Approximately 350 people attended the final two reserves open houses in Sherwood and Wilsonville this week with more than 70 people signed up to testify at each of the Metro Council hearings that followed. Several people commented that this was their first time testifying before a government body but came because this issue was so important to them. Despite the often long wait to testify pushing both hearings past 10 p.m., many expressed appreciation to the Metro Council for its willingness to hold hearings around the region and listen to public comment. A number of participants complimented Metro and county staff on producing materials that were understandable and informative to the discussion.
That's where the agreement ended. Discussion at the Sherwood hearing focused heavily on Washington County areas including Hillsboro and Helvetia. Testimony at Wilsonville primarily centered around Clackamas County areas including the Stafford basin, French Prairie and areas north of Canby. Testimony represented a range of views with common themes of protection of foundation farmland, importance of economic development and cost of infrastructure to develop new areas.
Most of the Stafford area residents testified in favor of rural or "undesignated" status for the Stafford basin area. Jay Miner, a representative of the Stafford hamlet, argued that the net developable land in the area would be less than 1,000 of the 3,900 acres proposed and that the topography posed significant constraints to development. Representatives of the city councils of West Linn and Lake Oswego agreed that neither entity could afford the infrastructure costs to provide urban services to the Stafford area.
Every hearing included testimony from local farmers about the natural resource and economic value of farmland. Peter McDonald, a Clackamas County filbert and tree farmer, asserted that rural reserve designation will give farmers "the certainty we need to make the necessary investments and infrastructure to keep our farms going." Dave Van Ashe, a Washington County farmer, claimed that farmers take care of their land, repurposing and reinvesting in it. He asked cities to use their land wisely as well.
The notion of "complete communities" was mentioned often, referring to the importance of planning and implementing communities where people can live and have access to employment. A representative of the Tualatin Chamber of Commerce commented that "it's intuitive that people want to live and work in their community" and praised the inclusive process by which Tualatin developed the vision for its future.
The public comment period ends at 5 p.m. today. Comments will be compiled and presented at the next meeting of the Core 4 (the elected representatives from Metro and Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties) on Feb. 8. The four government bodies are expected to come to a joint final agreement by late February.