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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.
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.