Deschutes County Town Hall

Mar 4

This Saturday, March 6 at 11 a.m. Register here.

Rep. Jason Kropf and Commissioner Phil Chang are holding a virtual town hall this weekend to discuss county and state issues. This is a strategic opportunity to engage our elected officials on important community concerns. We want to encourage this group to ask questions and raise our priority issues.

Don’t forget to sign up, as registration is required. Spanish language interpretation will be available during the event.

Our priority issues

Rural Sprawl

This is one of our biggest concerns right now for Central Oregon. We are seeing many bills circulating in the State Capitol that promote increasing development on our rural lands. While we support housing within cities and towns, increasing density in rural areas creates the “sagebrush subdivisions” that Oregon’s statewide land use system was designed to prevent. Increasing development in rural areas will threaten farms and forests while overburdening infrastructure – roads, utilities, public services, and schools – that is already stretched thin.

Learn more about our position on Rural ADUs and read our recent testimony opposing SB 391, a bill that would allow for more sprawling development in rural areas.

Example question: Deschutes County is a poster child for rural land fragmentation and residential sprawl that has resulted from exceptions to land use policies. What are your ideas for strengthening protections for our precious rural farmland, wildlife habitat, forests, and open space?

Wildfire

The likelihood of wildfire throughout our region makes sprawling rural development extremely dangerous. We know that land use planning, which limits development in forests, is the most effective way to mitigate wildfire risk. Land use planning that limits dispersed rural development and promotes infill development inside urban growth boundaries (UGBs) is one of the most effective tools to prevent loss from wildfire.

Learn more about our position on wildfire and land use.

Example question: We know that much of the future wildfire risk our state faces is projected to happen east of the Cascade range. With wildfire risk in our backyards, how do you plan to protect future housing communities from wildfires, especially in high-fire risk areas outside of urban growth boundaries?

Urban Growth

We know preventing sprawl and protecting wildlife and waterways means that we have to promote more compact housing within cities and towns. These spaces already have the infrastructure and Urban Growth Boundaries to plan for things like growth and wildfire.

Learn more about our position on affordable housing in cities and towns.

Example question: We know channeling growth so the region can preserve its wildlife resources and still accommodate housing demands is a complicated task. Urban Growth Boundaries are one of our most important tools to limit sprawl. What strategies are you championing to increase affordable housing within cities and towns?

Climate change

We are proud of Oregon’s commitment to lowering carbon emissions and proactively planning for climate change. We are concerned that developing rural lands runs counter to our climate goals. First, Oregon’s forests sequester a tremendous amount of carbon, meaning one of the best things we can do to mitigate climate change is to leave those trees standing and not remove them for development. Second, we know that a climate-resilient future means we need to lower our reliance on long-distance car commutes.

Example question: Housing sprawl is a major contributor to greenhouse emissions in the United States. For instance, in California, the proportion of carbon emissions from transportation is above 40 percent. What are your plans to encourage development that decreases carbon emissions?

Let’s keep the conversation going.

If you have a chance to bring a question to the table during Saturday’s town hall, let us know how it went. These conversations are essential as LandWatch continues to monitor county and statewide policies to chart a course toward a vibrant future for Central Oregon.

If you don’t have a chance to attend the town hall, consider reaching out directly to Representative Jason Kropf or Commissioner Phil Chang. They want to hear from you! The more we raise these issues, the more we can bring widespread attention and enact real and sustained change.