Send a letter: Allow Local Communities to Determine Their Rate of Growth

Background

Local communities should have the right to determine their own rate of growth and the power to stop growing. The 20-year land supply law is one policy that prevents communities from controlling their growth. Oregon's 20-year land supply rule, ORS 197.296, requires cities, counties, and metropolitan service districts to maintain a sufficient supply of buildable lands to accommodate estimated housing needs for 20 years.

Sometimes called the "mandatory growth rule," this law often results in cities growing faster than they might otherwise.  When a small town experiences a sudden surge in population (for example, due to completion of a significant housing development), the short-term but high rate of growth is often used as the basis for projecting artificially high growth rates well into the future.

The resulting large expansion of the city's UGB paves the way for even more development, and the growth cycle continues.

Allowing a state land supply rule to dictate local growth is contrary to the ability of local citizens to have a voice in how much their town grows, or if it should grow at all. Although AGO is focusing its efforts on SDC legislation in the current Legislative Session, we have been working with Oregon Communities for a Voice in Annexations to repeal ORS 197.296 and hope to introduce legislation in the 2005 Legislative Session to give local communities the right to choose. In the meantime, letters to the editor of local papers and to influential leaders help educate the public and build momentum for the next round of legislation.

Sample Letter

Select the text of the letter in the shaded area below, then copy and paste it into your email. Add a personal touch by inserting your own sentences or statements after you've pasted it into your email!

 

Editor XYZ Local Paper           Town, Oregon Dear Editor: I am writing to share thoughts on allowing communities to determine their own rate of growth. Under the current land use planning system, all jurisdictions must grow, irrespective of local wishes. Many communities would say no if they could. For those who wish to grow, Oregon is better off without growing everywhere. As with most things, it's about balance. A city or county should have the ability to adopt indefinite moratoria on new development or to specify a maximum rate of acceptable growth to protect the public health, welfare, and livability of its community. This would allow local governments to enforce a moratorium-if they so chose-by limiting building permits, new hook-ups to sewer and water, and the extension of city services to areas not currently served. Research shows that residential development usually aggravates city budget problems. Typically the system development charges collected from the developer and the taxes collected from the new residents don't even come close to offsetting the costs of the new services that such development requires. An attempt to "build our way out" of our current budget woes will only exacerbate the problem. Many people do not even want to see their community grow any larger. A 1999 poll conducted by the University of Oregon Survey Research Laboratory found that 95% of Oregonians say Oregon's current population is just right or too big already. Oregonians have witnessed increasing traffic congestion, over-crowding of schools, declining government service levels, crumbling roads and bridges, and higher taxes. Please consider sharing this information with our readers, as it's an idea that will give our community a choice in whether or not to grow. Thank you. Sincerely, - Type your name and address here -