SALEM — Jefferson County officials have informed the state that in return for an 18-hole golf course and a green light for the Metolian destination resort, its legal and political opposition to the Metolius River Basin protection plan will go away.
The countyÕs new salvo in the Capitol, carried in an April 13 letter signed by Jefferson County commissioners John Hatfield, Mike Ahern and Wayne Fording, is the latest turn in the debate over a plan to ban destination resorts in the Metolius River Basin.
The letter comes on the heels of the countyÕs recent legal filing asking the Court of Appeals to block the plan, and even as recent developments in Salem are fueling optimism among Jefferson County officials that the protection plan may not pass.
ÒItÕs going to be close,Ó Ahern said.
In December, Gov. Ted Kulongoski asked the state Land Conservation and Development Commission to craft a ban on destination resorts in the basin, labeling it an Area of Critical Statewide Concern.
Last month, LCDC did so, issuing a recommendation to the Legislature that capped months of closed-door negotiations and public hearings.
Jefferson County officials oppose the idea because it would block the plans of two landowners whoÕd hoped to build destination resorts in or near the basin, resorts that would greatly expand the property tax base of the county.
One of those landowners, Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co., has expressed support for the plan. But Dutch Pacific Resources LLC, which had proposed an Òeco resortÓ for the basin called the Metolian, has not.
The countyÕs April 13 letter is addressed to Rep. Mary Nolan, D-Portland, who is chairwoman of the House Land Use Committee now considering the protection plan. The plan is contained in legislation called House Bill 3100.
The letter called on Nolan to amend the bill to allow the Metolian to go forward, as well as to allow the county to rezone land for an 18-hole golf course if it met certain environmental restrictions. ÒThe Metolian project is ready to invest $200 million in Jefferson County,Ó the commissioners wrote.
A productive meeting
Ahern, County Administrator Jeff Rasmussen and the countyÕs contract attorney, David Allen, met with Nolan on Tuesday to discuss the letter, and came away pleased.
Nolan appeared to Òwant a good solutionÓ on the bill, Ahern said later.
Nolan said afterward that she still does not see the Metolian resort being allowed by the bill, but she does think there will be more of an effort to Òhelp the county achieve its financial prosperity objectives.Ó
County officials say they have also been heartened by a House floor vote on Monday in which a separate destination resort bill only narrowly passed.
Called House Bill 2227, the legislation authorized a study of possible new statewide regulations on resorts, and also erected additional roadblocks to siting resorts on land within irrigation district boundaries.
Critics, including Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, claimed that the roadblocks amounted to a moratorium on new resorts, especially in Deschutes County.
Though sponsored by Nolan, who as House Majority Leader is that bodyÕs second-ranking Democrat, the bill garnered only 31 votes in a 60-member body. The final yes appeared to follow a personal entreaty by Nolan, who visited with Rep. Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie, at his desk on the floor to lobby him on the bill. The opponents included four Democrats, including Rep. Judy Stiegler of Bend, and the DemocratsÕ top leader in the House, Speaker Dave Hunt, who represents Gladstone and northern Clackamas County.
Asked later about his vote, Hunt said he felt the bill gave too much power to the state Department of Land Conservation and Development. On bills that could hurt the economy, ÒI just think we need to go slow,Ó he said.
Challenges ahead
The prospect of a split among top Democrats over resorts and land use has fueled speculation about whether the Metolius protection legislation will pass.
Asked about the Metolius protection bill, Hunt said he feels it has Òsignificant challenges,Ó but declined to say whether he would oppose it. HeÕll wait to see if it is amended, and Òevaluate the final product.Ó
If approved by the land use committee, the bill is assigned to go to the House Rules Committee. The committee is chaired by Rep. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, a moderate who is viewed as a close Hunt ally.
If passed out of that committee, the bill would need the approval of the full House, the Senate and Kulongoski. A co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, said he is optimistic that it will be approved.
Nick Budnick can be reached at 503-566-2839 at nbudnick@bendbulletin.com.