Rezoning of Colwood Golf Course

What is happening?: The City of Portland is holding a hearing on a proposal to rezone the Colwood National Golf Course (7313 NE Columbia Boulevard - 132 acres) from Open Space (OS) - its present designation in zoning maps and in the Comprehensive Plan - to General Industrial 2 (IG2).  The Bureau of Development Services is holding a hearing on this rezoning request on  March 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM at 1900 SW Fourth Ave., Suite 3000, Portland, OR 97201.

Why should I care?: The result from this proposed rezoning would represent a permanent and significant  loss of open space for Portland - 132 acres; once it's gone, it's gone!

More importantly, the Colwood Golf Course encompasses sizable portions of the Columbia and Whitaker sloughs. The impact on the habitat areas of the sloughs - especially the critical riparian habitat along the sloughs - will be substantial.  This is why a number of local environmental activists have come out against the re-zoning proposal.

Sure, the Open Space designation makes it more challenging for the land-owners to sell this property. But that IS the historic use of the area and the current zoning.

Rezoning the area to make it more appealing to potential buyers seems....well...inappropriate.

I get it, so what should I do?  Provide formal testimony against the rezoning.  You may do this in person at the hearing -  March 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM at 1900 SW Fourth Ave., Suite 3000, Portland, OR 97201 - or you can send to fax your testimony in   

Land Use Hearings Officer, 1900 SW Fourth Ave., Suite 3100 Portland, OR 97201
FAX  503-823-4347

If you go the written testimony route include this file number:

LU 05-138386 CP ZC
PC # 04-065296

And stay tuned to the issue. If the Bureau of Development Services recommends a change in the zoning - all or part of the area - it will still require approval by City Council. So step two is talking with the city commissioners on this issue.

Thanks for listening!

Comments

[olivia]

Wow, thank you for sharing this info. I will write and send in a letter. I am not into changing zoning of that area from open space to industrial!

[Tony at Milagros]

The Concordia Neighborhood Association has submitted testimony against the rezoning. You can download the file here:

http://www.concordiapdx.org/?p=95

Feel free to use any or all of the info in any letter or verbal comments you want to submit.

[Tony at Milagros]

Update on the Colwood hearing from the chair of Cully Neighborhood Association. Please note that you can send in comments until 4/14, so please show your support to keep this valuable open space:

Hello All:
The Colwood Golf Course hearing yesterday had 13 neighbors who testified against the zoning proposal to changet the Open Space to Industrial, (with a couple of others submitting letters, I would guess about 40+ people attended) and only couple of business people who supported the zoning change. Thanks to all those who came to the hearing. There were many great points made, creating more issues that needed to be explored by the staff and others. The record is now being held open til April 14th, 4:30 pm for additional comments. You can mail letters to the Hearings Officer Gregory Frank, 1900 SW 4th, Room 3100, Portland, OR 97201, or fax 503-823-4347. No e-mails will be accepted. Be sure to include the case file number LU 05-138386 CP ZC on your letter. Do not wait til the last day to send comments in.

The Hearings Officer will make a recommendation to the City Council to approve or deny the zone change. This case will then go to the City Council probably in May. This is where the final decision will be made. We are hoping that even more residents attend the City Council hearing. Check the CAN website www.cullyneighbors.org from time to time for updates.

Attached is the documents I submitted. It was great that different aspects were covered in everyone's testimony, I tried to basically make comments on statements made in the 66 page BDS staff report. Others commented on Colwood located in a flooding zone area, airport noise and pollution, quality of life, habitiat and open space, transportation issues, and comphrensive plan codes not met. Great job to everyone who testified and everyone else who made concerns known just by being there.

The applicants feel we have plenty of Open Space with Sacajawea and eventually Thomas Cully Park. They feel that their property is a private space and is not Open Space now other that the designation since people cannot freely come on their property now(even though they have a public golf course). I don't see how that is true, people kayak on slough that goes through the property, the wildlife and birds uses at Open Space they have been paying Open Space property tax rates. The applicants were not happy that the BDS staff recommended that an additional 13.5 acres (property in between the slough arms) be added to their 22.5 acres proposal as Open Space. Stay tuned for more to come.

Thanks again for your support,

Kathy Fuerstenau