Creating a Legacy-Oregon's Land Use System

"Oregon's statewide population has grown dramatically in the past 30 years from roughly 2.5 to 3.5 million.  Our population is expected to grow by an additional 1.7 million new Oregonians in the next 30 years."  - The Big Look Task Force Sept. 2008 

Oregon is the only state to have a land use and planning system reviewed and mandated at the state level.   

   Tom McCall, a Central Oregonian native and State of Oregon Governor from 1967-1975, believed that part of the legacy we as Oregonians could leave to our children and our children's children was stewardship of the land and its resources.  McCall was dismayed by what he perceived to be the ongoing misuse of public and privately held lands and wanted to set forth Oregon as the environmental model for the nation.  To that end, McCall became the founding father of Oregon's Land Use and Planning system which was enacted into law in 1973 under Senate Bill 100.

The Goals & Successes of Land Use Planning

1. Manages growth through a consistent and predictable process
2. Limits sprawl
3. Preserve farm and forest lands
4. Maintain rural landscapes while keeping cities urban
5. Support the agriculture and timber industries
6. Build Healthy livable cities

     ...And The Hurdles

1. Providing new housing & jobs while maintaining Oregon's high quality of life
2. Addressing farm and forest lands that do not provide an economic benefit; reexamine how they are designated and potentially allow for alternate uses
3. Addressing the implementation of environmental protections where they have been lax in the past.
4. Researching and developing methods to pay for infrastructure and growth.
5. Understanding the effects of carbon emissions on our climate and the challenges that may create.

If you are currently living in Oregon get invovled! go to www.oregonbiglook.org They have several great videos to help you understand the specific concerns and challenges Oregonians face as well as research documents, an on line survey-Statewide Public Opinion Survey and a schedule of Town Hall meetings and upcoming events.

If you are thinking of moving to Oregon, this is an excellent opportunity to learn about our state and Oregon manages her lands to prevent urban sprawl and ovely rapid development, this is one of the reasons' our housing market may recover sooner than most!

The Big Look -Watch the film and get involved!

NOTE: Cat Zwicker-Grant, P.C., a licensed Oregon Real Estate Broker and Desert Sky Real Estate, LLC, are not affiliated with the Big Look Task Force in any way other than personal interest and involvement in land use issues in the state of Oregon.