Older news articles (from 2009) about the reserves process

Read current news articles

• The quest to designate Portland's growth areas sets counties against each other
  (December 27) Metro and its three counties find themselves at a stalemate over what areas to set aside for long-range development, putting an unprecedented attempt to find regional land-use happiness in jeopardy.  …  Nonetheless, no one is able to say for sure how the trouble will shake out, considering the polarized positions.  Clackamas County's commissioners have aligned themselves with farm groups -- including the Washington County Farm Bureau -- and believe Washington County's development plans threaten some of the best farmland in the state. Read more…
• 1000 Friends of Oregon is calling on its pals
  (December 22) With Metro and three Portland-region counties seemingly at a stalemate on designating urban and rural reserves, the conservation group 1000 Friends of Oregon is asking its supporters to lean on the decision-makers.  Metro and Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties are deep in an unprecedented process to designate which areas will be developed and which will be reserved for farms and forests for the next 40 to 50 years.  The process has hit a snag because Washington County wants extensive acreage designated as urban reserves.  Clackamas County objects, saying that would result in too much prime farmland being developed. Read more…
• Metro: Still too much urban land in proposal
  (December 22) The Metro Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve the distribution of an urban and rural reserves proposal map out for public comment.  But the councilors were clearly unhappy with the proposal, as were the majority of the 10 people to testify at Thursday’s hearing.  …  [Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette:] “Last week, I voted to release what I call the Bragdon-Hosticka map because it felt to me like a starting point there was agreement around the region on.  I made it very clear when I voted for that that I wanted to see us move down from that number.”  Instead, she said, the acreage has gone up as the region’s leaders continued to press for a compromise.  She urged citizens to contact their county representatives and voice their opinions. Read more…
• Reserves compromise holds by razor-thin margin at Metro, county
  (December 20) The tenuous urban and rural reserves compromise pitched by two Metro councilors continued to hold this week, after three of five Washington County Commissioners tentatively approved the plan.  Only one county commissioner, Dick Schouten, called for a dramatic reduction in rural reserves acreage.  He asked for the county to scale back its requests for urban reserves north of Hillsboro, north of Cornelius and southeast of Beaverton. Read more…
• Pro-farm councilors rail against new Metro reserve map
  (December 18) The map Metro Council forwarded Thursday, Dec. 17, places nearly 29,000 acres in urban reserves, nearly 10,000 acres more than a more farm-friendly map that previously was rejected.  And it places approximately 12,000 acres of prime farm land -- called foundation ag land -- into urban reserves.  …  "The question in front of agriculture is are we better off under this process or under the old process," [Metro Councilor Rod] Park said.  "Unless people get reasonable in their expectations, I think agriculture would be better off under the old system.  "Under the old hierarchy, some of the lands being considered would not be on that list," Park said. Read more…
• Oregon tech manufacturing fades amid recession, offshoring
  (December 18) No one has built a new semiconductor plant in Oregon in six years, though, and there aren't any on the drawing board.  The chip industry has largely shifted overseas and Oregon has lost a third of all its high-tech manufacturing jobs since the industry's peak early in 2001. Read more…
• Competing visions in urban reserve talks
  (December 17) Many controversial areas are set aside as undesignated areas. These include:  …  Land near North Plains and along West Union north of Highway 26, which a group called Save Helvetia has rallied to designate as rural reserve is left undesignated, with some rural reserves surrounding it. Read more…
• Metro seeks public comments on long-range growth map as disputes persist
  (December 17) Metro officials believe Clackamas County is withholding its approval to force Washington County to reduce its urban reserve acreage.  Officials in both counties acknowledged earlier this week that the planning process could result in a stalemate.  …  Several officials said failure of the reserves process could force the region to revert to deciding on land development solely by soil type.  In that case, large reaches of Washington County may remain zoned for farming because they contain "foundation farmland," the very best soil. Read more…
• Andreas Koenig shares vision for creating efficient and sustainable industrial areas
  (December 17) Andreas Koenig, international consultant for sustainable development in the urban-industrial sector, addressed a full-to-capacity brownbag lunch session at Metro Regional Center on Dec. 16 to share lessons, tools and strategies for the efficient and sustainable use of existing industrial and employment land. Read more…
• Plan to designate Portland area's long-term urban growth areas reaches a stalemate
  (December 16) The Bragdon-Hosticka proposal reflected the position of county commissioners and city leaders in Washington County, who have greater aspirations for growth than others in the region.  But Metro councilors Robert Liberty and Rod Park proposed designating about 18,000 acres for urban reserves, a number much more in line with Clackamas County's view and more palatable to Washington County farming groups and community activists.  By a 4-3 vote, the full Metro Council endorsed the larger acreage. Read more…
• Core 4 hones reserves map
  (December 16) The Core 4 - representatives of the Metro Council and the three counties in the region - met this morning to shape a "best effort" map of proposed urban and rural reserves.  …  The Core 4 discussed several amendments proposed by the Metro Council last week.  While they agreed upon several factors in the Metro proposal, the group also identified areas that warrant further discussion.   See the map   Read more…
• A tale of two land-use views: Tom Brian and Sam Adams
  (December 15) Cherry Amabisca from Save Helvetia was also present and discussed the the ways that Helvetia has become a recreational region of sorts for residents.  It's urbanization, according to Amabisca, would take away a valuable and beautiful resource for locals, not to mention the foundational farmland that grows food for the region. Read more…
• With All Due Respect: Adams Spars Over Sprawl
  (December 15) "I get lobbied by developers to bring land into the urban reserve.  I don’t get lobbied by a lot of farmers to bring land in.  I think that speaks for itself," said Adams last night.  As for his thoughts on the current UGB plan, which keeps the urban growth boundary line firm for now, but adds 29,000 acres of urban reserves regionwide: "We’re a long ways from anything I can support," says Adams.  Too bad it's not up to him— Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen is the local vote on the plan and at last count he "seemed pleased" with the plan. Read more…
• Adams and Brian spar over region's vision
  (December 14) Sam Adams, the mayor of Portland, made it clear that he questions the current push to expand the Urban Growth Boundary, the line that largely determines where homes, stores and industrial plants can be built.  He said his goal for Washington County, where the forum was taking place, was to "preserve farm and forest land before we expand the UGB unnecessarily." Read more…
• Metro councilors pitch growth compromise
  (December 11) The plan would also present a compromise to those seeking to keep Hillsboro’s urban growth from jumping U.S. 26.  It would create an extensive urban reserve east of McKay Creek and south of the Sunset Highway, and add a small urban reserve north of U.S. 26 near the Brookwood Parkway exit.  Half of an area south of West Union Road, between Helvetia and Jackson School roads, would be protected as rural reserves; half would be left undesignated. Read more…
• Yodeler, tearjerker highlight reserves hearing
  (December 11) So a yodeler, a Grand Ronde archaeologist and a 10-year-old farm boy walk into a county commission meeting to talk about land use.  Perhaps surprisingly, the meeting didn’t descend into a circus. Read more…
• Washington County request for "urban reserves" is cut back
  (December 8) Washington County's hopes for "urban reserves" that could accommodate development over the next 50 years have shrunk dramatically since it asked for 34,000 acres in September.  Washington County Chair Tom Brian identified little more than one-third that amount -- 13,000 acres -- on a map he presented at a public hearing this morning, noting that a couple thousand more acres could soon drop off that map. … But according to the latest plan, 5,600 acres in the Helvetia area north of West Union Road have been dropped from urban consideration.  Another 1,200 acres south of that, down to U.S. 26, are still being debated, Brian said. Read more…
• Will citizens really be heard?  Washington County is about to find out.
  (December 3) Gerritt Rosenthall of the Metro Committee for Citizen Involvement says Washington County is not listening to it's citizens.  "350 people showed up to the big meeting (for the RCC).  90 people testified and 75-80% were in favor of greater rural reserves.  But they still voted 11-2 for the big urban reserves." …  And when talking about how the RCC in Washington County made its decision, Rosenthall is unequivocal: "Information isn't the problem. Listening is." Read more…
• Urban reserves: Washington County leaders say far fewer acres may wind up in land bank for future city growth
  (November 27) “As I [Andy Duyck] said from the beginning, I don’t like this process.  It’s very political, it’s more based on emotions, and we wind up making winners and losers.”  So far, the winners seem to be a citizen's group, Save Helvetia, which has worked hard to convince regional leaders that the area north of Highway 26 should be left off of the urbanization plan. Read more…
• Strader: What would happen if reserves were delayed?
  (November 20) Commissioner says she won't vote yes simply because of the time, money spent on urban and rural reserves so far. … "You guys are telling me I've got to vote on this or should be positive about this vote because of the length of the process and the cost of the process?" Strader said.  "They're not saying to me, 'Yes we are getting close to a good, sound public policy.' Read more…
• Battle continues for growth, ag land
  (November 18) Washington County’s plans for urban reserves were scaled back further last week, after county commission chairman Tom Brian gave concessions to land conservation advocates.  Specifically, Brian declared the area north of West Union Road to be “out of discussion” as an urban reserve, a victory for groups like Save Helvetia but a move that will force Hillsboro to rethink its long term planning. Read more…
• Reserves in doubt?
  (November 16) Washington County commissioners informally discussed the region’s proposed urban and rural reserves Tuesday, and showed deep divisions in their feelings about a process that is supposed to conclude within months.  It does not appear a majority of the county commission is ready to adopt the reserves plan as it stands now; there seems to be almost no chance a majority would support the 34,000 acre urban reserve proposed by the county’s staff. Read more…
• Metro council: Protect Helvetia
  (November 12) Metro councilors strongly support preserving land north of U.S. 26 and land north of Council Creek near Cornelius, as rural reserves, protected from development for the next 40 to 50 years. Read more…
• Urban reserves war shifts to Hillsboro battleground
  (November 10) Hillsboro has become a sort of battleground for the designation of urban and rural reserves in the region. … In a report issued in September, Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan called for about 26,000 acres to be included in the region's urban reserves.  Washington County, in contrast, had asked for 34,000 acres in the county alone. Read more…
• Betting the farm: Helvetia family debates creamery investment
  (November 6) …Nobody is, at this point, asking that the Schoch farm be brought into the urban growth boundary.  But Hillsboro's concept plan for the next half century of growth has a big red circle around the Schoch Dairy, representing a "town center" area similar to Orenco in planners' minds.  …  But in a process designed to create certainty, establishing zones in rural areas where growth is to be allowed and other areas where growth will be prohibited, Casey Schoch sees nothing but more questions.  After all, who's to say the political climate, and Hillsboro's zoning aspirations, won't be different as soon as the reserves are designated? Read more…
• Helvetia Culture Fest honors tribes, settlers
  (November 5) Folks from all over the Portland area gathered Oct. 18 for the Helvetia Culture Fest at Pacific Crest Alpaca Farm atop rolling hills between Bethany and North Plains. Read more…
• Nature Makes Us More Caring, Study Says
  (September 30) Paying attention to the natural world not only makes you feel better, it makes you behave better, finds a new study to be published October 1 in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.  … Across all four studies, people exposed to natural elements rated close relationships and community higher than they had previously.  The questionnaire also measured how immersed viewers were in their environments and found that the more deeply engaged subjects were with natural settings, the more they valued community and closeness.  By contrast, the more intensely participants focused on artificial elements, the higher they rated wealth and fame. Read more…
• Hillsboro mayor scolds conservation groups
  (October 17) Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey levied a blistering response against land conservation advocates Wednesday, painting them as blind to the economic concerns of Oregonians as he sought to have land designated for future job growth near his city.  …Afterward, [1000 Friends lawyer Mary Kyle] McCurdy said she was “disappointed that the mayor of Hillsboro chose to make a pretty personal attack,” — and said in his “rant,” he also proved the point about smart industrial growth.  “SolarWorld manufacturing went into an existing building inside the urban growth boundary,” she said.  “That is exactly what we should be doing more of in the future — reusing our existing buildings, infrastructure and land.” Read more…
• Reserves leaders: Some areas are easy to agree upon
  (October 15) [Washington County Commissioner Dick] Schouten said he believes areas subject to further discussion, including controversial tracts north of Highway 26 near Helvetia, north of Council Creek near Forest Grove and Cornelius and east of River Road near Farmington, should either be set aside as rural reserves or left undesignated, meaning they could only be urbanized after all the urban reserves are used up. Read more…
• Forest Grove pares back urban reserves
  (October 8) Forest Grove leaders are reducing the amount of urban reserve lands they’re asking for following a report by Michael Jordan, Metro’s chief operating officer, that argued the region would need only 21,000 acres in reserve. Read more…
• Providing for future SolarWorlds
  (October 6) City planners have said only two 100-acre parcels are currently available in its current industrial zones without having to seek sales agreements from a large number of owners of adjoining lands.  More are needed to attract companies the size of SolarWorld or Genentech. Not necessarily so, said Kathryn Harrington, who represents Hillsboro and District 4 on the Metro Council.  For such large employers, there is always the need to work toward congregating large parcels, she said during a break at SolarWorld's Sunday celebration. Read more…
• Price of growth: $10 billion
  (October 1) In fact, as [Metro COO Michael] Jordan noted, little development has yet to occur on the 20,000 acres that Metro brought into the UGB in recent years.  During the past 10 years, nearly 95 percent of new housing has been built within the original boundary established in 1979.  In his recommendations, Jordan pointed out that approximately 15,000 acres of vacant land remain within the UGB, including 10,000 acres that could be used for employment centers.  Jordan says these lands should be developed before the boundary is expanded, in part because Metro studies show that, in general, upgrading existing infrastructure is less expensive than building new infrastructure. Read more…
• Clackamas County commissioners push Metro and other governments to get specific on reserves
  (September 29) Commissioner Jim Bernard said Clackamas County doesn’t want to wait around for other counties to make official recommendations.  He said he had confidence that Clackamas' approach – holding public hearings and then submitting recommendations based on what they hear – would hold up during the negotiation process. Read more…
• One meeting to go: Reserves steering committee gets ready to make recommendations to Core 4
  (September 26) [1,000 Friends of Oregon staff attorney Mary Kyle] McCurdy said some of the areas she is hoping the committee can quickly agree to are proposals to not allow urban growth north of Council Creek, near Forest Grove and Cornelius, and north of U.S. 26 north of Hillsboro.  That’s exactly what Save Helvetia member Cherry Amabisca is asking for, as well.  She’s not on the steering committee, and doesn’t even have a easy-to-define representative on the board, as she lives in unincorporated Washington County and not in any cities.  “We support the Metro COO’s (Jordan’s) recommendation that agricultural land and natural features north of Highway 26 not be designated as urban reserves,” she said. Read more…
• Don't sacrifice farmland for development dreams
  (September 25) Why would Cornelius want to convert land already in active and profitable production for one industry -- agriculture -- simply to make it available for future speculative development by industries that may never show up and have not expressed any interest thus far in locating in the city? Read more…
• Many Washington County Hearing Attendees Offer Support for Metro Staff Recommendation
  (September 25) [Michael] Jordan, Metro’s chief operating officer, enjoyed popular support Thursday evening as residents of the agriculture-friendly Helvetia area of Washington County voiced overwhelming support Thursday night for Metro staff's 20-year growth plan and its recommendations to leave the area out of the urban growth boundary. Read more…
• Opinion survey gauges public views about growth
  (September 24) There is widespread support for the region’s urban growth boundary, smart growth and protecting the region’s farmland, natural areas and standing forests.  … Residents in Multnomah and Washington counties showed stronger support for the urban growth boundary, higher density growth and alternative modes of transportation than those in Clackamas County. Read more…
• Growing without pushing into the country irks cities on the edge
  (September 19) Designating urban and rural reserves, however, may be a struggle.  It's an attempt to designate which areas will be developed and which will be reserved for farming, forestry and natural areas for the next 40 to 50 years.  Washington County alone has asked for about 34,000 acres of urban reserves, while Metro recommends a range of 15,700 to 29,100 acres for the entire region.  The counties and Metro have to unanimously agree on the designations. Read more…
• Jobs, density, open space: Why reserves matter
  (September 18) At least 1.2 million people are coming to the Portland metro area in the next half century.  Some will be from other states, some from other countries.  Many of them will be your children.  And regional leaders are struggling with the question -- where will they go?  Farmers and other landowners in the Helvetia area have made their preference clear -- inside the current urban growth boundary is fine by them.  They're pushing for denser housing and industry inside existing neighborhoods. Read more…
• Metro suggests areas for future growth
  (September 17) The pastoral Stafford Basin nestled on the edge of Lake Oswego, West Linn and Tualatin should be urbanized in coming years, but the rustic Helvetia area north of Hillsboro should not, says Metro’s chief administrator Michael Jordan. Read more…
• Public Hearings?
  (September 15) But we have to wonder why these meetings are held during working hours.  Every business we've been involved with holds their open houses when people can attend - even more so when they're named public hearings. Read more…
  Note: a Save Helvetia response to this editorial was published on September 22nd.
• Real estate troubles extend to commercial properties
  (September 12) AmberGlen is at the heart of Portland's most troubled market.  Washington County, home to Intel and Tektronix, boomed in the 1990s tech expansion.  Investors popped up squat brick and glass office parks among Washington County's wide, winding boulevards to meet what they thought would be steady demand from tech start-ups and suppliers.  Their hopes faded with as the tech-heavy Nasdaq stock index sank in 2001.  The Sunset Corridor office market hasn't recovered in the eight years since.  Brokers consider an office market healthy if the vacancy rate is below 10 percent.  Between spring 2001 and 2007, the Sunset Corridor's vacancy rate never dipped below 20 percent, according Grubb & Ellis. Read more…
• County sends growth plan to Metro
  (September 11) Washington County leaders approved a proposal for urban and rural reserves Tuesday, sending the map to a regional government which might have less ambitious plans for growth than planning managers in the state's second-most populous county. … Washington County Commission Chairman Tom Brian said the time was right to move the discussion to the regional level.  "Sometimes it's like chewing on a bad piece of meat.  It just keeps getting bigger and tougher," the chairman said.  "I think (the regional level) is where the philosophy and politics moves into the conversation of how people feel, and the cultural aspects, and the farming aspects." … Cherry Amabisca, an organizer with Save Helvetia, called Washington County's approach irresponsible.  "I'm sure that their philosophy is to send as much (land) as they can (to Metro) and hope the trim-back, if any, will be higher than what they wanted in the first place," she said Thursday, shortly after testifying before the Multnomah County Commission about a wildlife corridor that passes through Helvetia.  "Elk don't care about county lines.  We'll be in front of the Metro Council, the Reserves Steering Committee, Multnomah County, continuing to make the case for rural reserves north of the 26." Read more…
• A regional mess that's untangling
  (September 10) [Multnomah County Commissioner Charlotte Lehan]'s a careful listener who can't be bullied.  And it happens that she's the Clackamas rep on the Core Four team destined to decide where the region's urban reserves will go.  Lehan and her board have a 180-degree difference of opinion with [Washington County Commission Chair Tom] Brian on the degree to which urban areas should push into farmland. Brian, supports adding 34,000 acres of urban reserves just in Washington County, a move that would cut farmland there by 20 percent.  In the end, Brian might win this one.  But he's no longer alone at the top.  And that, alone, is a good thing. Read more…
• County group recommends urban, rural areas for next 50 years
  (September 9) Another group, Save Helvetia, has consistently opposed future development of the rural Helvetia area, pushing to keep the area north of Highway 26 as a permanent rural reserve designation.  Recently, 750 signatures were forwarded to the coordinating committee requesting just that.  Commissioner Brian said he understands residents’ concerns with the future of Helvetia, but noted that opponents can take up their concerns with the regional steering committee. Read more…
• Washington County officials recommend designating 34,000 acres for future development
  (September 8) …A Farm Bureau representative and Washington County Commissioner Andy Duyck, who represents rural areas, voted against the recommendations.  …Members of the group Save Helvetia expressed disappointment that their community, north of U.S. 26, was not included in those rural reserves.  Kris Schamp organized a bike ride Saturday to raise awareness.  Now, Schamp said, he hopes leaders outside of Washington County help protect the area.  "We got one more chance at the regional level," he said. Read more…
• The urban growth boundary: Eden vs. sprawl
  (September 3) The only thing more revolting than the development under consideration for the Helvetia area is how utterly avoidable this development is.  Cheaper has it always been to build out than up, and this will probably never change.  In the grand American tradition of manifest destiny we have opted against smart, dense urban growth and chosen instead short-sighted sprawl. Read more…
• Prime farmland continues to vanish
  (September 3) …There are two reasons why preserving farm land is important to Oregon.  1. Farm land inhibits urban sprawl, thus making our state a more pleasant place.  2. We are fools if we do not stem the tide that is taking prime farm land out of production. Read more…
• Region tries to plot next urban areas
  (September 3) Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties are nearing completion of their urban reserves lists…  Now comes the hardest part.  “We have been doing baby steps for the last year and a half or so,” says Mary Kyle McCurdy, policy director for 1000 Friends of Oregon.  “Now we’re getting to where the rubber meets the road.” Read more…
• Three views about growth preview debate ahead
  (September 3) Suburbs like Forest Grove, Tualatin and Tigard, which are clamoring for more regional transit investments in their communities, should be focusing growth inside the urban growth boundary rather than pressing for more urban reserves, [Mary Kyle] McCurdy says.  They’ll need to boost residential density to build demand for light rail and other transit, she says. Read more…
• Urban reserves would ‘dismember’ farm industry
  (September 2) The [Farm Bureau's] report says the county put too much emphasis on irrigation and parcel size when determining what farmland would be a good fit for future development, and that the county misread the state statute enabling Metro — and Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties — to set aside reserves in the first place.  Vanasche and Duyck said the process got off to a bad start when the county’s reserves coordinating committee was packed with elected officials representing Washington County's cities.  “If you look at the other two county committees they don’t look like this one. They’re made up by citizens and not politicians,” Vanasche said. Read more…
• Zoning puts farmers on edge
  (August 28) [Steven Kelley, senior planner for Washington County] said: "The farming community has some options."  Timber land to the west could be used for growing crops, he said.  "They can cut some trees down and plant crops," he said. Read more…
• Reserves debate draws on Oregon’s land-use history
  (August 26) “It’s the never-ending argument between a segment of the agriculture community that thinks we ought to leave things as they are forever,” [Oregonians in Action president Dave] Hunnicutt said, and those looking to develop land for jobs or economic growth. Read more…
• Questions remain after reserves hearing
  (August 25) But Dave Vanasche, a representative from the Washington County Farm Bureau on the coordinating committee, said urban reserve designation is like a death sentence for future agricultural development on the 33,800 acres currently proposed. Read more…
• Save Helvetia e-mail campaign reveals loci of support
  (August 21) At Tuesday's work session of the Hillsboro City Council, Planning Director Pat Ribellia showed how that attention may not always deliver the message intended by organizers: When large numbers repeat the same text, they risk getting lumped together.  …  Elected officials in both Hillsboro and Washington County government had received 184 e-mail testimonies about the urban and rural reserve identification process under way in the Portland metro area, Ribellia said.  Of those, 104 could be identified as stemming from the same source because of phrases used in common. Read more…
  Note: a Save Helvetia response to this editorial was published on September 11th.
• Nearly 100 testify on Washington County growth plan
  (August 21) …rural residents and farmland preservationists dominated the conversation, raising their hands continuously throughout the four-hour hearing to support their cause.  Many came from the Helvetia area north of Hillsboro. Read more…
• Live: Urban reserves hearing
  (August 20) 8:32 p.m.: Edmund Duyck, father of Washington County Commissioner Andy Duyck, is out of time and is cut off by Chairman Brian.  "I asked your son to cut you off," Brian said.  He's asking for his land south of Cornelius to be put in a rural reserve.  "Growing cities just means bigger problems," he says.  "You need to use your city and make better use of it and you don't need our farm." Read more…
    SPECIAL: See video of citizen testimony at the August 20th public hearing.
• Land-use fight brews in Hillsboro: Keep farms or attract high tech?
  (August 19) Washington County's urban reserves could cover 20 percent of the county's farm and forest land.  Jim Johnson, land-use coordinator for the Oregon Department of Agriculture, called that prospect "alarming." Read more…
• North Plains gets mixed bag in draft reserves plan
  (August 18) While the draft map issued by Washington County planners shows a small victory for North Plains -- most of the land immediately surrounding the city won't be set as urban reserves -- the city's mayor is asking for a bona fide buffer of rural reserves between North Plains and Hillsboro. Read more…
• Hillsboro faces push back on Helvetia growth area
  (August 14) Amabisca and others in the Save Helvetia group are asking for a larger rural reserve, and for existing space to be better utilized.  They pointed to vacant lots in north Hillsboro, which they say were taken out of farm use and now are spawning grounds for noxious weeds. Read more…
• Cities consider future boundary options
  (August 13) During the Monday meeting, several county residents testified about the importance of keeping the area north of Highway 26 as a permanent rural reserve designation.  Catherine Keith of Valley Vista Farm said she had collected 121 letters from those who support keeping that area in such pristine condition.  Another Helvetia resident was more pointed in his comments.  John Platt of Helvetia Winery called the citizen involvement process “a sham.” Read more…
    SPECIAL: See video of citizen testimony at the August 10th meeting.
• 34,000 acres proposed for urban reserves in Washington County
  (August 8) The Oregon Business Development Department commissioned a study analyzing the value of land bordering U.S. 26 north of Hillsboro that the city wants earmarked as industrial.  A grassroots group of residents north of U.S. 26, called Save Helvetia, has prepared studies on Oregon White Oak habitats and elk migration corridors in the same areas. Read more…
• County: 33,800 acres for 550,000 people
  Land use advocates upset that areas closest to cities targeted for future growth, not protection
  (August 7) Cherry Amabisca, an organizer with the group Save Helvetia, was also displeased with the draft recommendations.  "The rural reserves were intended to protect lands that are under the threat of urbanization," she said.  "All of that orange (urban reserve area) that you see is right next to the urban growth boundary.  It's the area most vulnerable to urbanization.  "They are, in fact, totally not following the law adjacent to the urban growth boundary." Read more…
• Group wants to save Helvetia's farmland
  (July 15) If Hillsboro has its way, by midcentury the area could be transformed to urban housing and industry.  In response, Save Helvetia, a grass-roots effort to preserve the historic farmland, formed earlier this year. Read more…
• Helvetia residents try to stop urbanization
  (July 14) Hillsboro has requested about 7,000 acres -- an area from the railroad tracks south, between Dairy and Rock creeks -- to be put into an urban reserve, an area targeted for urban growth boundary expansions through the next 40 years.  …  Andy Duyck, a Washington County commissioner who has been a key representative of rural interests on that board, said the problem is the sacrifice Hillsboro will have to make to keep Helvetia rural. Read more…
• Helvetia's residents may face a tough battle in fast-growing Washington County
  (July 6) …Washington County, home to ambitious cities that are willing to jump the urban growth boundary, has tentatively marked parts of Helvetia as fertile ground for development.  Which brought 10-year-old Mason Beinlich jogging to the front of a conference room where the county's Urban and Rural Reserves Coordinating Committee was accepting testimony Monday afternoon. … Washington County is the issue's hothouse.  It is the region's fastest-growing area, its cities have big plans for growth, and its high-tech companies such as Intel give it an economic swagger that its partners lack.  But it also has some of the state's very best farmland, and it perennially ranks among Oregon's top five agricultural counties. Read more…
    SPECIAL: Read our notes and see video of citizen testimony at the July 6th meeting.
• Rural residents fearful of potential annexation of property into Beaverton
  (July 2) …“There is no end to the obliteration,” she said.  “People always seem to have a better idea than you do of what to do with your land.”  … Beaverton and other cities in Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties are working under a mandate from Metro, the elected regional government that focuses on planning, to come up with “local aspirations” for how they plan to make room for growth in the next 20 and 50 years. Read more…
• Reserves designations pushed into 2010
  (May 15) Landowners hoping to see urban and rural reserve designations around the Portland area will have to wait until October to see preliminary maps from the three counties in the study and Metro.  ...  Washington County's massive reserve study area is certainly part of the delay. Many land use advocates have criticized the county for its large study area. Read more…
• Reserves feedback comes mostly from Stafford area
  (May 15) A series of public information meetings last month about the reserve study process drew 606 attendees, more than a third of whom went to a meeting in Wilsonville on April 30.  …  About 60 respondents said Helvetia should be in a rural reserve. Thirty respondents said all areas north of U.S. 26 should be at minimum removed from consideration as urban reserves. Read more…
• Washington County quickly changes flawed population growth analysis
  (May 12) Washington County leaders relied on a flawed analysis this week to justify studying a substantial swath of rural land for future suburban homes and businesses. On Monday, about two dozen elected officials and planners didn't catch fundamental problems in a report suggesting Washington County could reach 1.3 million people by 2060. Read more…
• West Union farmer worries for future if urban reserves implemented
  (March 20) Beinlich and Jacobs are community-supported agriculture farmers, and is two of eight CSA farmers to write a letter last month to regional leaders expressing concern that their farms might be placed in an urban reserve. Read more…