Westside Neighborhood Quality Project, Inc. v. School District 4J Board of Directors

647 P.2d 962, 58 Or. App. 154, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3092
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJuly 8, 1982
DocketNo. 81-096, CA A23957
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 647 P.2d 962 (Westside Neighborhood Quality Project, Inc. v. School District 4J Board of Directors) 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
Westside Neighborhood Quality Project, Inc. v. School District 4J Board of Directors, 647 P.2d 962, 58 Or. App. 154, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3092 (Or. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

RICHARDSON, P. J.

Petitioners appeal the order of the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) affirming Eugene School District 4J’s decision to close Lincoln Community School. The district cross-appeals from LUBA’s determination that the district’s action was a “land use decision” and was therefore reviewable by LUBA. We agree with the district that LUBA lacked jurisdiction.

The district board voted to close the school on August 5, 1981. The decision was made following public hearings and was based on extensive findings. The principal reasons for the decision were fiscal, including anticipated substantial expenses of bringing the school facility into conformity with safety standards. The district also concluded, among other things, that continued operation of the school would have a negative impact on district-wide staffing policy, that there were existing nearby schools for the Lincoln students and that closure of the school would have no long-term adverse effects on the community. The district made findings to the effect that the closure decision | did not violate the statewide land use planning goals. Finally, the district made findings pertaining to certain policies under the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (MAGP) and the implementing Eugene West- [ side Neighborhood Plan (WNP).1 WNP contains the policy| that the city is to

“[m]aintain Lincoln Community School, in cooperation with School District 4J, as the educational, social, recreational and community center of the Westside Neighborhood, by strengthening both the physical facility and programs provided there.”

The district found:

“Opponents of the closure of Lincoln School have argued that this policy prevents us from closing Lincoln School. We do not agree. This policy is not directed to District 4J, but rather to the City — telling it to do what it can to maintain Lincoln School ‘in cooperation with School District 4J.’ The policy should not and cannot be interpreted as an attempt by the City to usurp the statutory [157]*157authority of the school district over educational programs. Given the fact that we had to close the school for educational and safety reasons, this policy can be interpreted to require the City to make every effort to negotiate with us an agreement for it to use the building as a community center.” (Emphasis in original.)

Underlying the district’s closure decision and the city’s interest in maintaining the school as an educational facility is the fact that the school is a central-city institution. The student population in the area has declined over the years, while the city’s concern with revitalizing the downtown area has increased. See Jarvill v. City of Eugene, 289 Or 157, 613 P2d 1, cert den 449 US 1013 (1980).

The threshold and decisive question in this case is whether the closure decision is a “land use decision” within the meaning of ORS 197.015(10) and is therefore reviewable by LUBA under Oregon Laws 1979, chapter 772, section 4(1), as amended by Oregon Laws 1981, chapter 748.2 LUBA answered the question affirmatively. It reasoned that ORS 197.185(1)3 requires special districts, like school [158]*158districts, to apply the statewide goals and, through Goal 2, relevant comprehensive plans in exercising planning functions or in taking action with respect to programs affecting land use. LUBA relied by analogy on the Supreme Court’s statement in Petersen v. Klamath Falls, 279 Or 249, 253-54, 566 P2d 1193 (1977), that ORS 197.175(1) applies to “local planning activities which will have a significant impact on present or future land uses.” LUBA then stated:

“We conclude the decision of the district to close Lincoln School for elementary education purposes is a land use decision over which this board has review jurisdiction. The MAGP and the WNP contain policies which specifically address Lincoln and its importance to the downtown Eugene area and the west Eugene neighborhood of which it is a part. The district does not contend that the MAGP and the WNP policies pertaining to schools in general or Lincoln in particular are not valid or were outside the authority of the City of Eugene to adopt. At most, the district’s position is that it simply was not required to consider the policies of the MAGP and WNP in arriving at its closure decision.”

LUBA also relied on this court’s opinion in Jackson County v. Bear Creek Authority, 53 Or App 823, 632 P2d 1349 (1981) (which the Supreme Court affirmed while I the present appeal was pending, 293 Or 121, 645 P2d 532 (1982)). LUBA understood us to have held in Bear Creek I that the “plan making authority” of a special district isf “secondary and subservient to that of a county [or a city].’ After analogizing the issue before it to our analysis in Bearl Creek of the relative policy and planning authority of thej county and the sanitary district, LUBA stated:

“Policies with respect to the provision of school services are also, on their face, within the power of cities to adopt. ORS 197.015(5) defines a comprehensive plan as the map and policy statement ‘that interrelates all functional and natural systems and activities relating to the use of lands, including but not limited to sewer and water systems. . . educational systems, . . .’ Goal 11 also requires cities ‘to [159]*159plan and develop a timely, orderly and efficient arrangement of public facilities and services to serve as a framework for urban and rural development.’ The goal defines ‘timely, orderly and efficient arrangement’ as ‘a system or plan that coordinates the type, location and delivery of public facilities and services in a manner that best supports the existing and proposed land uses.’ ‘Urban facilities and services’ as used in Goal 11 ‘refers to key facilities’ which are, in turn, defined to include ‘public schools.’ ” (Emphasis LUBA’s.)

Finally, LUBA rejectf the district’s arguments based on Housing Council v. City of Lake Oswego, 48 Or App 525, 617 P2d 655 (1980), petition for review dismissed, 291 Or 878, 635 P2d 647 (1981). We stated in Housing Council that, notwithstanding the potential impact of local fiscal measures on land use,

“[w]e simply cannot imagine that the legislature intended that all local taxation, budget and fiscal policy had to comply with the statewide planning goals. A county might decide that it will or will not expend money to pave graveled roads. A city might adopt either a very modest or very grandiose budget for acquisition of park land and construction of parks. A city might set sewer and water rates relatively high or relatively low. A school district might adopt a barebones budget, or it might decide to build heated swimming pools and indoor tennis courts at ah the schools. All of these decisions would affect land use interests like transportation, recreation and the efficient provision of public services.

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Westside, Etc. v. School Dist. 4j, Etc.
647 P.2d 962 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1982)

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647 P.2d 962, 58 Or. App. 154, 1982 Ore. App. LEXIS 3092, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/westside-neighborhood-quality-project-inc-v-school-district-4j-board-of-orctapp-1982.