County
Long Range Comprehensive Planning
Land
Use
Parks and Open Space
Local Improvement Districts
Economic
Impact of Growth
Water
Long Range Comprehensive Planning (1973): Support long-range planning as essential for orderly growth.
Long-range comprehensive Planning:
- Defines, with citizen participation, goals and objectives. Identifies desired community characteristics such as: plan area, population density, open space, appearance, accessibility to outside, circulation within, commercial and industrial facilities, conservation, employment, public services, and facilities. Establishes goals for: representative citizen participation, public awareness of planning decisions, and amendment procedure.
- Is based on thorough research, including studies of present and projected factors, such as: natural environment and geological characteristics and conservation needs, environmental impact of alternatives, economic realities, cost-benefit studies of alternative land uses, land use and zoning, population trends, community characteristics, methods of citizen involvement, and plans of other governmental jurisdictions.
- Includes specific plans to carry out the goals and objectives, such as: land use map ( mapping use and density), and plans for circulation (streets, bikeways, greenbelts, walkways, mass transit), water, storm drains, sanitary sewers, parks and open spaces, public buildings, utilities, libraries, fire and police, health, schools, solid waste disposal, environmental protection, conservation (Agriculture, historic, unique, etc.), and citizen involvement.
- Includes means for implementation, such as: zoning ordinances and map (regulating density and impact), subdivision controls, building and housing codes, pollution control program, capital improvement program, close cooperation and coordination among various levels of government, special ordinances (PUD, tree, sign, design review, etc.), and citizen committees, town meetings, neighborhood associations, etc.
- Includes schedule for periodic review: on-going re-evaluation with citizen participation.
Land Use
(1974): We endorse a series of well-publicized hearings through the
county before adoption of the Clackamas County Comprehensive Plan.
We endorse citizen participation both in the development of land use
goals and in communication and evaluation. Citizen participation,
education, communication and on-going re-evaluation are essential
elements in the comprehensive planning process.
We support strict
enforcement of Department of Environmental Quality regulations regarding
subsurface sewage disposal, such regulations being necessary to insure
no pollution of ground waters, or natural or man-made water courses,
will occur as a result of the development of any area of the county.
We strongly support providing for orderly development by limited development
to areas that can provide adequate sewer treatment facilities. We
favor preservation of prime agricultural lands for agricultural use.
Parks and Open
Space (1975): Support provisions for Parks
and Open Space as contained in the Goals and Guidelines of the Clackamas
County Comprehensive Plan.
- High priority
should be given provisions to broaden representation and responsibilities
of the Park Advisory Board. The Park Advisory Board should be broadened
to include the proposed Open Space Committee.
- High priority
should be given to site acquisition.
- Support of
provisions to retain greenways, utilities easements and rights-of-way
along rivers, streams, and lakes.
- Support of
increased use of school facilities and other public land, buildings,
and public works.
- Support preservation
of open space through tax incentives and encouraging gifts of open
space.
- Support of
citizen involvement at all stages of planning for parks and open
space.
Local Improvement
Districts (1977): FORMATION
- The formation process of a Local Improvement District must include
all individuals and groups who will be involved; established residents,
developers, schools, City Council, and the broader community affected.
An attitude of
working together constructively should permeate relationships of City
Council, City staff, and citizens from the inception of the process.
Early notification
and participation are essential:
- Communication
between City staff and property owners should be promoted through
informal meetings.
- Legal notices
in the newspaper should indicate the area not only by legal description
but also by streets involved so that everyone in the City will recognize
the area.
- Public notice
of the proposed project should be given prior to the Resolution
of Intent.
- The first mailed
notification to the property owners should include the proposed
method of assessment and the estimated amount of the owner's assessment.
Before the construction
begins, citizens must be informed of the exact engineering specifications
and final cost estimate. Opportunity for continued citizen participation
should be ensured through a second notification, informal meetings
and public hearings at this time.
The impact statement
as proposed by the City LID Committee should demonstrate the need
for the LID and its effect on the community and the environment. It
must assure that the LID is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
Staff and affected property owners - inside and outside the district
- should prepare the statement jointly.
Remonstrance by
the owners of 51% of the property should be sufficient to defeat an
LID.
BENEFIT - Valid
factors to be weighed in determining benefit are usage, livability
and aesthetics, change in property value, health and safety. Following
careful consideration, true benefit to the property owners within
the districts and to the community at large must be determined for
each LID.
COST ALLOCATION
- those involved in the formation process should determine the method
of assessment jointly. Each LID must be assessed on an individual
basis rather than on the basis of a routine formula.
Land use should
be considered in determining the allocation of costs. Multi-family,
industrial and commercial property should be assessed according to
greater benefit received. For example, in sewer LIDs, multi-family
dwellings should be assessed on the basis of two apartments to one
single-family residence.
Developers should
pay a larger share of the cost in situations where a new subdivision
forces established residents into an LID. One method of accomplishing
this is a Systems Development Fee. Deferred assessments should be
possible for large parcels of land, which the owner chooses not to
develop. In such situations, the community benefits from the preservation
of open space.
Where there is
citywide benefit derived, there should be citywide financing according
to benefits received. Urban services should be financed by tax funds
where justified, because such payments are deductible for income tax
purposes. (Note: This study did not include LIDs in new subdivisions.)
Economic Impact
of Growth (1979): In order to provide the
capital facilities needed to accommodate the expected growth in Clackamas County, local governments require adequate financing.
Support a system of financing that:
- utilizes a
variety of revenue sources;
- is dependable
so that local governments can provide facilities in a planned manner
and avoid critical deficiencies; and
- shares costs
as fairly as possible between new and existing residents.
Developers should provide improvements (such as streets, lighting,
sidewalks, signalization, etc.) serving the immediate neighborhood
of the development. In addition, we support the use of systems development
fees on new development to help finance facilities serving a wider
area. Use of these charges will insure that:
- those who
create the need for new or expanded facilities will pay a reasonable
share of the costs; and
- local governments
will have adequate predictable revenue to provide facilities when
needed.
These charges should be large enough to reflect costs of serving new
development but should take into account contributions made by new
residents through property taxes and user fees and benefits of new
or expanded facilities to existing development. Legislation should
be considered to extend the power to levy systems development fees
to school districts.
Water (2004): The League of Women Voters® of Clackamas County (LWVCC) believes that the availability of high quality drinking water is essential for the health an safety of consumers. It further believes that water policy decisions should be based on the principle that water belongs to the public and should be managed for its benefit. In keeping with this philosophy, the LWVCC supports the following statements:
- The LWVCC feels that Clackamas County municipal drinking water providers should acknowledge that drinking water standards evolve over time and that it is necessary to exceed standards wherever possible in an effort to eliminate undesirable elements from water supplies. The process used by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Oregon Health Division of the Department of Human Resources and by theOregon Water Resources Department provides a sound approach towards ensuring suficient water and high standards for drinking water systems. Processes should be monitored vigorously to guarantee compliance with laws.
- Municipal water providers should maintain possession of sufficient water rights to adequately serve maximum estimated future needs. They should support state efforts to review and improve existing methods of allocating water including unperfected (unsused) municipal water rights, now that water is viewed as a limited resource and the public interest is viewed as an interested party in the allocation process.
- Regional water providers should continue to plan for regional municipal water needs, but the development and operation of water systems should remain under local jurisdiction. Cooperative long-term planning by the metropolitan region's water providers should be encouraged to help assure a continuous, sufficient supply of highest available quality drinking water.
- Clackamas County water providers should actively promote reduction of in-system water wastage, including leaks and unmetered use. They should actively promote conservation by a mix of education, conservation credits, pricing, dual metering systems and other applicable methods.
- Clackamas County water providers should continue to participate in groups like the Clackamas River Basin Council that are trying to maintain and improve the Clackamas watershed and to maintain the high water quality of the Clackamas River. Similarly, where appropriate, water providers should participate in bodies trying to maintain and improve Willamette River water quality and the quality of groundwater. These concerns should include controls to protect watersheds from man-made and natural features that could adversely affect water quality and quantity shuch as excessive timber harvest, agricultural chemical pollution, over-development, polluted urban and industrial run-off, and contamination of underground aquifers.
- Expenditures for short-term capital improvements are necessary to a well-prepared master plan for municipal water.
- Municipal water providers' master plans should be updated on a timely basis. Providers should be encouraged to provide ample, well publicized time for public input.
- The governing bodies of municipal water providers should recognize that treatment and delivery of drinking water involves considerable operating and capital expense. Water rates and Systems Development Charges (SDCs) should reflect costs and should be updated frequently. A sizeable reserve fund is very desirable.
- The LWVCC supports Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) as a cost-effective, low-visibility environmentally safe means of storing treated water where it is technically feasible. Before increasing the capability to store surface water by creating reservoirs or increasing dam heights, the LWVCC supports careful examination of regional needs, relative costs, environmental impact and the concerns of surrounding propery owners, with attention paid to maintaining due process and to obtaining maximum public input.
- The LWVCC supports the provisionj for a minimum one-day back-up water supply, or more if so recommended by the state. It supports the development of substantial emergency water supply sources from outside the normal intake area, particularly for those with intakes on the Clackamas River.
- The LWVCC does not support increasing sales of water outside of the Clackamas Basin other than the historic sales to west Clackamas County rights holders.
West County
Growth and
Infill (1991, 1992): In order to insure
a balance between growth and existing neighborhood character, the
League of Women Voters supports development standards that increase
present setback requirements, reduce present building heights, set
limits on floor area in relation to lot size, and limit amount of
impervious surfaces. In addition, the city should establish standards
for neighborhood compatibility to balance what is allowed by code
and what exists in the area.
Background: Consensus on Growth and Infill in Lake Oswego and West
Linn - The 1990-91 local study focused on growth issues that are within
cities' control. Members identified major concerns as visual impacts,
traffic, noise, provision of services (roads, sewers, etc) and focused
on infill (flag lots, minor partitions) on land zoned for, and developed
as, single family in Lake Oswego's and West Linn's established neighborhoods.
Development requirements for Planned Unit Developments were not studied.
(See III-4.)
The consensus on "Neighborhood Compatibility" applies to
small areas in established neighborhoods where existing development
is less intense than codes allow. Approval of new homes should require
balance between development allowed by codes (maximum heights and
lot coverage, minimum setbacks) and the existing heights, lot cover
and setbacks of adjacent or nearby development.
Stafford Area
(1993): The League of Women Voters of Clackamas County supports the
Stafford Area remaining outside the Urban Growth Boundary. Because
of the costs of providing services to the area and the topography,
the area should remain rural in nature with growth to occur as currently
planned by the County. Restrictions should be placed on conditional
uses to guard against their negative impacts.
The following
factors should be considered when development is allowed: water availability,
waste disposal, surface water management, transportation, air quality,
geological hazards and soil stability, the preservation of open spaces
and natural area, schools, costs and who pays, and the interest of
current residents in the area.
Planning should
be done for the area as a whole, and it should be coordinated among
the jurisdictions involved.
Tree Ordinance
(2001): The League of Women Voters of Clackamas County supports
tree ordinances and/or tree preservation for West Clackamas County
and municipalities to protect trees on all public land, rights-of-way,
and undeveloped and developed property. The League supports a definition
of a tree as it is defined by either the West Linn or Lake Oswego
tree ordinance, as of March 2001.
To cut a tree,
a permit should be required. Specific criteria should be applied to
grant a permit. These criteria include, but are not limited to:
- disease or
significant structural damage;
- demonstrable
danger or damage to structures, people or vehicles;
- building requirements
or clear design reasons where there is no viable alternative;
- environmental
impact;
- aesthetic
and property value impact on neighborhood;
- mitigation,
and
- solar access.
The League of
Women Voters supports community forestry programs that include an
appeals process with professional arborists. An appeals board should
evaluate contested permits. The appeals board should receive a regular
report of tree cutting permits.
Persons cutting
trees without a permit should be subject to fines and required to
replant.
The League of
Women Voters supports methods of tree preservation, including, but
not limited to:
- re-evaluating
and updating identified tree inventories at regular intervals through
citizen and staff participation;
- giving protection
to identified groves of trees;
- educating
the public about the tree ordinance through multifaceted education
programs;
- protecting
trees during construction;
- developing
street tree plans; and
- maintaining
a heritage tree program.
The local government
should exercise control over utility line rights-of-way in determining
removal and trimming of trees.
Note: This position excludes any treed land that is managed for
commercial harvest.
Cities
Parks
and Recreation
Planned Unit Development
Comprehensive Plan—West Linn
Local Improvement Districts - Lake Oswego
East End Redevelopment
Comprehensive Plan
Lake Oswego Water System
Parks and Recreation
- Lake Oswego (1967): Support of a City parks and recreation program
which includes:
- Continuous
long-range planning and cooperation with other governmental units,
preferable through an appointed Parks and Recreation Board.
- Acquisition
and development of parklands in anticipation of future population
growth and including community parks and neighborhood parks adjacent
to schools.
- A swimming
pool on a site that will provide adequate parking and maximum school
use. It need not be Olympic-size but should provide facilities for
racing, diving, wading, etc.
Planned Unit
Development - Lake Oswego (1970): A planned
unit development usually involves a large area that could not otherwise
be efficiently developed as an integrated whole. It provides flexibility
necessary to conserve natural land features, provides aesthetic public
and private open spaces, and encourages creative development otherwise
not allowed by standard zoning requirements.
Support of the
planned unit development concept in general, since it can preserve
open spaces, and can also provide aesthetically pleasing architectural
variety.
- A PUD ordinance
should place a specific limit on density.
- A projection
of school population should be included in the final plan.
- Accommodation
of additional school population in the community without undue burden
on the taxpayers is a vital consideration.
- Homeowner's
Association should be required upon acceptance of final development
plan.
- Streets and
off-street parking should be considered carefully in the planning
stage. Parking should not be considered "open space."
- Descriptions
of all structure types should be included in the PUD ordinance and
the building code.
- Open space
in the PUD should be adequate not only to serve needs of residents
but should fit into the overall plan which relates to the open space
of the entire community. Existing property deserves compatible surroundings.
The Lake Oswego
PUD Ordinance, because it is an important concept in city planning,
should be subject to frequent review and amendment by both the governing
officials and the citizenry.
Implementation
and enforcement of this PUD Ordinance needs improvement both in the
letter and spirit of the ordinance at both preliminary and construction
stages.
Comprehensive Plan—West Linn Support of the West Linn Comprehensive Plan because it meets the League's criteria for effective planning. Active citizen participation at public meetings is needed to insure and further its implementation, with particular concern for traffic patterns.
East End Redevelopment
- Lake Oswego (1981): Support the revitalization of Lake Oswego's
east end business district. Strongly support city action to acquire
the lakefront promenade property as soon as possible. The League also
favors the prospect of street beautification with innovative methods
to finance and implement the project. Support and encourage other
projects in the redevelopment plan that do not involve public financing
and that will increase tax revenue to the City.
Comprehensive
Plan - Lake Oswego (1987): Support of the
Lake Oswego Comprehensive Plan because it meets the League's criteria
for effective long-range comprehensive planning as listed in the 1973
position on Planning and Zoning.
Lake Oswego
Water System (1992): The League of Women
Voters of Clackamas County believes that the availability of high-quality
drinking water is essential for the health and safety of Lake Oswego
citizens. It further believes that water-policy decisions should be
based on the principle that water belongs to the public and should
be managed for its benefit. In keeping with this philosophy, the League
of Women Voters of Clackamas County supports the following statements:
- The process
used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in accordance with
the Safe Drinking Water Act and by the Oregon Health Division of
the Department of Human Resources provides a sound approach toward
ensuring high standards for drinking water systems. This process
should be monitored vigorously to guarantee compliance with the
law. In addition, the Lake Oswego Water System should continue to
go beyond the law in its efforts to eliminate undesirable elements
from the city's water supply.
- The policy
of selling surplus water generates income and should be continued;
however, regular reviews of rate structures should be conducted
to assure fair pricing.
- The Lake Oswego
Water System should maintain sole possession of its water rights
and continue to provide water to other water districts in a customer
relationship.
- The Metropolitan
Service District (METRO) has legislative authority over water. As
yet, this authority has not been assumed. METRO should be responsible
for regional water planning in cooperation with the region's purveyors
but the development and operation of water systems should remain
under the control of local jurisdictions.
- Cooperative
long-term planning by the region's water purveyors is necessary
to assure continued high quality and a sufficient quantity of drinking
water in the future. The Lake Oswego Water System should participate
in the development of a regional plan for the delivery of drinking
water.
- The Lake Oswego
Water System should actively participate in conservation programs
that include incentives to reduce water consumption and waste.
- The Lake Oswego
Water System should participate in the coordination of management
plans of groups striving to maintain and improve the Clackamas Watershed.
These plans should include controls to protect the watershed from
man-made and natural features that could adversely affect water
quality and quantity, such as excessive timber harvest, over development
and pollution.
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County
Health
(1974): There is a need for cooperation, coordination and positive
planning in health care services at all levels. Improvement in community
health services should come from physicians, hospitals, public funding
agencies, volunteer groups, the media, schools and all levels of government.
Child Care
(1979): Support quality childcare, which is available to everyone,
regardless of financial need.
Training and technical
assistance for childcare should be available through a community-based
agency. Childcare should be certified and should receive reasonable
pay.
Funding for childcare
should be broadly based and include support from users; federal, state,
regional and county governmental agencies; and private sources. State
and federal subsidies should be based solely on financial need. There
should be tax incentives to businesses and other groups to encourage
further funding of childcare.
Support the formation
of cooperative associations for childcare, and the involvement of
business and industry in assisting their employees in obtaining adequate
childcare.
Public Health
Facilities in Clackamas County with Special Emphasis on Care for the
Indigent (1985): The League of Women Voters believe that all people
should have access to health care, with those able to pay assuming
responsibility for their own health care and those unable to pay covered
by a mix of private and government funding. There should be some fee
for each service provided by the county, but no one should be turned
away because of inability to pay.
Basic health care
should include preventative care and should target the young first,
including immunizations, dental care and nutritional education for
mothers of young children, prenatal care and delivery assistance where
necessary, family planning, communicable diseases control, nursing
homes and home health care, and mental health programs, including
drug and alcohol abuse.
All levels of
government and the private sector should share in bearing the cost
of medical care. Cost containment, preventative care and services
for the medically indigent should be the top priorities in Clackamas
County health care.
All people have
a responsibility to educate themselves and their families on basic
health practices. Basic health practices should be addressed by schools
at all levels, newspapers, magazines, radio and TV media, and county
health departments. Healthful nutrition should be stressed.
Cities
Youth Activities
and Facilities for Lake Oswego and West Linn (1986): Support for
the following:
- Unstructured
social activities, especially on weekend evenings, among secondary
school-age students. This would supplement the wide variety of organized
cultural and sports activities provided by schools, communities,
churches and private organizations.
- The entire
community should share the responsibility for youth activities.
This includes schools, youth, parents, local government, churches,
businesses and other community organizations.
- Additional
and/or improved facilities, such as playing fields, multi-purpose
gym facilities, and a youth activities center in both communities.
Also, there is need for a new library and public pool in West Linn.
In order to finance the above, possible public and private funding
sources could include taxes, system development fees, a user fee,
or a combination of fees.
- The concept
of a multi-purpose facility to fulfill the needs of the youth of
the area. To maintain interest of our youth in our community, there
is a need for interesting and attractive activities and facilities.
Furthermore, to insure a successful facility, responsible supervision,
social and dance areas, games and a sports area are needed. The
facility could be managed financially and staffed by a city recreation
department using community resources and volunteers.
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Clackamas Community
College (1974): We continue a supportive position on the need
for a tax base for Clackamas Community College.
Communication
and Citizen Involvement in Clackamas County School Districts (1978): Good communication between schools
and the community is essential. Avenues of communication need to be
well known, understood and convenient.
Written communication
should be sent regularly to all members of the school district. This
communication should present trends and issues for discussion prior
to the decisions and should provide channels for citizen input. Notification and agenda of all meetings should be published in local
newspapers. A publication should be available which explains the organization
of the school district, how it relates to the community and defined
process for citizen input.
The decision-making
process should include all citizens who are interested. A citizen
involvement process should be developed that is open, well publicized
and clearly defined. This process must enable citizens to have impact
in decision-making at all levels.
To seek citizen
involvement, well-publicized application procedures should be used
and advisory committees that are broad-based with geographical representation
should be chosen. These committees should include teachers, students,
parents and non-parents. Two-way communication between the committees
and the school representatives should involve a recommendation and
response procedure.
Building level
communities, comprised of a broad representation of an attendance
area, need to be organized to involve citizens in basic decisions.
Communication
between schools and local government units is essential in decision-making
regarding areas of mutual concern, such as land use decisions affecting
school population and shared use of facilities. Both elected representatives
and staff members of the school district and local government units
should be involved in this process.
Cities
Elementary School Utilization - Lake Oswego
Secondary School Utilization
- Lake Oswego
Elementary
School Utilization - Lake Oswego (1983):
Subscribe to the continued level of high quality education in the
Lake Oswego School District. Recognize need of Lake Oswego School
District to reduce expenditures due to economic climate and enrollment
trends. Support careful scrutiny of all factors relating to elementary
school utilization. A number of options must be considered jointly
- rental of available space is most desirable as it has least impact
on school and its functions. Implementation of user fees for selected
programs, elementary school closure, staff cuts, and program cuts
all deserves close attention when determining budget reductions. Student-teacher
ratio should be considered last, if at all, as a cost cutting measure.
The School Board
needs to formulate a policy addressing enrollment trends. The policy
should include an annual assessment and analysis of enrollment and
facilities, past, present and projected, effective public involvement
in school planning, and ongoing interaction between the schools and
city government.
If a decision
to close an elementary school is made, then specific criteria should
be applied in determining which one. These criteria should include
closure impact on the students, parents, and neighborhood; financial
considerations; and adequacy of building and grounds.
Secondary School
Utilization - Lake Oswego
(1984): Support the following:
- Changing the
current configuration (K-6, 7-8, 9-12) to K-5, 6-8, 9-12, in order
to provide a more appropriate and effective education for those
students in grades 6 through 8. The purpose of the reorganization
should be to provide the students with a better transition between
elementary and high school.
To help these
students cope with the many changes characteristic of this age,
schools should allow for a closer relationship with one teacher
or a small group of teachers. This could be achieved through a
variety of methods - a strong advisor-advisee program, block scheduling
and inter-disciplinary team teaching, for example.
Due to a high
level of intellectual curiosity, a varied and wide-ranging program
best serves the 6-8th grade student. A program that addresses
this need should include continued skill development, which allows
for remedial attention and greater depth of exploration when necessary,
and a broad range of short-term electives.
To ensure
a successful transition to high school, a strongly defined study
skills unit is necessary in the curriculum with reinforcement
throughout the three years.
- Continuing
the current district policies to maintain equality of education
opportunity at both district high schools. To this end, encourage
open enrollment in the direction of the school with the lower enrollment.
Subsidization of staffing when necessary should be considered. The
possibility of extra financial aid for the smaller school should
also be considered when equality of program is threatened. The present
pooling of students and resources, when a program is threatened
by low enrollment or high costs, should be continued and expanded
as appropriate.
Due to disruptive
nature of boundary changes, they must be given careful consideration.
When such changes are made, they must create an effect, which
would not necessitate frequent revision.
Closure of
a high school is not considered a viable solution unless enrollments
were declining drastically below current projections. Restructuring
of the current high school configuration, creating a Freshman/Sophomore
facility and a Junior/Senior facility is not seen as an applicable
solution. Both of these solutions would disrupt the strong sentiment,
which exists in the community for the two area high schools.
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