be developed for industrial use.
(Photo: Kevin Van Dyke)
Beaverton resident, race promoter, and bike advocate Kris Schamp has joined a grassroots effort to save 34,000 acres of rural farmland from industrial and residential development in Washington County.
Schamp, owner of Portland Racing and communications director of Northwest Trail Alliance, has organized the “Save Helvetia! Bike Ride” that will take place this Saturday (9/5).
Save Helvetia is a coalition of community members working to influence a major land use decision that would impact popular biking roads west of Portland around the small farming towns of North Plains, Helvetia, and others.
“I kind of feel connected to the land out there, so it feels good when I know the produce I’m eating was grown right there in a field I ride by all the time.”
— Erik Voldengen
According to Save Helvetia volunteer Cherry Amabisca, the City of Hillsboro and Washington County are requesting 34,000 acres of existing agricultural land be put into “Urban Reserves”. The proposal is part of a process being undertaken by Metro (along with Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas County), to designate areas outside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) as either Urban or Rural Reserves.
Lands put into Urban Reserves will be candidates for expansion of the UGB in coming decades and Rural Reserves will remain set aside for agriculture well into the future. (Learn more about the Urban/Rural Reserves process on Metro’s website.)
Amabisca says the 34,000 acre request amounts to 25% of all available farmland in Washington County.
“The countryside you enjoy cycling through will be replaced with industrial complexes and housing densities of 10 to an acre. You will no longer have close-in country roads to enjoy and to get to them you will be riding through urban and suburban areas, with the associated traffic issues.”
Schamp is not just trying to save this area for great bike riding, he also knows several of the farmers in the area and says they’re strongly opposed to the plan. “They prefer to continue farming and preserve this rural area for future generations.” About the impact to people who ride in the area, Schamp says, “The scenic/pastoral landscape and hillside roads make this area a great destination for recreational rides, with the added bonus that it is within riding distance of downtown Portland.”
Schamp hopes his ride will raise awareness and garner support for Save Helvetia’s proposal — which is to designate all the land north of Highway 26 as Rural Reserves. The ride will stop at farms and several scenic viewpoints along the way.
(Photo: Kris Schamp)
Portland-based web developer Erik Voldengen has been riding in the area for many years, including one spot he knows as “proposal point” because of two friends who got engaged there. Voldengen told BikePortland that he not only rides in the area, but also buys produce and milk from the farms. “I kind of feel connected to the land out there, so it feels good when I know the produce I’m eating was grown right there in a field I ride by all the time.”
Washington County held a public hearing on August 20th but opportunities remain for community input. Metro will hold a hearing in September and the final decision will be made in November. More on public involvement opportunities here.
Full details on the ride here.
For more on this issue, read coverage in The Oregonian and visit SaveHelvetia.org