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'Reserves' offer growth clarity:
New land-use rules would let counties set aside farms and Metro pick urban areas years in advance
January 2 , 2008
ERIC MORTENSON
The Oregonian
Faced with accommodating the urban area's growing population while protecting its verdant farmland, Metro and its member counties are deciding which land will grow crops and which will sprout houses for the next 40 to 50 years.
The 2007 Legislature empowered Metro to designate "urban reserves" of land that will be developed. It also authorized Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties to designate "rural reserves" deemed crucial to the agricultural economy or to the protection of natural resources, including water quality and wildlife habitat.
Although the three Metro counties are the most heavily urbanized region of Oregon, they accounted for 17 percent of the state's agricultural production in 2005 -- about $714 million. Despite increasing pressure from development, Clackamas County ranks second and Washington County third in farm production, while Multnomah County is 14th.
The new urban and rural reserves are seen as an alternative to the existing growth management system, which is based on mandatory though somewhat arbitrary expansions of the urban growth boundary onto farms and forestlands.
Farmers and developers -- often at odds on land-use issues -- say the change could provide long-term stability by preserving large blocks of the best farmland while making it clear where cities will grow.
"Once Metro adopts urban reserves -- boom -- we know where growth is going to occur," said Jim Johnson, land use and water planning coordinator for the state Agriculture Department.
Under the existing growth management system, soil types define property for land use. The urban and rural reserves allow Metro and the counties to use a new model for designating prime farmland.
Instead of a system based strictly on soil types, the new model that Johnson developed classifies three types of agricultural ground:
"Foundation agricultural land" anchors the state's agricultural industry. It's vital to Oregon's long-term economic health and shouldn't be developed, Johnson argues, unless a special need is identified that can't be met on other land.
"Important agricultural land" is a step down from that. Johnson said such land has the potential to be foundation land but tends not to be used to its full agricultural potential.
"Conflicted agricultural land" may contain fine soil, but its long-term use is questionable because of nearby urbanization or other factors.
The new model takes into account one of the oddities of Oregon agriculture: Vineyards and plant nurseries, among the most successful agricultural operations in the state, flourish on what is considered poor soil.
Designating urban and rural reserves will allow the region to develop in a more thoughtful, efficient and predictable manner, said Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington. Local governments also will be able to take into account natural features and social factors that make for vital communities, she said.
Metro is required to revise its urban growth boundary every five years and to maintain a 20-year supply of buildable land for housing, industry and commerce, Harrington said. "The current system makes it nearly impossible for local communities, farmers and businesses to plan for the long term."
Rules that will govern the process are up for approval by the state Land Conservation and Development Commission this month.
Groups with a stake in the process support the idea but have some reservations about the proposed changes.
Farm organizations argue that designating rural reserves wouldn't help protect agriculture if urban reserves are established on viable farmland.
"Farmers want certainty, but they don't want to achieve certainty while at the same time losing a great deal of important farmland," Johnson said.
Development interests grumble that farmland preservation has an almost unquestioned status in Oregon, meaning it's an issue with no gray areas.
"If all farmland is off-limits, then that's a whole different conversation," said Jon Chandler, an Oregon Homebuilders Association lobbyist. "The best way to preserve farmland is for the farmer not to sell it."
Wilsonville, a fast-growing city bordered by some of the Willamette Valley's best farmland, has taken a keen interest in the issue.
"Whereas the urbanizing interests want flexibility, agriculture wants and needs certainty, and they're kind of in conflict," Mayor Charlotte Lehan said.
The issue requires a leap of faith on both sides, said Danielle Cowan, Wilsonville's government affairs director. "There's still enough dancing around about it that there hasn't been that total meeting of the minds yet."
A key point is that agriculture will continue to play a strong role in the metro area's economy.
"Multnomah County is the largest county in the state in population, the smallest in terms of land area, and it still ranks 14th out of 36 counties," Johnson said. "That tells you how viable agriculture is."
Eric Mortenson; 503-294-7636; ericmortenson@news.oregonian.com For more environment news, go to http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen
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