Study: 518,000 Acres of Proposed
Development Would Set 20-Year Record for Loss of Farm Land
Sauvie Island—Farmers from counties throughout the lower
Willamette Valley, including leadership of the state Farm Bureau and several county
farm bureaus, gathered today at a farm here to tell Oregonians why they hope voters
will pass Measure 49 on November 6. The farm community is deeply concerned
about the unlimited development of subdivisions and strip malls on lands that
Measure 37 allows on lands previously dedicated to agriculture.
“Subdivisions on farm land create two problems,” said Barry
Bushue, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation, “We lose the prime crop
land that is the foundation of Oregon
agriculture, and new non-farm dwellings can take up water supplies and lead to
other potential conflicts that make it harder to farm.”
Bushue also pointed to a study authored by the nonprofit
Environment Oregon at the request of the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation. The
study compared the 518,128 acres of subdivisions and other development that
have been proposed on Oregon agricultural lands under Measure 37 to Oregon’s
pattern of farmland loss over the last twenty years as documented by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture.
The study found that the land proposed for Measure 37
development is more than three times the 165,000 acres of farm land Oregon
loses in an average five-year period and is 40% greater than the maximum amount
Oregon lost in any one five-year period. The study also found that subdivision
proposals make up 70% of the Measure 37 development claims on farm lands.
“Our farm is our livelihood,” said Lyneal Vandermolen, a
farmer from Clackamas County,”
but developers are proposing 88 subdivisions within 10 miles of our farm. I
don’t know how we’ll stay in business.”
Larger subdivision development can create the greatest
conflict with nearby farming operations as dozens of new neighbors strain
groundwater resources that are limited in many parts of the state. In addition,
new residents often fail to realize that farming operations involve noise and
dust, often at odd hours. Once they realize it, complaints and even lawsuits
can ensue.
Measure 37 was a 2004 property rights measure that required
government to pay landowners to follow land-use planning rules or waive the
rules if government could not pay. Under the measure, more than 7,500
applications have been filed to waive development restrictions. The claims are
for land totally 800,000 acres that is otherwise dedicated for farm and forest
use.
Measure 49 is a proposal on the November ballot that would
limit large development under measure 37. It specifically protects farm lands
by creating a “fast track” path for landowners interested in smaller
developments of three homes or less that are unlikely to cause significant
problems for neighboring farmers. Landowners seeking more than 3 houses would
have to document that land-use rules have reduced property value in order to
build up to 10 houses. On high-value farm and forest lands, only 3 houses would
be allowed. Commercial and industrial development would not be allowed outside
of areas planned for those uses.
“Measure 49 is a reasonable and balanced fix for Measure
37,” said Bushue. “The Farm Bureau supports it because it will help us keep our
family farms in business.”
