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Letter to Rene Moye, Director, Corvallis Parks and Recreation
Statement of Concept: Need, Ownership, Maintenance, Facilities Development
Map of area showing recent developments and boundary of proposed park
Species list for Seavy Meadows (more contributions welcome!)
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25 April 1998
NE Corvallis Neighborhood Association
ad hoc Open Space Park Committee
1840 NE Seavy Ave
Corvallis OR 97330
Rene Moye, Director
Corvallis Parks and Recreation
Corvallis OR
Dear Mr. Moye:
The Northeast Corvallis Neighborhood Association proposes the establishment of an open space park along Conser Avenue. This area is almost entirely wetlands, and all but 2 acres is owned by the City of Corvallis. The highest and best use for this area of wetland, already surrounded by urbanization, is as an open-space park. We would like to propose that we work toward dedicating this as NE Corvallis' first open-space park.
The attached pages describe our vision, along with a statement of the need and suggestions for maintenance requirements, and a proposal to extend a bikepath along the edge of the open-space park from Circle Boulevard to Village Green Park.
To clarify the open-space context for this proposal, we also enclose a copy of the document distributed by the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District, "Wetlands and Riparian Corridors in Northeast Corvallis."
Last, we enclose information on the flora and fauna of these wetlands. We have compiled a partial species list, followed by personal testimony of neighborhood observers on the natural history of the area.
Thank you for considering this proposal.
Sincerely,
ad hoc Open Space Park Committee
Northeast Corvallis Neighborhood Association
Bruce McCune
Jennifer Ayotte
Patricia Muir
Dorothy Skwark
Ann Smiley
Need
Northeast Corvallis has undergone rapid industrial and housing development in the past five years (1990-1995; see map on next page). Further development is planned by Sequoia Creek next to Conser Ave. During this time there have been no new parks in this area. The only new amenity is a short sidewalk underneath the railroad tracks, connecting Conser Avenue with Village Green. There are no open space parks in northeast Corvallis. By open-space park we mean areas with natural vegetation, dispersed recreation, low maintenance, and minimal developments. According to the most recent Parks plan, intensive playground uses are served by Village Green Park.
We see this property as a crucial link in the "emerald chain" around Corvallis, being situated between Jackson-Frazier wetland and the Willamette River Greenway.
Location and Physical Features
We propose establishing an open-space park of approximately 25 acres (see map on next page), including all of the City-owned wetlands east of the railroad tracks and north of Seavy Avenue. The area is nearly flat except for several long earthen berms, one of which parallels the railroad. It is an important wildlife corridor, a link between the forested Stewart Slough and Jackson-Frazier wetland. It also a link in a corridor of natural vegetation along the railroad tracks, extending almost from downtown Corvallis to beyond the urban-growth boundary.
The proposed area is a seasonal wetland dominated by tufted hairgrass, Deschampsia caespitosa. The area of this type of wet prairie in the Willamette Valley has been reduced to one half of one percent of its former extent (at the time of European settlement).
Ownership
Most of the area was acquired by the City in 1986 by foreclosure on developers who did not pay for assessments after a fall in the housing market. A two-acre inholding is privately owned by one of those developers, Mel Stewart. The only reason that property was not acquired by the City at the time of foreclosure was that there were no assessments on the property, it having been designated as a park in the PD at the time of annexation. That park designation stands, having been upheld by the Corvallis Planning Commission on December 6, 1995.
As of January 1994, the city had a Bancroft Debt of about $650,000 on this property (see Surplus Property Summary from Neil Mann, Community Development Director). We propose to call this debt a loss and not let that stand in our way of keeping a natural amenity for future generations. Thirty years from now let's look back with pride at this native wet prairie, just as we now appreciate the foresight behind Avery Park and Chip Ross Park.
Current Use
During the rainy season the edges are used for outdoor recreation (walking, jogging, dog walking) and enjoyment of wildlife. During the dry season the wetland itself is used for dispersed recreation. Designating this area as an open-space park would help reduce abuses by people who do not recognized the importance of this wetland (e.g. illegal dumping, off-road vehicle use). Wetland fill laws make conversion to other uses very difficult.
The area is currently zoned RS-9 and it has a PD overlay for high-density housing. Awareness and laws concerning wetlands have created a tension between the neighborhood which generally desires preservation of these wetlands as open space, and the existing PD for high-density housing.
The highest and best use for this area of remnant wet prairie, already surrounded by urbanization, is as an open-space park. We would like to propose that this area be dedicated as NE Corvallis' first open-space park.
Maintenance
Minimal maintenance would be required; in fact, no more than the current maintenance. The area has been mowed once per year. Trash is cleaned up by neighborhood volunteers. We propose reducing the mowing to once every other year, done after the grasses had matured and dried, to maintain the area in tufted hairgrass and exclude invading woody vegetation. Additional mowing might be desired in years of exceptional fire danger.
Facilities Development
No additional facilities are necessary for the continued enjoyment of this area by the neighborhood. We would, however, suggest extending the bikepath parallelling the railroad tracks between Circle Boulevard and the sidewalk connecting Village Green with Conser Ave. (A bikepath is currently planned, but not yet constructed, from Circle Boulevard south almost to downtown Corvallis). This would provide a complete bikepath, largely isolated from cars, from the core of the City, past Hewlett Packard, out to near the urban growth boundary. To avoid further disturbance of the wetland, the bikepath could be located on or near the raised berm paralleling the railroad.
Several access points have been used by off-road vehicles. Barriers should be placed at these access points.