West Bull Mountain Planning

A West Bull Mountain advisory committee met last week and decided on the concept plan for a community to be made from the ground up, and concluded that it needs to include language about job creation and more diverse housing than some had previously expressed.

Also studied was the disparity between what people now living in the areas inside the West Bull Mountain perimeter envision for the community which include parks, walkways and lots of trees and grass, versus the realities of the marketplace.

At the first of a series of community forums held in April had expressed a desire for neighborhoods that were similar to Lake Oswego or Sherwood. This basically solidified the goals already set. All the discussion and planning is helping to create a community that truly reflects it's citizens instead of the citizens adjusting to the community. For as most people know, but usually don't practice, proactive is better than reactive.

Workgroups and committees will forward recommendations to the Washington County commissioners for all policy-level decisions, including a concept plan that will have worked its way through a series of public hearings by next spring, with final plan adoptions occurring by summer 2009.

Of course these community forums and committees will inevitably run into the issue of funding when trying to achieve what they want. These reality checks that will repeatedly pop up might cause jobs and less-expensive housing to be factors in the planning department.

The current market just does not support the full weight of these goals, but a truly great community can still be realized with compromise.

http://tigardtimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121021385308437900

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