On April 12, the Metro Council voted unanimously to approve a Revised Land Use Final Order for the Columbia River Crossing project. This approval is needed to move the project forward within the realm of Oregon land use law.
The focus of the Council hearing was to consider revising the 2011 Land Use Final Order (LUFO) for the Expo Center/Hayden Island segment of the South/North Light Rail Project, on remand from the Land Use Board of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court. This amendment removed the portion of the LUFO, originally adopted on Aug. 11, 2011, that is outside the urban growth boundary. This 2012 LUFO represents the fifth time the Metro Council has amended the original 1996 LUFO. The Council’s vote on the LUFO came after oral testimony from two people and written testimony from one person, all opposed to the project.
Why go through the LUFO process?
When a light rail project, such as the South/North Light Rail Project (which the Columbia River Crossing is part of), crosses multiple cities, counties, interstate highways, and involves the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro and TriMet, it could mean that it would also need to go through just as many land use reviews and potentially appeals to the project. In order to streamline this process, House Bill 3478, passed in 1996, created the LUFO process. This gave the Metro Council sole responsibility of adopting the land use rules along light rail corridors. HB 3478 also instructed the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission to write the criteria for the Metro Council to use in deciding whether to approve the LUFO.
The LUFO process protects public investment in light rail projects, ensuring a timely public process. HB 3478 also ensures that residents, or others affected by the LUFO decisions, have the opportunity to participate in the process and decision-making.
Contact:
Andy Cotugno
503-797-1763
[email protected]