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La Orden de cumplimiento solo afecta a quienes estén considerando la posibilidad de nuevos desarrollos en propiedades con áreas actualmente declaradas en los mapas como Hábitat de vida silvestre. No está directamente relacionada con el proceso de mapeo actualizado.

En la primavera de 2023, la Comisión de Conservación y Desarrollo de Tierras (Land Conservation and Development Commission, LCDC) del estado emitió una orden de cumplimiento que nos obligaba a modificar nuestra reglamentación sobre recursos naturales. La orden incluye una suspensión temporal de algunos desarrollos.

The Enforcement Order only affects those considering new development on properties with areas currently mapped as Wildlife Habitat. It is not directly connected with the updated mapping process.

In spring 2023, the state Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) issued an enforcement order directing us to amend our natural resource regulations. The order includes a stay on certain development.

We identified Significant Natural Resources (SNRs) in unincorporated Washington County through a Goal 5 inventory process as part of the comprehensive planning done in the early 1980s.

The inventory for the urban areas is a compilation of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and Portland Audubon Society habitat maps and aerial photos used to identify tree canopy. Using the habitat maps, we and our environmental consultants did limited field work to refine the areas where significant habitat or other Goal 5 resources may have been present. We used the aerials to identify the contiguous tree canopy patches of 5 acres or more inside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB).

We then shared the habitat maps at community planning meetings for study and input for the urban areas. We prepared a Goal 5 Economic, Social, Environmental, Energy (ESEE) Analysis of the impacts of conflicting uses on the resources for the natural resources that were deemed significant. Results of this Goal 5 inventory process for the urban area can be found in the Community Plan SNR maps.

For the rural area, the Washington County Board of Commissioners adopted the ODFW maps from the Habitat Protection Plan developed for the County, showing water-related resources and Big Game Habitat more generally. See Rural/Natural Resource Plan maps

Metro defines Upland Wildlife Habitat as, "areas that provide food, cover, roosting and nesting sites for an array of wildlife. Includes forests, woodland, grasslands, wetlands, rocky slopes and uplands, buttes and other features."

An independent consultant assessed both work groups’ budgets, staffing and workflows. Several service-level scenarios prepared by the consultant were reviewed. To achieve customer service/turn-around times desired by both customers and staff, additional staffing is required. Existing low staffing levels are not sustainable for either employees or our customers, who are sometimes having to deal with unacceptable turnaround times. 

Key recommendations from this assessment included: 

• A 50% fee increase to:

  • Provide the minimum staffing needed to meet desired service levels. 

  • Close the gap between costs and revenue 

• Annual fee adjustments to address ongoing program cost increases beginning July 1, 2024.

• A technology fee on permits/applications to fund technology systems operations and updates beginning July 1, 2024.