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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSo County Plan Update MEMORANDUM DATE: May 2, 2012 TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Peter Gutowsky, Principal Planner Terri Hansen Payne, Senior Planner MEETING: May 9, 2012 RE: South County Plan Update I. BACKGROUND Deschutes County has initiated a process to prepare a land use plan for the South County area (excluding Sunriver and La Pine). 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 as a distinct chapter of the Comprehensive Plan.1 II. COMMUNITY MEETINGS Starting in January 2012, staff utilized two kick-off meetings to introduce the project and begin identifying community expectations of the area. The results of those meetings were shared with the Board of County Commissioners (Board) at a work session on February 8. Since then three additional meetings have been held. February 21, 2012 5:30-8 p.m. La Pine High School March 20, 2012 6-8 p.m. La Pine Senior Center March 21, 2012 6-8 p.m. Sunriver Library The February 21 meeting brought together over 20 representatives from local, state and federal agencies that staffed tables and gave presentations to respond to community interests and questions. Representatives included the Bureau of Land Management, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Department of Transportation and the City of La Pine. Other partners included: Sunriver Resort LLC, Sunriver Homeowner Association, and the Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District. Besides the Community Development Department, Deschutes County representatives included the Road Department, Property and Facilities, and the County forester. Approximately 80 residents were in attendance. 1 Adopted by the Board of County Commissioners, the Comprehensive Plan is the current land use plan for Deschutes County. This plan provides policy direction for land use and development for the unincorporated areas of the county, consistent with Oregon’s Statewide Planning Goals. -2- To complement the agency presentations and their own resource materials, planning staff provided handouts to attendees summarizing existing demographic and land use conditions in South Deschutes County. These summary sheets are posted on the website listed below. The March meetings relied upon a series of table exercises to enable participants to first discuss, then identify, and later prioritize their respective land use issues under four themes: Land Use/Economic Development, Transportation, Natural Resources/Natural Hazards, and Recreation/Other.2 As a starting point for these discussions, staff summarized land use issues identified in Regional Problem Solving, the High Groundwater Project (2009), and the Comprehensive Plan Update. The results of the meeting are also posted on the website listed below. The next community meetings in May will be focused on reviewing a draft vision for South County and examining land use solutions, potential obstacles, and opportunities to collaborate with the region’s local, state, and federal partners. May 19 (Saturday) 10-Noon La Pine Senior Center May 23 (Wednesday) 6-8 p.m. Sunriver Library III. OTHER OUTREACH The following list summarizes Deschutes County’s other efforts to engage and inform South County residents and stakeholders: Website: The website at www.deschutes.org/southcountyplan is regularly updated. Survey Monkey: A twenty question land use survey was posted on the South County website from March 1-April 30. Fifty-four people completed the survey and the results are posted on-line. Schools: Staff reached out to schools and PTAs and met with the Three Rivers Elementary School PTA in February and hosted a table at the school in March to provide information and receive feedback from parents. Results can be found on-line. Organizations: Staff contacted a number of organizations and has had meetings with the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, Trout Unlimited and the Soil and Water Conservation Board to hear their views on South County. Notes can be found on-line. Regular updates are provided to the Upper Deschutes River Coalition and Project Wildfire. Interviews: Staff contacted approximately twenty people who are active in South County, requesting fifteen minute telephone interviews. Seven people responded and the results are posted on-line. Homeowner Organizations: Staff has contacted homeowner organizations and road districts with known email or phone numbers and three homeowner discussions are scheduled so far, starting May 12. On-going: An email list is maintained and updates are provided regularly. Press releases are issued for all the community meetings. Outreach to the community is continuous. 2 Both meetings relied upon the same agenda to make it easier for residents to attend. -3- IV. NEXT STEPS Draft goals and policies will be prepared and reviewed at community meetings in July. Outreach will continue to ensure that there are opportunities for the community to review and revise initial drafts over the summer. Focus groups are also anticipated so stakeholders can provide feedback on specific elements of the draft plan.