stopped the two destination resorts from being developed, and would have banned future large scale resorts.
The LCDC special meeting begins at 1pm. Whatever it decides, it’s a recommendation that goes to the legislature and lawmakers will make the final decision.
Meanwhile, March 24 is an important date for the future of destination resorts for another reason. That’s when the House Land Use Committee holds a hearing on HB 2227. The concern is that developers are promoting projects as destination resorts when in fact what they really want to build are new subdivisions. Erik Kancler of Central Oregon LandWatch says destination resorts don’t get as much scrutiny as subdivisions. HB 2227 directs the LCDC to study current law, see if it’s working, and if it needs to be rewritten.
That hearing starts at 3pm.