Oregon Coast Alliance Newsletter
Coastal Development Proposals Old and New
LUBA Remands Knapp Ranch Golf Course Proposal!
Cleaning Up an Old Fish Hatchery in the Pistol River
Port of Newport Looking to Build a New Facility
LUBA Remands Knapp Ranch Golf Course Proposal!

    
Cape Blanco Lighthouse Just North of Knapp Ranch    

  

ORCA appealed the Curry County approval of Knapp Ranch golf course to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). The court remanded the county decision back for more work. State law limits the amount of development that can take place adjacent to an urban growth boundary -- and Knapp Ranch is contiguous with the Port Orford UGB. However, the state standards have not been litigated before, and are not entirely clear. It is questionable whether the clubhouse and other buildings proposed by the Knapp Ranch golf course proponents meet those standards. ORCA will participate in any remand hearings that take place in Curry County on this proposal.


Cleaning Up an Old Fish Hatchery in the Pistol River

       
Salmon Ranch hatchery on the Pistol. Photo Courtesy DOGAMI

  

The Crook family owns a large ranch bordering the Pistol River in Curry County. Years ago they built a fish hatchery, called Salmon Ranch, on low-lying fields near the river. But the river began to undercut the bank about ten years ago, and the concrete pens, rebar and other materials began to fall into the river. ORCA has been seeking to require clean-up of this problem -- which is probably a hazard to navigation, among other issues -- for four years now. After numerous attempts by DEQ to get the family to remove the offending materials, which were only minimally successful, DEQ finally put the case into enforcement, levying a fine and requiring removal of all materials in the water to an upland location. It became clear that extensive bank stabilization would be necessary to prevent further slabs of the old hatchery from falling into the river as bank undercutting continued.

In late May the Crook family applied to the Department of State Lands for a permit to begin the removal and stabilization project. DSL granted the permit, and the US Army Corps of Engineers is also in the process of finalizing the permit they require, in time for the summer in-water work season. Work on this longstanding problem will hopefully begin later this summer. It may take more than one season to complete, but after four years without any solution, ORCA is optimistic that some progress is being made at last.

 
Port of Newport Looking to Build a New Facility
 
Port of Newport International Terminal. Photo Courtesy Port of Newport 

  

The Port of Newport completed its international terminal renovation in 2011. The question since then has been what to use the new dock for, apart from the commercial fishing fleet's activity. The Port is now working on a new project for the area, to ready itself for future uses. The Port is finalizing an option with Teevin Brothers  for a log handling yard or other loading facility. The Port itself would build the industrial park, but use Teevin's engineering and other expertise. Their plan is to build it generically enough so it could be used for agricultural products such as grain, or other cargos that may provide good shipping opportunities in the future. The new facility is targeted for Maclean Point, on the ten acres or so the Port owns. It is zoned for industrial uses.The family that owns a larger acreage on the Point is considering its own development plans.

The Port is currently investigating the wetland mitigation requirements for the site, having engineers prepare preliminary cost estimates for the proposal, and looking into the infrastructure needs. Eventually, before building anything, the Port will apply for necessary permits from the Department of Environmental Quality, both for construction and operation of the site. For further information, please contact Cameron la Follette at cameron@oregoncoastalliance.org

  
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Contact Executive Director Cameron La Follette by email
or phone: 503-391-0210
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