Stewart v. City of Eugene

646 P.2d 74, 57 Or. App. 627, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3031
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJune 9, 1982
DocketNo. 80-050, CA A20533
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 646 P.2d 74 (Stewart v. City of Eugene) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stewart v. City of Eugene, 646 P.2d 74, 57 Or. App. 627, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3031 (Or. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

GILLETTE, P. J.

This appeal by Lane County and several other parties challenges a final order of the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) remanding to Lane County an ordinance that amended the Willamette-Long Tom Subarea comprehensive plan. The amendment changed the designation of a particular tract of land, formerly classified partly as “Agriculture” and partly as “Agriculture/industrial Reserve,” to “Special Industrial.” The tract consists of approximately 1800 acres, located between Eugene and Junction City along U.S. Highway 99. The final order was based upon approval by the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) of a preliminary determination by LUBA that the county had failed to provide sufficient reasons and facts to justify a Goal 2 exception to Goal 3 (Agriculture) in adopting the ordinance. We affirm.

The relevant facts are summarized in LUBA’s opinion:

“The ‘Industrial Triangle’ (Triangle) is an area of land located northwest of the city limits of Eugene and is bordered by the Main Branch of the Southern Pacific Rail Lines on the east, the Oregon Electric Rail Lines (operated by Burlington Northern) on the west, Aubrey Lane on the south and northern lines of Section 8, Township 16 South, Range 4 West W.M. on the north. The Triangle includes approximately 1800 acres, is comprised of numerous ownerships and contains parcels ranging in size from one acre to 720 acres. The present use of the site is predominately agricultural, although there are scattered residential and industrial uses. In 1966, as part of an overall zoning effort, the above described lands were zoned for industrial purposes. In 1976, the Willamette-Long Tom Subarea Plan was adopted by the Lane County Board of Commissioners. The Plan designated the entire area as agriculture but recognized the industrial potential of the northern most and southern most segments of the Triangle by designating them agriculture/industrial.
“On March 14, 1978, the Lane Planning Commission held a public hearing on a proposal to rezone the Triangle area and recommended that the area be rezoned to exclusive farm use to comply with the planned land use designation of the area. The matter then went to the Board of Commissioners which on April 16, 1978 continued the [630]*630proposed rezoning and directed the Planning Commission to initiate a plan amendment for the entire Triangle area, to redesignate it as ‘Industrial.’ On June 12, 1979, the Lane County Planning Commission held a special public hearing to consider the requested amendment. On August 21, 1979, the Planning Commission approved preliminary findings of fact and conclusions of law in support of its recommendation that an amendment be adopted.
“The Planning Commission’s recommendation and supporting documents were forwarded to the Lane County Board of Commissioners, which held a public hearing in Junction City on December 13, 1979, to consider the amendment proposal. On January 15, 1980, the Board tentatively approved the plan amendment and directed its Planning Staff and Legal Counsel to draft a plan amendment ordinance, supporting findings of fact and conclusions of law, an exception to Goal 3 and an industrial zoning ordinance that would encourage retention of large parcels within the Triangle and permit interim farming and special light manufacturing uses. On April 2, 1980, the contested ordinance was passed.
“Under the terms of the special industrial district established by the ordinance, development is not allowed until zoning provisions governing the use are implemented. Under the zoning provisions, each development proposal will be evaluated on its own merits and must meet specific standards before a permit will be issued. Until that time the property is to remain in its current designation, Agriculture or Agricultural/Industrial Reserve and may only be put to the uses allowed under an EFU-20 designation. The industrial designation allows for uses similar to those presently allowed in zoning districts M-l, M-2 and M-3 (light to heavy industry designations).
“It appears that if fully developed under the special industrial designation the 1800 acre Triangle area could provide employment for between 18,000 and 45,000 workers. No specific companies are slated for immediate use of the property, but indications are that high technology, low polluting type industries are what Lane County desires to have locate within the Triangle.
“The Triangle contains a variety of Class I-IV soils but according to the findings of Respondent Lane County, the predominant soil types are Class IIw and Class IVw. Both classes are wet soils and experience varying degrees of drainage problems. The agricultural uses of the land [631]*631within the Triangle are primarily grass seed production and winter pasture for sheep. Most land in the Triangle is presently harvested nine out of every ten years.
“The Triangle is served by many forms of transporation. It is in the area of Mahlon Sweet Airport, is bordered on two sides by railroad tracks and is served by U.S. Highway 99 which is in the process of being expanded to four lanes from just north of the Eugene city limits to Junction City.”

LUBA held that Lane County, in adopting the comprehensive plan amendment, did not properly adopt a Goal 2 exception to Goal 3, which applies to agricultural land. Specifically, LUBA concluded that the land in question did not qualify as a “site specific resource”1 that would be appropriate for designation beyond the Eugene-Springfield urban growth boundary. LCDC adopted LUBA’s proposed order as its own, and this final order of LUBA followed.

Petitioners first challenge the city’s standing to seek review of this Lane County land use action with LUBA. They argue that the city did not establish that it had been “adversely affected or aggrieved,” as required by Or Laws 1979, ch 772, §§ 4(1), (2) and 6(a).2

The city alleged, in its petition to LUBA, that it had appeared in the proceedings below in opposition to the proposed action and that:

“[t]he action under review has significant impact on property within the City of Eugene, and long-term effects upon comprehensive planning for the urban area. The inter-relationship of city and county land use planning and the proximity of the city’s boundaries to the subject property give the city standing * * *.”

[632]*632In Ruegg v. Clackamas County, 32 Or App 77, 573 P2d 740 (1978), this court upheld a municipality’s standing in a writ of review proceeding in which the standard was an “injury of substantial right.” ORS 34.040. We stated:

“In view of the inter-relationship between the county’s and city’s land use planning, the proximity of the city’s boundaries to the subject property, and the trend in the law to extend standing in land use cases to persons other than those who own contiguous property * * * the city should have been permitted to appear as a party in this proceeding.” 32 Or App at 80.

Similarly, we conclude here that the inevitable inter-relationship between the city’s and county’s land use planning and the undisputed fact that the area involved here borders on the city limits of Eugene combine to confer standing upon the city. See also 1000 Friends v.

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Related

Stewart v. City of Eugene
653 P.2d 1017 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1982)

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Bluebook (online)
646 P.2d 74, 57 Or. App. 627, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3031, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stewart-v-city-of-eugene-orctapp-1982.