State officials have come up with a plan that would keep destination resorts away from the Metolius, and the pro-resort forces are, predictably, fuming and sputtering.
The rules now being backed by the state Land Conservation and Development Commission would block both a 640-acre “eco-resort” that Dutch Pacific Resources LLC wants to build within the Metolius Basin and a 2,500-unit monstrosity that Ponderosa Land & Cattle Co. proposed to build on the fringe of the basin.
As a sort of consolation prize the DLCD is offering to let the developers build resorts on land near Round Butte, although they’d have to be a lot smaller than the ones they’ve proposed – 650 units for Ponderosa’s and 350 for Dutch Pacific’s. This offer apparently also is meant to appease Jefferson County, which presently has no destination resorts and would dearly love some.
The Bulletin editorial page – which has written five editorials on the Metolius issue already this year, among other things comparing Gov. Ted Kulongoksi to Josef Stalin – was in its usual fine form this morning, claiming Kulongoski was dealing from the bottom of the deck:
“The resort developers would be offered first dibs on land for destination resorts they may not even want near Round Butte, east of Lake Billy Chinook. The resorts would have to be smaller than what might have been allowed in or near the Metolius basin. …
“Some people will agree with Kulongoski that the Metolius basin deserves better protection. And perhaps they’re right. But if the state is going to slash development rights, it shouldn’t attempt to weasel out of its moral obligation to compensate affected landowners fairly.”
It’s that last sentence that The Eye mostly takes issue with. What “rights,” exactly, are the resort developers being deprived of? What should they be “compensated” for?
Here’s the situation: Dutch Pacific and Ponderosa own forest land near the Metolius. They want to put destinations resorts on it and, hopefully, make a barrel of money. The Jefferson County Commission has obliged by designating the area encompassing their property for destination resort development. But that designation is still under appeal in the courts.
If Dutch Pacific and Ponderosa are not allowed to build their proposed resorts they’ll still own the land and still be free to use it for the purpose it’s zoned for – growing timber. They won’t have “lost” anything except the purely speculative barrel of money they MIGHT have made IF they had been able to build the resorts and IF the resorts had been successful.
If the state has a moral obligation to compensate developers for that, The Eye thinks it also should compensate us for the $80 million we would have won in the Powerball lottery if we had bought a ticket and our numbers had come up.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2009.
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497317 View Transaction 11/07/2008 Original Committee to Elect Sal Esquivel Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $250.00
483173 View Transaction 10/28/2008 Original RE-ELECT ARNIE ROBLAN Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $500.00
455340 View Transaction 10/15/2008 Original Friends of Toby Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $1,000.00
460366 View Transaction 10/14/2008 Original Hunt, Dave, Friends of Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $2,500.00
444623 View Transaction 10/10/2008 Original Friends of Chris Garrett Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $500.00
434601 View Transaction 10/06/2008 Original Friends of Vicki Berger Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $250.00
432218 View Transaction 10/03/2008 Original Friends of Jeff Barker Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $1,000.00
417964 View Transaction 09/24/2008 Original Chuck Burley for State Representative Dutch Pacific Resources LLC Cash Contribution $500.00
418527 View Transaction 09/24/2008 Original Chris Telfer for State Senate Dutch Pacific Resources LLC Cash Contribution $1,000.00
385723 View Transaction 08/26/2008 Original Friends of Larry Galizio Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $500.00
387291 View Transaction 08/26/2008 Original Friends of Tobias Read Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $1,000.00
390695 View Transaction 08/13/2008 Original Friends of Ted Ferrioli Dutch Pacific Resources Cash Contribution $250.00
368613 View Transaction 07/26/2008 Original Friends of Matt Lindland Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $500.00
338391 View Transaction 06/16/2008 Original Friends of Chris Edwards Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC. Cash Contribution $250.00
328419 View Transaction 05/23/2008 Original Thatcher, Kim, Friends of Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $250.00
309578 View Transaction 05/01/2008 Original Schaufler, Mike, for State Representative Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $1,000.00
309281 View Transaction 04/30/2008 Original Committee to Elect Vicki Walker Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $1,000.00
273323 View Transaction 04/08/2008 Original Friends of Greg Macpherson Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $250.00
271414 View Transaction 04/03/2008 Original Friends of Ted Ferrioli Dutch Pacific Resources Cash Contribution $250.00
201318 View Transaction 01/24/2008 Original Friends of Jason Atkinson Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $500.00
164459 View Transaction 12/19/2007 Original Friends of Linda Flores Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $1,000.00
158737 View Transaction 12/12/2007 Original RE-ELECT ARNIE ROBLAN Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $500.00
167284 View Transaction 12/10/2007 Original Friends of Ted Ferrioli Dutch Pacific Resources Cash Contribution $350.00
141665 View Transaction 11/15/2007 Original Friends of Suzanne Bonamici Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $250.00
138679 View Transaction 11/06/2007 Original Friends of Fred Girod Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $250.00
109502 View Transaction 10/07/2007 Original Friends of Tobias Read Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $250.00
102404 View Transaction 09/19/2007 Original Committee to Elect John E. Huffman Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $1,000.00
86444 View Transaction 08/11/2007 Original Friends of Larry Galizio Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC Cash Contribution $2,500.00
SHANE LUNDGREN
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Record No Entity Type Entity Status Assoc Type Registry Number Name Status Name
1 DNP ACT PRE 336738-98 CUR BLACK BUTTE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOUNDATION
2 ABN ACT REP 207851-92 CUR DUTCH PACIFIC PROPERTIES
3 DLLC ACT MEM 203626-95 CUR JEFFERSON PEAK, LLC
4 DLLC ACT AGT 203626-95 CUR JEFFERSON PEAK, LLC
5 DLLC ACT MGR 433107-96 CUR METOLIUS SISTERS, LLC
6 DLLC ACT MEM 219618-91 CUR ROEBUCK LLC
7 DLLC ACT AGT 219618-91 CUR ROEBUCK LLC
8 DLLC ACT MEM 225491-90 CUR SUN RANCH INN LLC
9 DLLC ACT AGT 225491-90 CUR SUN RANCH INN LLC
This is when I begin to question the wisdom that political contributions are protected as “free speech”. The above list is a frightening collection of people who have some pretty narrow self-interests that don’t include caring about the majority of the people of Central Oregon but rather a small group of already too powerful folk.
Well it goes to show you that are elected representatives hold nothing sacred in lieu of having to find and hold a real job.
$3000 to Galizio (D-35)? What’s that about? He’s out in the valley and he won by a landslide…
I fully support the Governors efforts in designating the Metolius Basin an ACC (Area of Critical Concern). This idyllic place is just developed enough as it is, and is hardly in disrepair or in need of additional economic support as has been suggested by these developers. It does not matter how eco-friendly a property like this is, letting nature be will always be the MOST eco friendly option. If an eco-resort is the real dream and not just a marketing ploy, then the property should be developed in a less sensitive area.