PO Box 28454 Portland, OR 97228
PHONE: (503) 626-8197
oapa@oregonapa.org ● http://www.oregonapa.org
July 17, 2014
Land Conservation and Development Commission
635 Capitol St NE
Salem, OR 97301-2540
RE: DRAFT 2014-2022 STRATEGIC PLAN
Dear Commissioners,
The Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) is a membership-based organization made
up of more than 800 professional and citizen planners in the state. Our Legislative and Policy Affairs
Committee (LPAC) Policy Subcommittee has reviewed the draft 2014-2022 Strategic Plan. We concur with
the mission and support the theme – “Improve capacity to gather, analyze, and distribute data and
information to local jurisdictions and other stakeholders, and to guide policy development” and we
encourage the Department to continue its efforts in this area.
Respectfully, we offer our suggestions and are available to discuss these recommendations as you wish. We:
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Commend the department for taking the long view and continuing to best integrate land use and
transportation planning, defining and working toward well-recognized outcomes such as those for
the triple bottom line, health, and climate change.
Encourage a perspective of creating positive synergies between rural and urban areas, including
economic development and tourism.
Applaud an orientation of partnership, associated actions and investment strategies responding to
local and regional opportunities and needs.
Promote a technical assistance perspective whereby the agency partners with local governments and
provides assistance with implementation of rules you enforce.
Recognize the importance of equity and continuing to respond to an increasingly diverse Oregon.
Specifically, we suggest that you:
 Advance triple bottom line-oriented decision-making processes.
 Continue to meet state greenhouse gas reduction targets.
 Seek and increase funding to local communities to update their comprehensive plans.
 Initiate rulemaking for Goal 7: Natural Hazards.
 Update the Housing Needs Analysis guidebook, including responding to the expected federal rule
clarifying communities’ obligation to affirmatively further fair housing goals.
 Create an equity lens or considerations for LCDC’s decision-making.
OAPA, Page
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Consider specific amendments with respect to equity (see attached).
Encourage regional level buildable lands analysis, including analysis of housing needs and economic
opportunities.
Continue and strengthen support for other regional decision making bodies, including MPOs, COGs,
ACTs, watershed councils and others. Acknowledge other regional planning bodies in the strategies.
Regarding the DLCD mission, OAPA encourages the Department to continue to improve the ways it
works with its local government partners to ensure that the partnership is both dynamic and
effective.
Regarding Goal 2, OAPA recommends that the Department not lose sight of the fact that this goal is
intended to accomplish multiple purposes, including, but not limited to, preserving farmland and
natural areas outside UGBs and ensuring needed housing and economic opportunities inside UGBs.
With respect to Goal 3: Engage the Public and Stakeholders in Oregon’s Land Use Planning Program
(Page 9), OAPA strongly supports the Department’s continued efforts to not only increase
participation, but also better communicate the program’s benefits at the state and local level. In
particular, OAPA recommends the Commission and the Department look at ways through which they
can continue to communicate and educate about the program and how it guides the decisions that
your partners make at the local level.
Regarding Goal 4: Provide Timely and Dynamic Leadership to Support Local and Regional Problem
Solving, OAPA strongly supports the Department seeking an increase in grant funding for local
governments to address local and regional challenges. Please let OAPA know when we can testify in
support of increased grant funding in the Department’s budget and how grant funded projects have
helped communities around Oregon address these types of issues.
Thank you again for the opportunity to comment on this important document.
Sincerely,
Jason Franklin, AICP
President, Oregon APA
OAPA, Page
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OAPA: From an Equity Perspective
Goal 2: Promote Sustainable, Vibrant Communities (pages 6 – 8)
 The opening paragraphs should address Oregon’s diversity and what it means for promoting
sustainable, vibrant communities
 Top of page 7---This is an opportunity to include housing planning along with land use and
transportation planning, so that it reads “Land use, transportation and housing planning are lined to
provide for the development of well-functioning, well designed, healthy and diverse communities. “
All too often, housing planning (Consolidated Plans) occurs in isolation from land use and
transportation planning.
 Expand New Strategy 3 to read: Develop more effective housing affordability and housing choice
strategies that support fair access to housing opportunities for Oregon’s diverse population.
 Under Community Development, include diversity in the first New Strategy, so that it reads “Improve
the ability of communities to carry out plans to develop well-functioning, well-designed, healthy and
diverse communities.
 Under Community Development, include housing in the third bullet, so that it reads “…align land use,
transportation, other infrastructure planning and affordable housing resources …
 In the introductory statements regarding natural hazards and climate change, acknowledge that low
income and historically marginalized populations are often concentrated in the most precarious
places, including, for example, flood plains, and that developing local resiliency should address this.
Goal 3: Engaging the Public
 The opening paragraphs should consider the impact of growing cultural and language diversity on
state of the art community engagement.
 The new Strategies should address this growing diversity.
Goal 4: Leadership
 Recognize the need to seek out the involvement of and coordinate strategic initiatives with
organizations representing communities of color (in addition to the tribes) and low-income
populations by adding them to the list of advocacy organizations listed at the bottom of page 11.
Goal 5: Professional Services for Diversity and Equity
 Consider adding a new strategy that addresses building the capacity of the department to
understand and work effectively with emerging populations, such as recruitment of staff from
diverse backgrounds and/or in-house training of existing staff.