Commissioners hear Millersburg land use issue

ALBANY — More than 50 people attended a land use hearing before the Linn County Board of Commissioners held Tuesday morning at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center.

The issue at hand is that the City of Millersburg is seeking a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment. The city wishes to removed 167.46 acres from its Urban Growth Boundary and replace that land with 162.89 acres. Approval would affect five properties.

Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker listened to comments in favor and opposed and also received written comments during a 90-minute hearing. The commissioners then approved accepting written comments at the Linn County Planning & Building Department until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Proponents and opponents will then have two weeks to read and respond to each other’s comments.

The commissioners will reconvene the public hearing with an anticipated decision at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 7, at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center.

The property the city wishes to move into the county is zoned as farm land, but for decades was used to capture treated water from the former International Paper mill. The land the city wishes to move into its UGB is considered high-quality farmland.

The city hopes to use the land — which would be sold by its current owner — for industrial development. The proposed development would be valued at up to $200 million and would employ up to 90 people to start. In time, the project could be valued at up to $1 billion and provide up to 1,000 family-wage jobs.

Representatives of the city said the project meets state land use laws. They added that this was the fourth public hearing on the issue.

They also said the City of Millersburg was formed intentionally as a place of industry and that the area of land in question is within plans for road development in the 1970s.

Mayor Scott Cowan said this is a “land swap, not a land takeover. It will stimulate future economic growth and create jobs.”

Attorney Alan Sorem for the city noted that the fact the properties are not “equal” in terms of farmland quality, is not addressed by Oregon land use laws.

“It’s not what the criteria says,” Sorem said.

Commissioner Nyquist was concerned that the city had not sent letters announcing the hearings to neighbors of the proposed lands. He was told the meetings were noticed in legal newspaper public notices, per code.

Several people — including neighboring farmers — spoke in opposition to the proposal.

They all said the land is high-quality farmland that should not be “traded” for lesser ground that that has numerous trees and wetlands on it.

Paul Kuehne, who owns the property to be moved into the UGB, said he supports the effort.

Neighbor Tim Hubert said he has lived in the Dever-Connor area for 56 years.

“This is creeping into the neighborhood. It is not a fair exchange and I don’t want to be collateral damage,” he said.

In written comments, neighboring farmer Skip Gray said his property borders the land in question. He said his family once owned the property. Records show 51 different crops were grown on the property over the years — from vegetables to flower seeds.

He said the former International Paper property filled with ravines and brush and is prone to flooding. The other farmland is a hazel nut orchard.

“I submit it is an irresponsible action to swap these parcels and I question the legality of it,” Gray wrote.

Paul Harcombe, representing 1,000 Friends of Oregon and Friends of Linn County, said the City of Millersburg has not proven there is a serious need for this transaction and in written comments, noted, “the UGB swap constitutes an unwarranted expansion of the urban growth boundary onto a tiled and irrigated 163-acre tract of world-class agricultural land …”

Media contact: Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer, 541-967-3825 or email apaul@co.linn.or.us.