Oregon Statewide Planning Goals

Oregon Statewide Planning Goals
Name	Oregon Statewide Planning Goals
Established	1973
Jurisdiction	State of Oregon
Administered by	Land Conservation and Development Commission, Department of Land Conservation and Development (Oregon)
Related legislation	Senate Bill 100 (1973), Oregon Land Use Act

Oregon Statewide Planning Goals The Oregon Statewide Planning Goals are a set of eighteen official policy objectives and related guidelines that structure land use planning in the State of Oregon; they were adopted under Senate Bill 100 (1973) and implemented by the Land Conservation and Development Commission and the Department of Land Conservation and Development (Oregon). The Goals coordinate decisions among Oregon Legislature, Governor of Oregon, Oregon Judicial Department, and local jurisdictions such as Portland, Oregon, Benton County, Oregon, and Jackson County, Oregon. They interact with federal programs like the National Environmental Policy Act and regional entities including the Metropolitan Planning Organization systems in the Portland metropolitan area.

Overview

The Goals establish statewide policy for topics ranging from agricultural land protection to natural hazards and recreational resources, linking statutes such as Senate Bill 100 (1973) with administrative rulemaking by the Land Conservation and Development Commission and coordination with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon Department of Transportation. They require adoption of local comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances by counties and cities including Eugene, Oregon and Salem, Oregon, and they shape decisions that involve entities like Metro (Oregon regional government) and Port of Portland. The program’s objectives have influenced legal disputes adjudicated by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court.

Historical Background

The Goals trace to policy debates in the early 1970s involving figures such as Tom McCall and institutions like the Oregon State Senate and Oregon House of Representatives culminating in Senate Bill 100 (1973), which created the Land Conservation and Development Commission and charged the state to adopt goals similar to statewide planning initiatives in California and responses to decisions such as Sierra Club v. Morton. Early implementation engaged stakeholders including the American Planning Association chapter in Oregon, agricultural interests represented by groups like the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation, environmental organizations such as the Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC), and urban advocates in Multnomah County, Oregon. Landmark litigation involving parties like Citizens for Better Forestry and adjudication by the Oregon Supreme Court and U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon shaped interpretations.

The 19 Statewide Planning Goals

The Goals enumerate priorities for resource management and development: protection of agricultural land and forestlands; management of urban growth boundaries as practiced by Metro (Oregon regional government); conservation of open space and historic resources such as sites listed by the National Register of Historic Places; coordination of transportation planning with Oregon Department of Transportation; stewardship of water resources and wetlands with input from National Marine Fisheries Service; risk reduction for floodplains and wildfire influenced by agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and encouragement of public facilities and affordable housing programs in cities such as Bend, Oregon and Medford, Oregon. The Goals also address citizen involvement and economic development strategies linked to organizations like the Oregon Business Council and planning curricula promoted by University of Oregon School of Architecture and Environment.

Implementation and Local Comprehensive Plans

Implementation requires counties and cities—examples include Clackamas County, Oregon and Joseph, Oregon—to adopt comprehensive plans and zoning measures consistent with the Goals, often mediated through technical assistance from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (Oregon) and funding from programs administered by the Oregon Business Development Department. Local plans coordinate with capital improvement programs in municipalities like Corvallis, Oregon and transportation plans prepared with TriMet in the Portland region. Compliance is reviewed through quasi-judicial appeals before bodies such as the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals and occasionally litigated up to the Oregon Supreme Court.

Administration and Legal Framework

The administrative framework rests on Senate Bill 100 (1973), implementing rules promulgated by the Land Conservation and Development Commission and enforcement via the Department of Land Conservation and Development (Oregon), with adjudicative review by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals and appellate review by the Oregon Supreme Court. Federal statutes like the Clean Water Act and agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intersect with state authority, while intergovernmental coordination involves actors including county boards of commissioners and city councils in places like Salem, Oregon. Legal challenges often invoke principles articulated in cases from the Oregon Supreme Court and federal court precedents.

Impact, Criticism, and Revisions

The Goals have influenced growth patterns in regions from the Willamette Valley to the Oregon Coast and have been credited by advocates such as Terrence O’Reilly-style planners for protecting farmland and shaping urban form in Portland, Oregon. Critics including some county officials and trade associations like the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland have argued the regime restricts housing supply and impedes economic development in rural counties such as Wallowa County, Oregon and Klamath County, Oregon. Revisions and periodic rulemakings by the Land Conservation and Development Commission respond to critiques and involve stakeholder processes with organizations like the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and academic analyses by the Portland State University Population Research Center.

Case Studies and Regional Outcomes

Notable case studies include the creation and management of the Portland metropolitan area urban growth boundary by Metro (Oregon regional government), the use of Goal protections for farmland in the Willamette Valley, forestland planning controversies in the Coos Bay region, and water resource planning in basins such as the Rogue River. Implementation outcomes have been analyzed in reports by institutions including the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, University of Oregon, and the Oregon Blue Ribbon Commission on Land Use, showing varied effects on housing affordability in Portland, Oregon, land conversion in Marion County, Oregon, and infrastructure coordination in Lane County, Oregon.

Category:Land use in Oregon