The Corvallis City Council overturned the Planning Commission Decision to deny the development plan and replat of Seavy Meadows. Thus the City Council supported the development plan, despite strong citizen opposition. The City Council has worked intimately with the developer, Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services and its predecessor, Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services, for many years. A number of councilors are former board members or liaisons with the Housing Services, so it was no surprise that the Council continued to support the project.
Seavy Meadows enthusiasts should be vigilant about conservation of the remaining area as open space. Condition 33 of the decision stated that, "At the time of final plat approval for the proposed development, the City shall grant a conservation easement on the remaining City-owned land within the original Seavey Meadows - Willamettedale Farms development area. In addition, City Staff will also ask the City Council to initiate a change in land use designation for the remaining city-owned land... to Open Space - Conservation. The City shall also consider additional measures that would accomplish the goal of permanent protection of the remaining City-owned land on the... site."
Yesterday the Planning Commission voted down the housing proposal for Seavy Meadows by 4 to 1. There is a short article in the Corvallis G-T today (April 17) on this.
The decision followed strong citizen reaction against the housing development. Numerous citizens from all over Corvallis testified against the proposal at the hearing on April 2. Additional written testimony was received from many residents, both before and after the hearing.
At the April 16th meeting, the Planning Commission deliberated the matter, and concluded with a vote denying the application.
The applicant can appeal the decision to the City Council, and it has 21 days to do so.
The meeting was a bit of a roller coaster ride for Seavy Meadows enthusiasts, but the ride had a great finish. Although you used to be able to listen to recordings of the meeting online, according to the city's website, "Current land use public hearing audio recordings are no longer being produced and published by the Community Development Department due to technical issues."
Some of the key issues that led to the rejection of the application were:
Thanks to everyone who wrote letters, testified, or showed
up at the meetings!
Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services (WNHS) filed an application with the City of Corvallis in early February 2008. The application proposes development of part of Seavy Meadows (see item below). Because this is a modification to an existing Planned Development Overlay, it is required to get approval from the City's Planning Commission. The Planning Commission will hold a hearing to evaluate whether the application complies with the City's Land Development Code. If you wish to testify in writing or by speaking (or better yet, both), please be sure to address specific parts of the Land Development Code.
Read a comprehensive criticism of the application, the Muir Imperative.
See also recent news of Seavy Meadows, history of Seavy Meadows, and other links from the Seavy Meadows main page.
Here is a link to the prenotification of the Planning Commission hearing on Seavy Meadows, currently scheduled for April 2, 2008 at the main fire station at 7 pm: http://www.ci.corvallis.or.us/council/mail-archive/ward6/binWdAELZJPjD.bin
You can find out about times and places for this and other City meetings at the online calendar.
The agenda for the Planning Commission meeting is posted the Friday before the meeting.
The Staff Report will be posted to the City's website about
a week ahead of time.
Some points to consider in your testimony:
- Seavy Meadows, including the area proposed for development, has been declared a significant feature in the City's Natural Feature Inventory. This does not preclude development, but it should be a factor to be considered.
- WNHS proposes to use State and Federal tax dollars to subsidize the housing at Seavy Meadows. The people of Corvallis already bought the land once, after it acquired the property and associated debt by foreclosure. The debt has been paid off -- you now own it free and clear. Now WNHS wants you to pay for it again, using your money to build low-income housing.
- People who buy the units will own the dwelling but won't own the land, and they will have caps set on the profit they can make by selling the house in the future. It's hard to think of a stronger DISincentive for maintaining the properties and for encouraging long-term, stable residents.
- The planned development is more or less in the center of Seavy Meadows, fragmenting the wetland and reducing its value as open space and wildlife habitat.
- Building housing for low-income people in wetlands is unethical or worse. This seems to discriminate against financially disadvantaged people and racial minorities. It seems likely that this violates City, State, and Federal laws against discrimination in the use of public funds.
Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services (WNHS) filed an application with the City of Corvallis in early February 2008. The application proposes development of part of Seavy Meadows (see item below). Because this is a modification to an existing Planned Development Overlay, it is required to get approval from the City's Planning Commission. The Planning Commission will hold a hearing to evaluate whether the application complies with the City's Land Development Code. For more information on the hearing and the process, please see Upcoming Land Use Decision.
Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services (formerly Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services) is now leading a misguided effort to develop many units of housing in a portion of Seavy Meadows wetland. This is unfortunate, because as an promoter and faciliator of affordable housing, it is extremely important for this organization and the City to maintain at least the appearance of environmental justice. To find out more about the concept of environmental justice, see:
Environmental Justice Resource Center
Environmental Justice / Environmental Racism (part of EJnet.org)
The following letter, published in the Corvallis Gazette-Times on July 26, 2006, summarizes some current events likely to affect Seavy Meadows:
The July 24 article, "Fresh Tactic on Housing," paints a cheerful picture of new affordable housing in Seavy Meadows. The article does not point out that the area to be developed was recently designated as "significant wetland" by the Natural Features Inventory. Developing housing for low-income people in wetlands is hardly a "fresh tactic." Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services and the City should be ashamed of this project.
The area planned for development falls in the middle of the city-owned Seavy Meadows wetland. Five acres of housing in the middle of the wetland would further fragment the wetland, degrading its habitat and hydrologic values.
The proposal ignores geographic balance in development. NE Corvallis has had much commercial and residential development with no increase in park amenities. In the last 20 years we have huge expansion at HP, Kmart, Safeway, Carmike, high-density housing along Walnut and Conifer Boulevards, and hundreds of single-family homes along Conser Drive and its tributaries. Despite NE Corvallis Neighborhood Association promoting an open-space park for 15 years, we have had no designation of open-space parks east of Hwy 99.
The proposed development requires a modification of an existing Planned Development overlay. This PD was created 24 years ago, and the City backed it financially, but the development failed. Changing the PD needs approval by the Planning Commission. This is not a done deal. Contact the Planning Commission and City Council, and come to the hearings!
Bruce McCune
Corvallis
In seeking a wetland fill permit from the Division of State Lands, a centerpiece of the mitigation is to remove berms and piles from Seavy Meadows, restoring wetlands in those areas. The mitigation plan is undesirable for three reasons:
1. Wildlife habitat. Structural diversity promotes species diversity. For example, many upland woody species grow on the berms. These are frequented by perching birds, including the listed Western Meadowlark, as well as many others (shrikes, red-tailed hawks, merlin). All of these birds require open, non-forested areas, but use adjoining woody vegetation for singing perches. The presence of woody vegetation near large grassy areas is typical of prime Meadowlark habitat (See Altman, B. 1999. Status and conservation of state sensitive grassland bird species in the Willamette Valley. Report to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife).
2. Drainage. The berms restrict overland flow, favoring wetland species at the expense of weedy invading plants.
3. Access. The berms allow people to enjoy the area,
even in the wet season.
In 2007 a student at Oregon State University, Shayna Rogers, wrote the report, "The Influence of Berms on Vegetation and Avian Composition in Seavy Meadows Wetland" based on original data for an independent project in Ecological Methods, Biology 371. The contribution of the berms to local avian and plant diversity is clear. Shayna concluded that "Removing the berms would therefore not be a wise compensatory mitigation tactic for the city of Corvallis to employ. Such a strategy might actually do more harm than good."
All of Seavy Meadows north of Seavy Ave has now been designated as a "Locally Significant Wetland" by the Natural Features Inventory. But this designation does not result in automatic protection. Instead the City must decide whether or not it wants to protect each area. These decisions may result in amendments to the Comprehensive Plan - this is what the City is working on now.
This fall the City is considering amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code, based on findings from the Natural Features Inventory. Please write to Kathy Gager of the Natural Features Inventory as soon as possible to let your voice be heard. Request that all of Seavy Meadows be designated as Locally Protected Wetlands.
Bad news. In a bizarre turn of events, apparently ignoring
state law, the Division of State Lands reversed its decision from
October 2002 by issuing a permit.to the City of Corvallis Project
or its Seavy Meadows project, State File #21862-FP. The permit
was dated April 9, 2003,
Update from November 2002
On October 17, 2002, the DSL denied the City of Corvallis' application for a permit to fill part of Seavy Meadows. Read more...
The City of Corvallis has dusted off its application to fill part of Seavy Meadows for affordable housing. Those of you who wrote letters to the Division of State Lands two years ago have now received a response from the city. The application is still considered active by DSL -- more on this later.
McCune called DSL to find out their procedure from this point on. Mike McCabe at DSL is now the contact person for the case, Patti Caswell having shifted to another position at DSL. Mike said he is new to the case and hasn't reviewed it yet, so he was unable to say what happens next. But he agreed to answer an email message with questions about the procedure, and that his responses could be distributed to the Seavy Meadows email list.
For now, however, McCabe says that public input is still acceptable
and appropriate. He suggested that if you wish to comment on the
city's response to the vigorous citizen opposition to the project,
you should respond to the city and cc your letter to him at DSL.
His address is mike.mccabe@dsl.state.or.us
(or write him at Oregon Division of State Lands, 775 Summer Street
NE, Salem OR 97310-1337).
The questions sent to McCabe on Feb. 28, 2002, and his answers (dark blue):
Citizens responded with a unanimous No! to the City's application to fill part of Seavy Meadows for building new housing. The Division of State Lands (DSL) received many letters, ALL of them opposed to the permit. All of the letters were copied and sent to the City by DSL.
As of mid-November 2000, the City has not responded, nor has the DSL explicitly denied the permit. Normal practice with the DSL is to point out problems to the applicant, but not to issue a letter ruling on the application unless the applicant requests it. Nevertheless, state law requires the Director of the DSL to act within 90 days, unless certain exceptions are present.
So we can conclude that the DSL has not approved the permit, but we cannot conclude that the application has been denied.
Clearly, the City needs to rethink its proposal. We urge the city to drop the proposal, instead working to preserve the area as an open-space park. The debt is already mostly paid off. This would be a nice addition to the City's open space, at little cost to taxpayers.
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