July 11, 2009 To
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From: [email protected] To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Kathryn Harrington Cc: [email protected]; Reserves; Laura Dawson-Bodner; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Reserves testimony Date: Sunday, July 12, 2009 7:52:08 PM July 11, 2009 To: Washington County Reserves Coordinating Committee Reserves Steering Committee Tom Brian Charlotte Lehan Jeff Cogen Kathryn Harrington Cc: Metro Council Washington County Board of Commissioners Laura Dawson-Bodner, Metro Dave VanAsche, Washington County Farm Bureau Mike Dahlstrom, Program Educator, Washington County Patt Opdyke, CCI To the Reserves Steering Committee and other interested parties: I am writing with regard to the Metro and Tri-County Urban and Rural Reserves process. I am concerned about the farm lands and natural resources north of Highway 26. The area includes the historic community of Helvetia, with highly-productive farm land and other agricultural resources that should be preserved. The healthy headwater streams and wildlife habitat around Forest Park should also be protected. My mother and her eight siblings were born in Helvetia. My parents met and married there and my oldest sister was baptized there. I love coming back here to visit, the crisp air and tranquility drawing me back time after time. If the pastoral atmosphere of Helvetia were to disappear, my family would not see any reason to ccntinue our visits to Oregon. Please designate all study areas north of Highway 26 in Washington and Multnomah Counties as RURAL RESERVES. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Deanne Fresenborg LaBarr 203 Peak Drive Brooksville, Florida 34601 [email protected] From: [email protected] To: [email protected]; Reserves; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Kathryn Harrington Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Reserves testimony Date: Monday, July 13, 2009 5:29:58 PM July 13, 2009 To: Washington County Reserves Coordinating Committee Reserves Steering Committee Tom Brian Charlotte Lehan Jeff Cogen Kathryn Harrington Cc: Metro Council Washington County Board of Commissioners Dave VanAsche, Washington County Farm Bureau Mike Dahlstrom, Program Educator, Washington County Patt Opdyke, CCI To the Reserves Steering Committee and other interested parties: I am writing with regard to the Metro and Tri-County Urban and Rural Reserves process. I am concerned about the farm lands and natural resources north of Highway 26. The area includes the historic community of Helvetia, with highly-productive farm land and other agricultural resources that should be preserved. The healthy headwater streams and wildlife habitat around Forest Park should also be protected. This scenic area provides many recreational opportunities and a welcome respite from nearby city life. The many small farms in the area enhance consumers' connection to local food. My mother has lived in this area for over 20years and as a Portland, OR native I can certainly appreciate the beauty this area offers. Our family just recently visited my Mother in Helvetia about 3 weeks ago. My 5&6 year old children has the best time playing on "grandma's farm". This is such a beautiful area and places like this are increasingly more difficult to find these days and it would be a shame if the urban growth boundaries changed, which would significantly impact the natural landscape as well as all of the families who depend on this land for farming, etc in order to support their families. Urbanization of the Helvetia area would severely impact local farms' ability to continue operating, because they rely on infrastructure that would deteriorate as areas are lost to development. Development around Forest Park would harm the wildlife corridor between the park and the Coast Range. Popular recreational bicycling routes would be lost, and quality of life would be diminished. Any projected population growth should be accommodated by requiring infill and more efficient use of existing urban and industrial areas served with effective transit. Roads to support new urban areas should be paid for by developers, not subsidized by existing taxpayers. Please designate all study areas north of Highway 26 in Washington and Multnomah Counties as RURAL RESERVES. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Wyatt Blackburn Wyatt Blackburn 7911 Roble Place Carlsbad, California 92009 [email protected] From: [email protected] To: [email protected]; Reserves; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Kathryn Harrington Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Reserves testimony Date: Monday, July 13, 2009 10:47:20 PM July 13, 2009 To: Washington County Reserves Coordinating Committee Reserves Steering Committee Tom Brian Charlotte Lehan Jeff Cogen Kathryn Harrington Cc: Metro Council Washington County Board of Commissioners Dave VanAsche, Washington County Farm Bureau Mike Dahlstrom, Program Educator, Washington County Patt Opdyke, CCI To the Reserves Steering Committee and other interested parties: I am writing with regard to the Metro and Tri-County Urban and Rural Reserves process. I am concerned about the farm lands and natural resources north of Highway 26. The area includes the historic community of Helvetia, with highly-productive farm land and other agricultural resources that should be preserved. The healthy headwater streams and wildlife habitat around Forest Park should also be protected. This scenic area provides many recreational opportunities and a welcome respite from nearby city life. The many small farms in the area enhance consumers' connection to local food. The headwater streams in the Tualatin Mountains provide clean, cool water for the Tualatin Basin, and the wildlife habitat around Forest Park supports elk and other wildlife close to urban areas. The green southwest face of these mountains, together with Helvetia's farmlands, provide a valued view from the valley and Highway 26. Urbanization of the Helvetia area would severely impact local farms' ability to continue operating, because they rely on infrastructure that would deteriorate as areas are lost to development. Development around Forest Park would harm the wildlife corridor between the park and the Coast Range. Popular recreational bicycling routes would be lost, and quality of life would be diminished. Any projected population growth should be accommodated by requiring infill and more efficient use of existing urban and industrial areas served with effective transit. Roads to support new urban areas should be paid for by developers, not subsidized by existing taxpayers. Please designate all study areas north of Highway 26 in Washington and Multnomah Counties as RURAL RESERVES. Thank you for your attention to this matter. shelley riggs 17769 se marie portland, Oregon 97236 [email protected] From: [email protected] To: [email protected]; Reserves; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Kathryn Harrington Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Reserves testimony Date: Monday, July 13, 2009 10:48:06 PM July 13, 2009 To: Washington County Reserves Coordinating Committee Reserves Steering Committee Tom Brian Charlotte Lehan Jeff Cogen Kathryn Harrington Cc: Metro Council Washington County Board of Commissioners Dave VanAsche, Washington County Farm Bureau Mike Dahlstrom, Program Educator, Washington County Patt Opdyke, CCI To the Reserves Steering Committee and other interested parties: I am writing with regard to the Metro and Tri-County Urban and Rural Reserves process. I live with my family on a 5 acre farm in Helvetia. I moved to Portland in 1996, from New York City. I have lived on the farm with my husband and three children since 2000. I feel blessed to be part of a farming community. I have emotional and rational reasons for wanting to preserve Helvetia as rural. Emotional -- it is breathtakingly beautiful and feeds my soul on a daily basis as I tend my farm, run along country roads, look forward to new foals and baby llamas in the spring, and take heart at the seasonal (hard) work our local farmers do...work that follows a calendar passed down for generations. As a business person, I suspect that having rural areas such as Helvetia and Sauvie Island, so near to downtown Portland is a boon to tourism and part of what makes Portland so desirable as a destination to raise a family. Urbanization of Helvetia would sorely compromise a magical part of living in Portland. This seems highly misguided at a time when the Pacific Northwest -- and Portland, in particular -- are lauded worldwide for blending progressive design, creativity and innovation with a return to a closer relationship with the environment and the land. Urbanization of the Helvetia area would severely impact local farms' ability to continue operating, because they rely on infrastructure that would deteriorate as areas are lost to development. Development around Forest Park would harm the wildlife corridor between the park and the Coast Range. Popular recreational bicycling routes would be lost, and quality of life would be diminished. Any projected population growth should be accommodated by requiring infill and more efficient use of existing urban and industrial areas served with effective transit. Roads to support new urban areas should be paid for by developers, not subsidized by existing taxpayers. Please designate all study areas north of Highway 26 in Washington and Multnomah Counties as RURAL RESERVES.