The Latest

1000 Friends, in partnership with Friends of Yamhill County, recently won a case that prevents misuse of the home occupation statute to build hotels on Yamhill County farmland. The ruling, at the Oregon Court of Appeals, is important to safeguarding our farmland across the state, where our land use system consistently protects our farms from being picked apart, and their land diverted for unintended, non-farm activities.

Advocacy from the Linn County community helped preserve a tract of prime farmland, saving it from becoming industrial land as part of a land swap proposed by the City of Millersburg. Local public efforts ensured that this land remained outside the UGB as farmland, instead of forever losing acres of rich soil that feed our state.

This month, the Land Use Board of Appeals rejected a Marion County effort to use the home-occupation statute as a backdoor to open farm and forest lands to businesses hosting large-scale, nonfarm events.

1000 Friends of Oregon, Columbia Riverkeeper, and farmers at Port Westward celebrate the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals ruling to overturn Columbia County’s approval of a 400-car rail yard for the proposed NEXT refinery at Port Westward.

The win represents a big answer to the housing crisis in rural areas and small communities.

The Oregon Court of Appeals recently ruled that short-term rentals are not allowed on farm or forest land without a permit. This is a big win for 1000 Friends and a big win for farmers.

In a win for 1000 Friends of Oregon and Rogue Advocates, the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) ruled against Josephine County’s request to turn about 90 acres of forestland into a residential subdivision.

In a win by 1000 Friends — representing Friends of Douglas County — for residents of Douglas County, the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) remanded a decision by the Douglas County Commission to essentially create a new type of zone through an ordinance that would allow for more development in areas of fire risk, big game habitat, and farm and forestland. 

1000 Friends of Oregon represented petitioners in their fight against Lake County over the County’s decision to allow a junkyard and auto wrecking yard on farmland.

The repeated attempts to expand the Aurora Airport’s runway onto farmland not only violates Oregon’s land use planning laws, but also wastes the public’s time and money. We hope this is the last we’ll be hearing about the expansion.