It has been a busy year for us here at Rogue Advocates, as we’ve said before, and now as this year ends, we want to tell you what your continuing support has allowed us to accomplish! Thanks to your continuing donations and support, we have successfully participated in multiple land use applications. Oregon Farm & Forest Lands came under threat by multiple legislative bills and commercial developments over the last year what would have set a precedent for the development of our valuable open spaces. The State of Oregon is known for its beautiful and productive farmlands, sprawling forests, and stunning waterways. Every day, Rogue Advocates works to protect these important spaces from development, mismanagement, and destruction. While we cannot protect every inch of the Rogue Valley, know that your generous support allows us to continue working toward a better future for our region. Learn more about what we have been up to and up against below!
Merlin Development – Merlin, OR
The Oregon State Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) has upheld its decision, siding once again with us at Rogue Advocates in rejecting the Josephine County Commissioners’ approval to rezone 87 acres of woodlands. This proposed rezone to rural residential would have potentially permitted the creation of up to 16 five-acre residential parcels in the northern region of Merlin. We at Rogue Advocates, in collaboration with 1000 Friends of Oregon, jointly appealed against this proposed development to LUBA following their active involvement in multiple local hearings within Josephine County. LUBA ruled that the applicant failed to sufficiently demonstrate that the parcel in question did not constitute productive forest land, thereby preventing the County from lawfully rezoning the property for rural residential use thanks to expert testimonies provided thanks to your support! LUBA has remanded the application back to the County for further consideration. Any subsequent application must adhere to lawful land use zoning guidelines to justify the conversion of forest land to rural residential use. The decision to pursue a third attempt for approval rests with the applicant.
Grand Terrace Development – Ashland, OR
Rogue Advocates, supported by our valuable members (you!), recently secured a crucial win by challenging the Grandview Terrace development in Ashland, taking the case twice to the Land Use Board of Appeals after engaging actively in hearings since 2020. Despite initial approval by the City following hearings, Rogue Advocates’ appeals led to two remands for necessary corrections aligning with land use laws. In a conclusive October 2023 hearing before the Ashland City Council, the applicant withdrew their proposal, recognizing non-compliance with State regulations, influenced by detailed feedback from us at Rogue Advocates. While acknowledging the potential for needed low-income housing, we highlighted flaws in the project’s design and inadequate parking and the City of Ashland’s exemptions to existing policies to accommodate the development. We believe that, with some adjustments to parking and unit size and quality to better fit within Oregon’s affordable housing regulations, the proposed development can still go forward ethically and legally.
Partnership with 1000 Friends of Oregon
We are very thankful to our partners at 1000 Friends of Oregon for the continued support and assistance with various projects this year. We are also proud to announce our work with them on their Affiliate program! We have worked toward a structured partnership between 1000 Friends of Oregon and various land use advocate groups across the state like Rogue Advocates to further our collective impacts on a wide range of projects in the coming years. The 1000 Friends of Oregon affiliate program, along with the support of our valued members, allows us to focus on what is important- keeping Oregon spaces productive and beautiful! In September of this year, we met with 1000 Friends’ head Sam Diaz to discuss mutual support plans for the future. So rest assured, that future is bright!
Final Notes
As we have reiterated throughout this newsletter, your support as members of the community, donors, and contributors is absolutely invaluable to our mission at Rogue Advocates. To help bolster this support, we are happy to announce that one of our members is generously matching up to $2,500 of donations in the coming weeks! Every dollar our community donates will be matched and goes directly toward our continuing projects, like the Merlin Development fight, and we hope you will see that your donations make a direct difference to better your local and regional communities! We would love to reach this $2,500 donation goal by the end of the year, so please take the time to consider donating to our cause. Thank you all for a great year, and here’s to another productive year in 2024!