Senator [YOUR SENATOR HERE]
ADDRESS
Salem, OR 97310-0001

Dear Senator Devlin:

As you know, proposed HB 2689 would allow urban levels of industrial, commercial, or residential development, as well as hotels and motels, in so-called "rural development zones" outside urban growth boundaries. This means that anything from manufacturing plans to destination resorts to subdivisions to Wal-Marts could be built far from population centers and existing infrastructure, thus effectively eliminating the urban growth boundary. This bill was also passed by the House, and has been referred to the Senate Water and Land Use Committee.

Urban growth boundaries were the brainchild of former Gov. Tom McCall. McCall, with the help of a unique coalition of farmers and environmentalists, persuaded the Legislature that the state’s natural beauty and easy access to nature would be lost in a rising tide of urban sprawl. The new goals and guidelines required every city and county in Oregon to have a long-range plan addressing future growth that meets both local and statewide goals. In summary, state land-use goals require:

• setting urban growth boundaries
• using urban land wisely protecting natural resources.

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