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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Division Update MEMORANDUM DATE: February 18, 2014 TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Nick Lelack, Community Development Director Peter Gutowsky, Principal Planner MEETING: February 24, 2014 RE: Planning Division Work Plan Update / City of Bend Airport Plan & TGM Requests The purpose of this work session is to:  Seek direction on initiating an agricultural lands program;  Recap the Planning Division’s existing projects and ongoing coordination responsibilities;  Discuss other projects; and  Seek direction on a City of Bend request for: o Twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to supplement a Transportation Growth Management (TGM) Grant analyzing the longer term impacts of the Oregon State University-Cascades campus and other potential land use changes occurring in the west side of Bend. Deschutes County is one of four agencies exploring additional TGM costs. I. Agricultural Lands Program The Planning Division has developed a public outreach strategy to understand community, stakeholder, and landowner opinions about Deschutes County farm designations and land use regulations. By relying upon a series of meetings, public forums, and conversations with Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) zoned property owners, this program can help determine if the County needs to change its agricultural zoning at the local and/or state level. Staff anticipates public outreach taking approximately 3 to 4 months (April-June). Staff will then present the results to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and Planning Commission in mid to late-summer 2014, and seek direction on next steps, if any. II. Planning Division Existing Projects Table 1 summarizes Planning Division projects, several of which will extend at a minimum through the first half of FY 2014-2015. -2- Table 1 - Planning Division’s Existing Projects Project Description Agricultural Lands Please see the discussion above. City of Bend Airport Master Plan Coordinating with the City on a process to adopt: 1) the Bend Airport Master Plan into the Deschutes County Comprehensive Plan; 2) a zone change to realign airport zoning boundaries if an Exception to Goal 3 Agriculture is proposed); and 3) a text amendment for Deschutes County Code (DCC) 18.76, Airport Development Zone. Status: 6-12 months Deschutes County Bicycle Guide Updating the County’s 10-year old bicycle guide in coordination with Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, as called for in the Transportation System Plan. Interactive mapping software recently purchased by the Information Department will allow users to peruse th e map online in approximately two months. Status: 2 months Destination Resort Tracking Preparing a table/matrix to monitor resort requirements, in coordination with Goal 8 Destination Resort representatives. Status: 1.5 months Domestic Livestock Keeping domestic livestock on small acreage has been identified as a use that can have detrimental impacts on livability and groundwater quality. On February 13, the Planning Commission convened a panel of experts to discuss best management practices, pro perty owner responsibilities and enforcement options. On February 27, the Planning Commission will consider making a recommendation to the BOCC on next steps, if any, to address this issue. Status: TBD Harper Bridge Coordinating with the Sunriver Owners Association (SROA) and Oregon Marine Board (OMB) on a boat ramp concept(s) on the Deschutes River at/near Harper Bridge. County, SROA, and OMB staff will meet on February 19 to discuss design concepts for a boat ramp. The goal is to submit a boat ramp design concept for the OMB’s 2015 grant cycle. Status: 12-18 months Historic Preservation / CLG Grant Administering the Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant from the State Historic Preservation Office. Status: 6 months Housekeeping and Legislative Amendments The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on February 27 on a package of text amendments that incorporate changes in state law into County Code. In addition, there are “housekeeping” amendments that have been identified as necessary to correct errors and provide additional clarification to existing regulations and the Comprehensive Plan. Status: 2-3 months Statewide Planning Goal 11 Exception The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is finalizing the burden of proof to justify a Goal 11 exception for southern Deschutes County. Draft findings are expected on February 19. If DLCD supports the findings, work sessions with the Planning Commi ssion and BOCC are anticipated in April. The first evidentiary hearing with the Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled for mid-June. Status: 6-8 months -3- Table 1 - Planning Division’s Existing Projects Project Description Traffic Study Code Amendment Initiating a text amendment to Deschutes County Code (DCC) 17.16, Subdivisions, 18.116, Supplemental Provisions, and 18.16.124, Site Plan to develop stand -alone traffic impact analysis requirements. The Planning Commission held a hearing on January 16 and recommended BOCC adoption. A BOCC work session is scheduled for February 24. Status: 6-8 months U.S. EPA Brownfield Community-Wide Assessment Grant Administering a $400,000 U.S. EPA Community-Wide Brownfield Assessment Grant. The project’s first phase (to conduct an inventory) is in process. The consultant team is also evaluating remediation options for the Demolition Landfill and Redmond Shooting Range. Status: Grant period is from October 2013 to September 2016 III. Ongoing Coordination Responsibilities The following list provides an update on some of the Division’s current coordination responsibilities. It is not exhaustive of all coordination activities.  Central Oregon Large-Lot Industrial Lands Project The City of Redmond has identified a site owned by the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) adjoining its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) as a plausible location for a regional large- lot industrial campus. Redmond and DSL are currently coordinating with Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) for an official endorsement. They are expected to submit an application to COIC, the regional governance authority this spring. Once this occurs, COIC’s Board will formally review the request. Following their approval, DSL would initiate a UGB amendment, likely in late spring, early summer.  City of Bend Growth Management Staff continues to coordinate with the City of Bend to complete their UGB amendment. This process is expected to ramp up with the issuance of a Request for Proposals on February 10 for consultants to perform significant Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission remand order work tasks. 1 Local adoption is scheduled for April 2016. In addition, staff is coordinating with the City on its TGM Grant funded project on the west side of Bend (discussed below).  Sage Grouse As a cooperating agency, the Planning Division continues to participate with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), who recently released a draft programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for federal land use and resource management plan (RMP) amendments to incorporate sage-grouse conservation measures in Central and Eastern Oregon. The Division is also participating with the Governor’s Office, Sage Grouse Conservation Partnership. This involves interagency and inter-stakeholder coordination on issues related to sagebrush and sage grouse habitat conservation on non-federal lands. This effort compliments actions being 1 http://bendoregon.gov/index.aspx?page=1083 -4- undertaken by BLM on federal lands. The state’s goal is to demonstrate that listing the sage grouse as a threatened or endangered species under the federal ESA is unnecessary. The Final EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) are scheduled for September 30, 2014. IV. Other Projects Two projects, one from the FY 2013-2014 Planning Division Work Plan, the other brought up internally, remain on hold, due to limited resources: o Initiate a text amendment to prohibit the issuance of land use and building permits if a property has a pending code violation or is in violation with conditions of approval from a prior land use decision; and, In December 2013, the Planning Commission conducted a work session on this Work Plan action item at the request of William Kuhn. The Commission voted to recommend the BOCC move this project to a higher priority for the Planning Division. o Pollution Reduction Credit Amendments. The Newberry Country Plan’s Policy 4.4 calls for evaluating and revising as needed the Transfer of Development Credit and Pollution Reduction Credit programs with the City of La Pine and others. This project is not currently on the Work Plan, but there is interest in implementing this policy. V. City of Bend Request: TGM Grant Partnership & Contribution The City of Bend is reaching out to Oregon State University-Cascades, the Bend Park and Recreation District, and Deschutes County as prominent property owners to each contribute an additional $25,000 to the alternative mobility study being funded largely by a TGM grant. This amount will match their $25,000 contribution for a total of $100,000. A memorandum from the City is forthcoming, explaining this request in more detail.