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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSo Co Plan UpdateCommunity Development Department Planning Division Building Safety Division Environmental Soils Division 117 NW Lafayette Avenue Bend Oregon 97701-1925 (541)388-6575 FAX (541)385-1764 http://www.co.deschutes.or.us/cdd/ MEMORANDUM DATE: February 7,2012 TO: Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners Deschutes County Planning Commission FROM: Peter Gutowsky, Principal Planner Terri Hansen Payne, Senior Planner MEETING: February 8,2012 (Board work session) February 9, 2012 (Planning Commission meeting) RE: South County Plan Community Meeting Update COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING AND A SOUTH COUNTY PLAN Deschutes County has initiated a process to prepare a land use plan for the South County area. During Comprehensive Plan update meetings in 2009 and 2010, South County residents expressed interest in an area-specific plan to replace one titled Regional Problem Solving for South Deschutes County, which has been in existence since the late 1990s. The South County Plan created through this process will be adopted into the Comprehensive Plan, an official document adopted by the Board of County Commissioners, which sets forth general long range goals and policies on future growth and development, consistent with statewide planning regulations. COMMUNITY MEETINGS Public outreach began last week with two community "kick-off" meetings: • La Pine Senior Center January 31, 20126-7:30 p.m. -approximately 30 people attended • Sunriver Library February 1, 20126-7:30 p.m. -approximately 20 people attended The public was asked to respond to the following questions: • What do you like about South County? • What South County issues need to be addressed? • What would you like South County to be like in 20 years? • What result(s) would you like to see from the South County Plan process? • What information do you need to assist in understanding the issues? When responding to those questions, the public was asked to consider the following topics: growth, land use, transportation, natural resources, recreation, public facilities, community needs The discussion was informal, with staff facilitating and taking notes (Attachments 1 and 2). For those that preferred responding in writing, the first four questions listed above were provided on a Quality Services Performed with Pride questionnaire. Eight questionnaires were returned (Attachment 3). Finally, a wall exercise was provided to generate discussion (results below). Wall Exercise -both nights Question 1: What one thing do you like best about South Deschutes County? • Peace and quiet • Caring, respectful community • Rural • Glad to see the improvement in support and cooperation by County • Rural and community cohesion Question 2: What one South Deschutes County issue do you want to see addressed? • Access to health care • Emergency clinic • Mini hospital • What to do about non-paved roads, what to do about 6th Street and Highway 97, what to do about 1st Street and Highway 97 • Maintain side roads • Hazardous fuel reduction • Storm H20 drainage • Community trail system • Highway 97 -ODOT • Bus/train from Sunriver to Bend/La Pine NEXT STEPS A community partnership meeting is scheduled for February 21,2012 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the La Pine High School. Agencies that have a prominent presence in South County have been invited to staff tables for an open house and provide an overview of their planning efforts. The City of La Pine, Sunriver Resort and the Sunriver Owners Association have also been invited, because although they will not be governed by the South County Plan, they have an integral role in the future of South Deschutes County. Attachments: 1. Community Plan notes 1-31-12 2. Community Plan notes 2-1-12 3. Questionnaires 1-31-12 and 2-1-12 I -2­ 1 Notes from South County Community Meeting 1-31-12 Below is a general summary of public comments from the South Deschutes County community meeting January 31 at the La Pine Senior Center. This is intended to provide an idea of the topics discussed at the meeting and does not provide an exact transcript. Comments are not attributed, except for comments from County Commissioner Tony DeBone or Planning Commissioners Ed Criss or Jim Powell. County Speakers County Commissioner Tony DeBone -Welcome and introduction County Planner Terri Payne -Background, what is being done as well as why and how and questions for tonight What do you like about South Deschutes County? What South County issues need to be addressed? What would you like South Deschutes County to be like in 20 years? What result(s) would you like to see from the South County Plan process? What information do you need to assist in understanding the issues? Public Input • Enjoys the proximity to rural recreation and access to USFS and BLM lands. • Traffic needs to be addressed; add lanes to US 97 between Sunriver and La Pine; Wickiup Junction (Burgess Road/US 97) needs to be fixed; Ponderosa Pines subdivision now plows internal roads, including Ponderosa Way; County needs to sweep intersection of Burgess/Ponderosa Way; Burgess/Sunrise Court needs sweeping; La Pine needs a branch of college like Bend and Redmond; loves the outdoors • Questions: how many federal/statellocal governments and agencies are involved in transportation? How many miles are under locallcounty/state/federal jurisdiction? • Likes Cascade East Transit (CET) buses, but need another bus that would go to La Pine destinations; wants increased local service. • Bus needs to go Ray's, Bi-Mart, other La Pine stores; need an intracity loop; wants local transit service that is accessible and affordable; area also needs a mini­ hospital, better medical services, otherwise you have to go to St. Charles in Bend. • Questions: what is the percentage of people in South County who are transportation disadvantaged and lor over 65 years old? • Likes the people; need federal health grants and health care services; appreciates staff coming to La Pine • La Pine was boyhood play area; year-round recreation is available which makes this a recreation paradise; people are great, friendly folks; Plan needs to be for 10 years, not 20; safety issue when population increases, prepare for future growth including roadways Page 1 Notes from South County Community Meeting 1-31-12 • Six year resident; likes how people unite in face of adversity such as Local Rule; area needs a community vision of what area stands for; need to become a center between Klamath County and Bend; paved roads are not critical, but the County needs to periodically blade gravel roads; need more law enforcement of speed limits to stop drivers from damaging gravel roads with 60-65+ speeds; County should do minor maintenance on gravel roads; need better health care services, now deficient, expensive, impractical • Other things he meant to mention that he likes about South County include snowmobiling, ATVs, opportunities to see wildlife; he's often ridden snowmobiles and A TV's all the way to OR 58; COIC buses don't go to Ponderosa Pines subdivision; they only go as far as Day/Burgess; How does COIC determine service areas for the disabled? Tony DeBone -Other things he likes about South County: fishing, black powder rendezvous, quiet starry nights, backyard campfires, burning woodstoves, near-by camping at Paulina Lake, ability of kids to do survival training right outside school, proximity to horse trails. • Likes the people, they're very diverse; need a community college, an education retraining center; South County has 15% of the County's population but a limited level of services; roads are falling apart; they need to be maintained; need more law enforcement presence especially since law enforcement from Klamath County has ebbed; need education satellite campuses like Redmond and Prineville have; need health services (short term care) • Likes the accessibility to state and local government representatives; people are friendly and supportive; moved here for the rural atmosphere, knew there would be a lower level of services to maintain rural atmosphere • State legislation for Caldera Springs threatened rural atmosphere; gated communities and super-siting of 925 homes south of Sunriver • Likes the Deschutes County library branches in La Pine and Sunriver; computers, internet access, free conference rooms for public meetings; excellent resource for information. • Enjoys the nature, the peace and quiet; schools are getting full, so even though most folks in room tonight are retirees, plan needs to involve young families as there are lots of them in South County; engage newer folks; La Pine, Sunriver, County all need to recognize how their plans affect each other; County plows stop at the west end of Burgess before Wild River subdivision; plowing seems to end at Ponderosa Way; weeds on County roads are an issue, they should be cut but not sprayed; open burns along Burgess Road were not adequately monitored and lots of trees burned unnecessarily; need better communication between La Pine, Sunriver, and I 1 Page 2 Notes from South County Community Meeting 1-31-12 county to achieve better coordination; need better info on what types of vegetation is the best to plant in South County's unique microclimate so we'll know what to grow. • We need more information on what they are injecting into the ground near Newberry crater as part of the testing for geothermal power plant; health implications; better communication would let us understand how this might affect us. • Newberry is not a power plant, it's just exploration; people are very friendly here compared to other areas; likes lots of pine trees; easy to get lost in South County as that's what happened to group of women riding horses who ended up in his yard. • 3 year resident, previously visited then retired here; people are great even the teens, are respectful and resourceful; likes that recreation opportunities abound; worries about lack of jobs for teens as many jobs once held by teens are now being held by retirees or even young adults; tough to get across US 97 in La Pine; also encountered cyclists at night riding without lights and in dark clothes; need to look at health care and transportation; worried about geothermal; what happens to those people with approved septic system, are they financially liable for groundwater mitigations • Need bus service between La Pine and Bend; need employment • Salem is setting the standards for land use codes or road specifications; we're different over here and need to push back until they recognize our rural nature Ed Criss -South County has distinctive issues; you need to spread the word to your neighbors to attend these meetings, Planning Commission meetings, and Board of County Commissioner meetings; recap of groundwater issues and rise of "red lots"; protect the riparian area, protect the wetlands to protect the river; direct development to better places; land swap could be the answer for developable lands; on the transportation System Plan (TSP), the Planning Commission heard from Sisters and Redmond, but nothing from South County • Get forest lands back from federal government so County can allow logging and do a better job of fire protection • There is bus service between La Pine and Bend; the problem is getting from Wild River to Wickiup Junction as there is no service; need regular transit service to extend to Wild River; coordinate medical service buses to serve transit • AppreCiate that County staff is listening, even if they need to find an answer; better to get direct input from residents rather than funding outside consultants Page 3 Notes from South County Community Meeting 1-31-12 • Lists topics of concern including parks, groundwater, transportation, red lots, nitrates, wildlife report, obsolete subdivisions, infrastructure; need to understand County-owned lands Jim Powell-30 years ago there was no agreement for what should go into the Comprehensive Plan; now look at how well-organized you've become and how you've developed consensus and what you've accomplished; you've established a city and overturned the Local Rule • The plan needs flexibility and there should be a Plan B just in case • Talk to people of all ages and see what the priority is for each age group based on 10-year increments; what's important to each cohort, what's important to all Page 4 Notes from South County Community Meeting 2-1-12 Below is a general summary of public comments from the South Deschutes County community meeting February 1 at the Sunriver Library. This is intended to provide an idea of the topics discussed at the meeting and does not provide an exact transcript. Comments are not attributed, except for comments from County Commissioner Tony DeBone or Planning Commissioner Ed Criss. County Speakers County Commissioner Tony DeBone -Welcome and introduction County Planner Terri Payne -Background, what is being done as well as why and how and questions for tonight What do you like about South Deschutes County? What South County issues need to be addressed? What would you like South Deschutes County to be like in 20 years? What result(s) would you like to see from the South County Plan process? What information do you need to assist in understanding the issues? Public Input • How will decisions be made? Will the public be involved in decisions or just reacting to what's presented? • What is our framework to go on? • Staff discussed the process of informal public involvement allows for input into the ideas being discussed and will be followed by formal public involvement when a change is proposed to the current section of the Comprehensive Plan called Regional Problem Solving for south Deschutes County Commissioner DeBone provided some background on his family's history in South County and reiterated the questions for tonight • Sunriver resident loves the solitude and quiet, but still being close to services; wants, young families to be able to enjoy the same things she does; concerned over lack of services needed by young families, such as high speed internet Commissioner Criss discussed the need and process for large lot industrial land to create family wage jobs; also discussed the Comprehensive Plan Action Plan • Likes library system and resources; would like there to be a South County parks and recreation district, rather than just the existing one for La Pine; would like more parks on the river in South County • Would like an organization to represent South County, not just La Pine or just Sunriver, to provide a South County voice Page 1 Notes from South County Community Meeting 2·1·12 • Likes the solitude, but also wants to be part of a community; likes wider roads to ride a bike to town; likes the closeness to the mountain; downside is that as the children grew up they left, too isolated for them; need too attract younger families • There is a perception of a divide between La Pine and Sunriver; the perception that Sunriver doesn't care is wrong; relationships are needed to build a South County community • South County is not a concept people relate to, maybe use South of Lava Butte Commissioner Criss recognizes the La Pine Citizens Action Group as well as the Upper Deschutes River Coalition and the Sunriver Homeowners Association as active community groups; commonality between Sunriver and La Pine; communication is important in overcoming perceptions; land swap could provide park lands all along the river; could use small destination resorts (no residences, just visitor lodging) • Much of the land in Deschutes County is federal; loves how close we are to Mount Bachelor • Loves canoeing on the river and kayaking on the lakes • Love amenities as well; look to urban areas for growth; young families are expecting amenities like good water and transportation • Love my home but as people mature, needs change; as we age need to move closer to urban areas • Is there a way to not just to take input, but to put people into planning process itself Staff explained that plans for future meetings are intended to do that • Request to refocus the meeting away from process • Likes the friendly people of South County • Who represented South County in the past? Staff noted generally there has been a specific South County Planning Commissioner; discussed past/ongoing projects like Project Wildfire • To bring people to the area need a website that connects all the entities in the area, one place to get information about amenities, recreation, businesses • One place, all in this together, need one source of information Page 2 Notes from South County Community Meeting 2~1-12 • Moved from Chicago, children moved away as soon as possible; wants coordination on hospitality; people want to visit and know what's going on • Major trend in home businesses, need strong internet infrastructure; home businesses provide living wage jobs; allow a high quality of life • Home businesses are good, but there is still a need for community • Currently coordinating bringing high speed broadband to the area; example of Chattanooga Tennessee, high speed internet brought 3,200 new jobs paying average of $58,000/year; wants to bring the internet to 10,000 homes • As a realtor, one of the top 3 question raised is the availability of internet access, even for second homes; there is an emphasis on selling the home office on vacation • Discussion -people like South of Lava Butte name for the area • Likes the improvements on Century Drive • Hopes the plan considers regional transportation needs; north south route up the west side of the basin • FS road 41, need to involve BLM and Forest Service in this process • Need alternatives to Harper Bridge Boat Ramp, for access and public safety • If better access then floating the river would be a larger part of tourism • The resort has active and engaged residents and so does the whole area, they need each other • Public transit not in mind when existing development patterns initiated, not easy due to dispersed lots • Work with ODOT, all roads lead to Hwy 97. that is the community connector Page 3