Health Options Digest: May 8, 2005

The Risk of Flooding?
    We've received questions and comments about the risk of flooding at the RiverBend site, especially since David Rodriguez decided to drop his appeal to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). Some said the tone of our last editorial was too dismissive of Mr. Rodriguez's concerns. We agree.
    Indeed, we were disappointed in the recent Springfield News editorial "Rodriguez is likely wrong; we'd better pray that he is." Surely The Springfield News wasn't saying it is good public policy to make important decisions lacking adequate information and then pray the decision was right.
    For the record, CHOICES has concerns about flooding in the RiverBend area. Statewide Planning Goal 7 is "to protect people and property from natural hazards." In late 2003 we raised Goal 7 issues with LUBA. LUBA rejected our arguments. In brief, LUBA argued that since the area near the McKenzie River was already planned for housing and since those plans were already deemed to have addressed flooding issues, planning a hospital near the river was reasonable. Moreover, LUBA ruled that any development at the RiverBend site will be subject to Springfield's existing standards for development in the floodplain and that such standards provide adequate protection. For the full ruling, see http://luba.state.or.us/pdf/2004/jan04/03072.htm
    But different experts assess the risks of flooding differently, and experts are sometimes wrong. While the City of Springfield may have no legal obligation to do so, it has a moral obligation to ensure that public safety facilities such as hospitals are themselves safe. It would be good for the City of Springfield to make sure that concerns with the risk of flooding, if any, are unfounded so that people won't have to pray that they are.
    As Milt Cunningham recently wrote in The Springfield News, it wasn't so long ago that many areas would be underwater during flooding.
    Over the next 100 years during which a new hospital is planned to be in operation, it is difficult to predict how the local climate might change as a result of global warming: more rain or less?

Week In Review
    Just when we thought the hospital wars might be winding down, settlement talks between PeaceHealth and Cascade Health Solutions, which owns 20 percent of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, broke down. At issue is how much PeaceHealth must pay for its anti-trust violations.
    Dr. Todd Huffman, a local pediatrician, writes about the sad state of health care in America -- and what might be done about it.
    Meanwhile, 613,000 Oregonians -- almost 1 in 5 -- lack health insurance.
    And Springfield Fire and Life Safety is running in the red, which would be fine for fire trucks but not for budgetary ink.
    Also under funded are jail services, whether at Lane County or at the new Springfield jail that is planned for construction.
    The State of Oregon has started to make decisions on Measure 37 claims filed with the state.
    Meanwhile, Lane County will be considering its first two claims on Wednesday.
    Lastly, a pair of editorials in the Daytona Beach News-Journal compare Florida's experiences with Oregon's. Guess who they think has done a better job protecting the natural bounty of the two states?

Looking Ahead
    On Monday, the Springfield City Council will discuss updating TransPlan, the transportation plan for the Eugene-Springfield area.
    Also on Monday, there will be a public forum to discuss River Road/Santa Clara annexation issues.
    On Tuesday, downtown Springfield will celebrate is past and future.
    On Wednesday, Lane County will hold a public hearing on road projects and on its first two Measure 37 claims.
    On Thursday, the Metropolitan Policy Committee will discuss various transportation issues. MPC is facing an appeal to LUBA on their recent approval of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).

Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org

Calendar

Monday, May 9 -- Springfield City Council
    Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield, 726-3700
    6:00 pm, Work Session, Jesse Maine Room
    * Transportation Growth Management (TGM) Grant for Edits to TransPlan.

Monday, May 9 -- Weighing in on annexation

By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard

May 8, 2005

    A public forum Monday evening will explore how the city of Eugene should approach the touchy subject of annexation in the River Road and Santa Clara areas.
    Speakers will discuss the best ways for the areas to become part of Eugene without losing their character, said Rob Handy, chairman of the River Road Community Organization. "People in Santa Clara and River Road want their voices heard and implemented in city of Eugene policy decisions and project designs," he said. "These residents are passionate and intelligent people who love these neighborhoods and our semirural roots. We don't want to end up looking like any new cookie-cutter neighborhood in Eugene. And we want equity and fairness with services for our tax dollars."
    The meeting, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., will be at River Road/El Camino del Rio Elementary School, 120 W. Hilliard Lane.
    Speakers include Jerry Ritter, of Oregon Communities for a Voice in Annexation; Jim Rapp, River Road/Santa Clara Transition Team; State Rep. Robert Ackerman, D-Eug.; and Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson.

Tuesday, May 10 -- Tuesday event celebrates Springfield history

The Springfield News

May 6, 2005

    Next Tuesday -- May 10 -- downtown Springfield will take a day and celebrate its past history and future potential.
    The event is called "Main Street Stories," and it's going on all over the downtown core area, featuring historic photographs, events and demonstrations, open houses -- and, of course, storytelling.
    Here's the schedule: (more...)

Tuesday, May 10 -- Talks, tours, tortillas highlight Main Stories

By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard

May 7, 2005

    SPRINGFIELD -- Pack up your memories and head downtown on Tuesday to take part in Main Stories, an event designed to bring people to the city center and get them talking about Springfield's past.
    Well, about the present and future, too, according to event organizer Hanalei Rozen.
    "There are many stories hidden within the walls of our downtown buildings and streetscapes, held within the memories of those who have previously lived, worked and visited downtown, as well as those who populate it now," Rozen says.
    The all-day event will feature tortilla making and art demonstrations, a vintage wedding dress fashion show, discussions with City Manager Mike Kelly on the future of Springfield and guided tours of the Mill Race and the Wildish Theater building.
    Here are a few of the scheduled events: (more...)

Wednesday, May 11 -- Lane County: Public Hearing on Road Projects

By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard

April 29, 2005

    Lane County residents can comment on the county's five-year capital improvement program at a public hearing at 1:30 p.m. May 11 in the Commissioners' Conference Room, Public Service Building, 125 E. Eighth Ave., Eugene.
    The program covers road and bridge rehabilitation or reconstruction, new road and bridge construction, and safety improvements such as the installation of traffic signals or the realignment of intersections.
    Written comments must be received by May 11, and should be sent to Mike Pattle, CIP coordinator, Lane County Public Works Department, 3040 N. Delta Highway, Eugene, OR 97408.
    After the public hearing, the commissioners will review and adopt the program. For more information, call Pattle at 682-6949.

Wednesday, May 11 -- Lane County Board of Commissioners
    Public Service Bldg., 125 East 8th Ave., Eugene, 682-4203
    1:30 pm, Public Hearing, Commissioners' Conference Room
    a. In the Matter of Adopting the Public Works Five-Year Capital Improvement Program FY 05/06-FY 09/10.
    b. In the Matter of Considering a Ballot Measure 37 Claim and Deciding Whether to Modify, Remove or Not Apply Restrictive Land Use Regulations in Lieu of Providing Just Compensation (PA05-5161, Ronald and Patricia Tendick).
    c. In the Matter of Considering a Ballot Measure 37 Claim and Deciding Whether to Modify, Remove or Not Apply Restrictive Land Use Regulations in Lieu of Providing Just Compensation (PA05-5162, Kenny and Marta Gee).

Thursday, May 12 -- Metropolitan Policy Committee
    11:30 am, LCOG Offices, 4th Floor Large Conference Room, Wells Fargo Building, 99 E. Broadway, Eugene, Contact: Tom Schwetz, 682-4044
    a. Presentation from Congressman DeFazio's Office on Reauthorization
    of the Federal Transportation Bill.
    b. Amendments to Transportation Planning Committee (TPC) Bylaws.
    c. Allocation of Surface Transportation Program Urban (STP-U) Funds.
    d. Oregon MPO Consortium Meeting.
    e. Amendments to FY2005-2007 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP).
    f. Regional Project Coordination Matrix.
    g. I-105 Preservation Project Update.
    h. Report from Citizens Advisory Committee.
    i. MTIP Administrative Amendment.
    j. LUBA Notice of Intent to Appeal MPC Adoption of 2025 RTP.

Saturday, June 25 -- McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center: 50th Birthday Party

McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center

    10 am to 2 pm
    Everyone is invited to celebrate 50 years of extraordinary care with McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.
    Join us for hospital tours, prize drawings, birthday cake, free health screenings and more. See our latest technology and remodeled spaces. Learn about new services. Take a walk down memory lane with McKenzie-Willamette. Meet employees and volunteers who have provided "extraordinary care" to our community for the past five decades. Help us make our big FIVE-0 a party worth remembering!

Opportunities

Commissioners have an opening on health panel

The Register-Guard

April 17, 2005

    The Lane County Board of Commissioners seeks applicants for the health advisory committee, which makes recommendations on matters of public health, planning, policy development, control measures, funding, public education and advocacy.
    The term is four years. The deadline to apply is May 27. Applications are available in the Board of Commissioners' Office, Public Service Building, 125 E. Eighth Ave., Eugene. To request an application by mail, call 682-4207.
    For more information, call 682-4035.

PeaceHealth

Hospitals' settlement talks fail

By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard

May 6, 2005

    After settlement talks broke down, a federal judge has ordered PeaceHealth to pay a $16.2 million jury award to the minority owner of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center for violating antitrust law.
    PeaceHealth plans to appeal the judgment to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, its corporate counsel said Thursday.
    The award is owed to Cascade Health Solutions, a Eugene nonprofit that owns 20 percent of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. (more...)

Editorial -- Rodriguez is likely wrong; we'd better pray that he is

The Springfield News

May 4, 2005

    Saying it's not worth the headache that lies ahead, local activist David Rodriguez has dropped his plans to appeal PeaceHealth's plan to locate its new hospital at RiverBend.
    This is great news for Springfield's business community, and for PeaceHealth, which can now get on with business.
    At least, we really hope it is. (more...)

McKenzie-Willamette/Triad

Letter -- EWEB land poor site for hospital

By Brian Robinson, M.D., Eugene
The Register-Guard

May 4, 2005

    I am opposed to locating Triad's McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in a prime riverfront location at the Eugene Water & Electric Board site for several reasons. I think EWEB's property has been undervalued. A combination of commercial and public development of this river property would preserve access by Eugene's citizens to the river and the area.
    I am baffled why the Eugene City Council is bending over backward to accommodate Triad Hospitals Inc., a for-profit hospital corporation headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The other Triad Hospital in Oregon, Willamette Valley Medical Center, is one of the most expensive hospitals in Oregon, according to www.orpricepoint .org, and provides no trauma services and a minimum of charity care (0.11 percent of total charges) and uncompensated care (4.7 percent of total charges). This is in contrast to Sacred Heart Medical Center, which has a mission to take care of indigent patients and provide trauma and other essential services.
    The CEO of Triad, James D. Shelton, received $9.43 million in total compensation last year. There is no guarantee that Triad Hospitals will decrease health care costs in this community. The least-expensive hospital in the state is Salem General Hospital, which enjoys a virtual monopoly in Salem.
    A second viable hospital in Eugene may be needed, but not at the EWEB site and not at the expense of the citizens of Eugene.

Letter -- McKenzie-Willamette fills need

By Dennis J. Gory, M.D., Eugene
The Register-Guard

May 7, 2005

    I am pleased to endorse McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center's plans to build a new hospital facility in Eugene.
    In my opinion, locating at the Eugene Water & Electric Board site is ideal. It will have a definite positive impact on the downtown area economically as well as visually.
    The EWEB location also provides a geographic balance to Sacred Heart's RiverBend site in North Springfield. I believe quick access to hospitals on both sides of the river is paramount, and having McKenzie-Willamette in downtown Eugene will accomplish this.
    Additionally, I am impressed by the new services at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, most notably the development of a full cardiac support unit.
    Having this fine hospital located in Eugene will enhance our community and provide a full range of medical services to all its patients.
    We need a first-rate, full service hospital in Eugene, and I believe McKenzie-Willamette will fill that need.

Health Care

Todd Huffman -- Health system in crisis; we pay too much, get too little

By Todd Huffman
The Springfield News

May 4, 2005

    Despite exceeding all other industrialized nations in total health care spending, American do not have broad access to care. Well over forty million Americans, nearly ten million of them children, remain uninsured, and the numbers are steadily rising.
    Millions more are struggling to pay premiums that are growing much faster than wages, while seeing their benefits shrink. For many workers, whose incomes are barely too great to qualify for Medicaid, insurance is becoming a luxury sacrificed to pay for housing, food, and transportation.
    While some Americans have access to the best medical care and the most sophisticated diagnostic tools in the world, others are left to overcrowded and expensive emergency rooms, free clinics, or no health care at all. Health problems are left to fester untreated until crisis or catastrophe, and the expensive medical care that results is often then passed on to the rest of society.
    Besides being morally wrong, as each year passes this health care crisis is costing our nation more dearly. Total health expenditures are absorbing a steadily greater share of GDP. Health care spending by government is soaring. And as our population rapidly ages over the coming decades, at the same time as our ratio of workers to retirees steadily shrinks, the rising costs of public program obligations, already burdensome, will be unsustainable.
    The growing disparity in our health care system violates America's deep, long-standing commitment to fairness for all citizens. That a nation as rich as ours cannot guarantee access to quality and affordable health care for all of its citizens is one of the great moral crimes of our times. That a nation with the highest health spending among industrialized nations lags behind in life expectancy and leads in potential years of life lost, in addition to having one of the developed world's worst infant mortality rates, in inexcusable. We can and must do better.
    Thankfully, comprehensive change does not require dismantling our health system. It requires political courage and popular momentum. It requires tough choices and shared sacrifices, to balance the competing goals of sustainable costs, broad access, and good quality. It requires incremental implementation in order to minimize disruptions and facilitate political consensus. (more...)

More Oregonians without insurance

By Niki Sullivan
The Associated Press

May 3, 2005

SALEM -- Amid a shrinking Oregon Health Plan, Congress' cuts in Medicaid funding and high unemployment, the number of Oregonians who lack health insurance has risen to 613,000, according to a study released Monday.
Health care activists said at a news conference that the result is a "crisis" in which many uninsured adults cannot afford preventative care or prescription drugs, and end up seeking care in hospital emergency rooms. (more...)

FireMed push is under way: Firefighters turn out to urge participation

By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News

May 4, 2005

    They came out in droves carrying a simple message -- FireMed can save money and help save lives.
    Since last Wednesday, Springfield Fire and Life Safety personnel have been taking to the streets in fire engines and ambulances to distribute 20,000 information on FireMed, the dangers of wildfire and a neutral flier on utility tax measure 20-104.
    Jean Lum, FireMed's program coordinator, said the group hopes that door-to-door visits will increase knowledge of the importance of personal safety and the benefits of being prepared for an emergency. (more...)

Ambulances running in the red

By Stacy D. Stumbo
The Springfield News

May 6, 2005

    A budgetary crisis is threatening to take the "service" out of emergency services in Springfield.
    Springfield Fire and Life Safety has delivered emergency medical services for 24 years. Its EMS crews provide life-saving medical aid and transport within the city and surrounding areas, including parts of Linn County off Highway 126. Its ambulances cover an area of about 2,000 square miles, with a population of approximately 88,250 potential patients.
    But after years of surpluses in the EMS fund, losses are occurring -- and are expected to continue.
    A study by consulting firm Fitch & Associates suggests that unless greater funding becomes available, EMS will have to modify its staffing, reallocate funds or be eliminated entirely. (more...)

Nearby Developments

Editorial -- We need a jail, to close county's revolving door

The Springfield News

May 4, 2005

    On page 7A of today's paper is an article that illustrates perfectly the reason The Springfield News -- ordinarily a rather fiscally conservative outfit -- has endorsed the city's utility tax. Two men were arrested for drugs and theft, and $10,000 worth of stolen property was seized from their home.
    Both were "matrixed" out of jail within six hours.
    Put very plainly, if we continue to rely on Lane County to take care of our hooligans for us, we'll continue dealing with insane levels of petty crime on our streets, plus possibly another murder or two, in the years to come. It will make us miserable, it will tarnish our reputation as a nice place to live and it will drive away the business activity that is now giving our economy such a boost.
    We need a jail. We need a jail. We need a jail! (more...)

Officials visit Utah

By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard

May 7, 2005

    A delegation of Springfield city officials and business leaders in April headed to look at a new convention center that opened last year in Layton, Utah -- and liked what they saw.
    "Layton is about the size of Springfield," said Springfield Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dan Egan, who made the trip. "They have a new area in town that looks a lot like our Gateway area."
    Springfield has been without its own conference center since the Clarion hotel was demolished last year to make way for a Best Buy store.
    Nine people, including city councilors Dave Ralston and Joe Pishioneri, visited Layton and its 43,000-square-foot conference center. They learned, said Egan, that "you have to do what is possible and sustainable."
    "You've got to work with the money you can get," he said. "That was an important thing. Maybe you'd like to build a $40 million facility, but if you have $23 million, that's what you build."
    Egan hinted that Springfield might have its own new conference center sooner rather than later. "I would be disappointed if I didn't tell you we could have a site picked and have a team ready by the end of this year," he said.

Cruise line plans royal treatment

By Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard

May 5, 2005

    SPRINGFIELD -- The steel frame for Royal Caribbean's $60 million call center should go up later this month, giving travelers along Interstate 5 a glimpse of things to come.
    The 165,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in mid-December -- a bit behind schedule. And soon, 50 to 75 construction workers will be on the site every day, said Tom Murrill, Royal Caribbean chief human resources officer.
    While the facility is under construction, Royal Caribbean also is building something less visible: its local work force. (more...)

Royal Caribbean Recruiting

By Cathryn Stephens, stephens@kval.com
KVAL

May 5, 2005

SPRINGFIELD -- Royal Caribbean executives are cruising through Eugene/ Springfield this week. Their number one priority is finding a director for the call center being built in Springfield. (more...)

Editorial -- The Zen of zones: Enterprise zones no magic bullet for job growth

The Register-Guard

May 2, 2005

The Eugene City Council is wrestling with the nitty gritty of reviving an enterprise zone in west Eugene as a way to stimulate job creation and economic growth. So far, councilors with significantly different ideas about how best to configure an enterprise zone have done an impressive job of compromising in order to keep the city's application to the state on track.
Compromise benefits any deliberative body, but it's particularly vital when dealing with something as amorphous as the quest to create the ideal enterprise zone. There may, in fact, be no such beast. (more...)

Eugene Development

By Dana Rebik, rebik@kval.com
KVAL

May 6, 2005

    EUGENE -- When it comes to housing, you may have heard of the term "nodal" development.
    Now Eugene city officials are revamping that idea, with a new name and a new vision. Planners are using the term "mixed use" development, where people live, work and shop in the same part of town.
    City officials have their eye on developing several areas, but particularly the vicinity of Williams Bakery next to the University of Oregon campus where the new basketball arena is expected to be built.
    On Friday, key players took a tour of Eugene to get a wider perspectives well. (more...)

Mayor Piercy to attend neighborhood meeting

By Meghann M. Cuniff, Senior News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald

May 5, 2005

Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy is a featured guest at tonight's West University Neighbors meeting and will discuss her ideas to improve neighborhood relations and answer questions about city issues.
The 7 p.m. meeting is at the Central Presbyterian Church on the corner of 15th Avenue and Patterson Street. (more...)

Mayor discusses development plans
Kitty Piercy spoke at a neighborhood meeting, addressing plans for the University's arena project and the riverfront hospital

By Meghann M. Cuniff, Senior News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald

May 6, 2005

Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy defended Thursday night her decision to miss the upcoming Mayors' Prayer Breakfast and pledged to work with the University administration to start a community dialogue about the plans for a new basketball arena during her first appearance at a West University Neighbors meeting since last year's mayoral election.
Piercy announced Tuesday that she would not be attending the annual breakfast and said at the meeting the main reason behind the decision is the need for the separation of church and state. (more...)

Gravel miner's expansion plan provokes outcry

By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard

May 5, 2005

Sand and gravel giant Wildish Land Co. wants to expand gravel mining near the fragile confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, a move that concerns some neighbors, farmers, river users, land use activists and others. (more...)

Country Coach expansion proposal debated

By Karen McCowan
The Register-Guard

May 4, 2005

JUNCTION CITY -- A half-dozen neighbors of the Country Coach manufacturing plant here expressed concerns Tuesday night about the company's rezoning and urban growth boundary expansion request.
Their comments -- focusing mainly on traffic, parking, drainage and air pollution issues -- were part of a joint public hearing before the Lane County and Junction City planning commissions. (more...)

Other News

Milt Cunningham -- Remembering Springfield the way it was, years ago

By Milt Cunningham
The Springfield News

May 6, 2005

    The annual Springfield Profile last week got my nostalgia compost pile to rumbling.
    Remember how heavy the traffic used to be on Mohawk Boulevard on exceptionally busy days like the last Friday afternoon before Christmas? The only lane was bumper-to-bumper for two blocks, sometimes farther! When I see the way it is now, often both lanes each way bumper-to-bumper from the overpass to Centennial, maybe even to the park, I often remember those days -- and I'm not even a native.
    I remember the pre-dam floods. Our house in the Mohawk area was on an island -- drive several blocks any direction, and you went through hub-deep water. I once saw a rowboat tied to a house at Main and 21st.
    Glenwood got it worse. In fact, seasonal water was so dependable, some buildings were built on berms a couple of feet high. Most of them are gone now, but I believe the big yellow two-story on the north side of Franklin is built up a little. It used to be a grocery with an apartment upstairs. Several layers of asphalt around it have reduced its height. (more...)

Global Warming

KEZI

    See: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
    Unless you've been hibernating for a long time, you know about global warming. While the debate on the subject continues to be heated, as with most stories, there are two sides to this one.
    Some 20 years ago, we calculated when we would start seeing the effects of global warming, and it's this decade. 2000 to 2010
    Whether it's a paltry snowpack in the Cascades, or a change in the polar ice caps, Coakley says: get used to it.
    It's getting harder to ignore these things- like the icebergs breaking off in antarctica. These things are going to be more frequent now. (more...)

Measure 37

County to confront Measure 37 test

By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard

May 6, 2005

    When voters passed Oregon's property compensation law in November, many landowners frustrated by the state's long-standing land use restriction system hoped relief was on the way.
    But the succinct text of Measure 37 -- coming in at just under 1,000 words -- has created more questions than answers for the many state and local officials trying to implement the new law.
    With no legal precedent and no clarification from the Legislature, jurisdictions statewide are taking different approaches to enforcing the measure.
    Lane County's interpretation of Measure 37 will be put to the test next week when the Board of Commissioners will consider claims filed by two Creswell-area landowners. They're the first claims to reach an elected body in the county. (more...)

Not all claims pass state agency's review

The Register-Guard

May 6, 2005

SALEM -- State officials rolled out preliminary decisions on four Measure 37 claims Thursday, effectively denying two and giving the other pair tepid approval.
The draft reports prepared by the state Department of Land Conservation and Development suggest the property compensation law voters approved last year may not be the panacea landowners wanted. (more...)

Four land rulings; a mess to go
Oregon officials respond to the first of hundreds of Measure 37 claims, approving two of four, but the issue is far from settled

By Laura Oppenheimer
The Oregonian

May 6, 2005

    SALEM -- Developing property under Measure 37 won't be as easy as filing a claim and hiring a builder, if the state's initial rulings are any indication.
    Responses made public Thursday to four property owners reflect widespread misunderstandings about Oregon's new property rights law and the high level of scrutiny by the state's Department of Land Conservation and Development.
    State officials denied two property owners' requests to split their land and approved two others with hefty strings attached. There's a 10-day response period, but after that landowners have to look to the courts for any appeal.
    This first batch of decisions will become a mere blip as state agencies, counties and cities evaluate more than 1,000 claims already filed statewide, with the number swelling daily.
    But they foretell the growing number of disputes that may ripple across Oregon when property owners get denied -- or plan -- for construction. (more...)

Land-use claims yield varying results
Agency leader says 370 cases have been referred to his office

By Peter Wong
The (Salem) Statesman Journal

May 7, 2005

    Judging by the state's initial decisions about its initial claims under a new property-rights law, landowners won't find a rubber stamp.
    Of the four responses unveiled by the state Department of Land Conservation and Development, two claims were denied and two were allowed, although additional conditions will require counties to review details of development.
    None of the four claims was in the Mid-Willamette Valley.
    Lane Shetterly, the director of the state land-use agency, said that hundreds more from throughout Oregon are under review. Nearly all of the 370 claims filed with the state under Measure 37 have been referred to his 17-person agency. (more...)

Washington County grants four Measure 37 waivers
Commissioners, facing 164 more claims, clear four landowners to subdivide their properties

By Richard Colby
The Oregonian

May 4, 2005

HILLSBORO -- The first four property owners considered for waivers from Washington County land-use restrictions Tuesday quickly received what they wanted from county commissioners.
With Commissioner Roy Rogers absent, the other four commissioners held brief hearings and unanimously approved each waiver application under Ballot Measure 37, passed by Oregon voters in November. (more...)

County OKs Measure 37 Claim

By Peter Rice
The Curry Coastal Pilot

May 7, 2005

At a hearing Thursday, the Curry County Board of Commissioners moved to sign off on the first of what could be many Measure 37 claims. (more...)

Editorial -- Growth lessons from Portland
Regional pacts key to city's success

The Daytona Beach News-Journal

May 1, 2005

    Oregon and east-central Florida have much in common -- acres of lush, enticing green spaces outside metropolitan zones. The difference, though, is that Florida depends heavily upon the strength of local governments to preserve farmlands and forests while Oregon has the advantage of stronger state laws.
    State regulations and a history of regional cooperation make the Portland metropolitan area an example of successful growth control that has limited sprawl and nurtured a vibrant downtown. While known for its use of urban growth boundaries, the Portland area's growth-management plan is much more comprehensive -- it includes conservation -- and is based on years of public support.
    Regrettably, Portland's advantage was dealt a blow last November when Oregon voters passed a statutory initiative that allows property owners to seek claims from local governments when they believe land-use laws have devalued their land holdings. (See photo caption at right and story on 4B.) Court challenges are in play over "Measure 37," but however it plays out, it is less likely to change Portland than the state's smaller cities, where local governments are more susceptible to development pressures. (more...)

Kay Semion -- Far from perfect, it's a city growing with green in sight

By Kay Semion
The Daytona Beach News-Journal

May 1, 2005

Is Portland the growth-savvy city where leaders got it right while folks in other communities were still scratching their heads? Or is it a place occupied by anti-growth nuts forcing people to live in condos and ride buses? My six-day stay there in mid-April confirmed for me that, while imperfect, Portland is light years ahead of most cities in growth management. (more...)