Springfield flood-plain rules draw fire.Byline: MATT COOPER Matt Cooper may refer to:
SPRINGFIELD - The feedback was as plain as the river's edge: Developers on Monday urged the city to stick with current flood-plain development rules, while residents warned that the maps guiding that development are wrong. Almost 30 people took up the city's request to speak on the flood-plain code, which has confounded the City Council recently amid growing local and federal pressures. At the heart of the issue are maps drawn by the Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the federal agency responsible for coordinating emergency planning, preparedness, risk reduction, response, and recovery. The agency works closely with state and local governments by funding emergency programs and providing technical that regulate millions of dollars in flood-plain development. Residents say the maps aren't accurate and future flood-plain development could compromise the area's ability to absorb a flood - thus threatening homes, if not lives. "I am not an expert, but I saw with my own eyes what the McKenzie River For rivers name "Mackenzie", see . The McKenzie River is a tributary of the Willamette River, 86 miles (138 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range east of Eugene into the southernmost end of the Willamette Valley. can do," said Anne Heinsoo, who lives in the Gateway area. "Please don't let economic advantages prevent you from considering thoroughly whether any development is (safe)." On the other bank are pro-business advocates such as Tom Costabile, senior vice president of operations for Springfield-based Sony Disc Manufacturing. New restrictions on flood-plain development, Costabile said, will restrict the ability of companies to provide family-wage jobs. Following 2 1/2 hours of testimony, Mayor Sid Leiken said that the flood-plain development code is sound, but the maps behind it may not be. By the end of the year, Leiken wants the city to rectify rec·ti·fy v. 1. To set right; correct. 2. To refine or purify, especially by distillation. any errors in the maps so that the city's policy "can reconcile the differences between developers and the community." The council, which has been studying flood-plain development policy for years, began a series of refresher courses after reversing itself in February on a housing project in the Thurston area. The council initially opposed annexation of the 30-unit Eagles Flight subdivision in part because of confusion over the location of the flood plain there. Staff used the maps to determine that the Eagles Flight project would be beyond the reach of a potentially huge flood, but neighbors disagreed, citing watery wa·ter·y adj. 1. Filled with, consisting of, or soaked with water; wet or soggy. 2. Secreting or discharging water or watery fluid, especially as a symptom of disease. experiences during the 1996 flood. Later in February, Leiken cast the deciding vote to reconsider the annexation, citing the council's need to learn more about its flood-plain development rules. Eric Gossler, speaking Monday for the Thurston Rural Neighborhood Association A neighborhood association is a group of residents, sometimes organized as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, who take on problems or organize activities within a neighborhood. An association may have elected leaders and voluntary or mandatory dues. , said councilors must choose either to restrict future flood-plain development or provide bank protection. "If we're going to continue to develop in the flood plain, the city cannot turn a blind eye," he said. FEMA FEMA, n.pr See Federal Emergency Management Agency. , which provides flood insurance Flood insurance denotes the specific insurance coverage against property loss from flooding. To determine risk factors for specific properties, insurers will often refer to topographical maps that denote lowlands and floodplains that are susceptible to flooding. only to those cities that observe its development regulations, has begun encouraging retention of the country's flood plains for flood management. Still, as cities continue to build out, developers are turning to whatever land is available - and in Springfield, that includes land next to the McKenzie and Willamette rivers Willamette River River, northwestern Oregon, U.S. It flows north for 300 mi (485 km) into the Columbia River near Portland. Oregon's most populous cities are in its valley. The Fremont Bridge, a steel arch with a main span of 1,225 ft (373 m), crosses the river at Portland. , which enclose the city north and south. Excluding Glenwood, for which numbers aren't available, there are about 218 buildable build·a·ble adj. Suitable or available for building: "The problem was finding a site that was well located, appropriately zoned . . . and buildable" Sam Hall Kaplan. acres in the flood plain, compared with another 2,000 or so acres citywide, Planning Manager Greg Mott said. The most controversial project facing the city, in fact, borders the McKenzie River: PeaceHealth plans to build a $350 million hospital and surrounding commercial and residential parcels on 160 acres near Gateway. Philip Farrington, PeaceHealth director of land use planning
Land use planning is the term used for a branch of public policy which encompasses various disciplines which seek to order and regulate the use of land in an efficient and ethical way. , encouraged the city Monday to stick with the existing code, adding that PeaceHealth was also engaged in a flood-plain analysis. "We urge the city not to make changes in the middle of the stream," he said. Resident Fred Starkey drew the night's most raucous rau·cous adj. 1. Rough-sounding and harsh: raucous laughter. 2. Boisterous and disorderly: "the raucous give and take of American democracy" anti-development applause for warning the city not to place development above the risk to residents. "Their homes are in danger. Their lives are in danger," Starkey said. "And you want to shift the risk (to the residents). That's wrong." While councilors took no action Monday, their comments suggested support for analysis of the flood-plain maps - in light of the city's continued growth. "I'm very pro-business," council President Lyle Hatfield said. "I'm not going to put the brakes on economic development. We are going to look at our data and find out if there is a problem that needs to be addressed." |
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