Prevent Industrial Development in Wildlife Habitat

We just had a huge victory with the unanimous council vote enacting the toughest fossil fuel infrastructure ban in the United States. Thank you to everybody who helped make this happen! Now we need your help to ensure that industrial developers don’t turn our most valuable natural areas, like West Hayden Island, into industrial developments.

Please help us send a strong message to the Portland City Council that the community supports the approach to industrial lands outlined in the current draft of the Comprehensive Plan which focuses on cleaning up more than 900 acres of contaminated sites, intensifying use of the existing industrial land base, and limiting conversions of industrial land to other uses, rather than converting irreplaceable natural areas to industrial use.

Photo by Mike Houck

The Comprehensive Plan is the City’s long range land use plan. It is currently being updated and after many years of public process, it is heading to City Council for final hearings and adoption.

The bad news is that once again, industrial interests like the Port of Portland and Portland Business Alliance are fighting to limit environmental regulations and include sites like West Hayden Island in the city’s industrial land inventory. We have been here before…

The good news is that the Planning and Sustainability Commission forwarded a recommended draft Comp Plan to City Council which rejects this approach. It leaves West Hayden Island out of the industrial lands inventory and allows for the strengthening of environmental protections along our rivers. It says that industrial land needs in Portland should be met by taking better care of the industrial lands we already have by cleaning up contaminated sites, making more efficient use of the existing industrial land base, and stopping industrial property owners from converting industrial lands to other uses when there is a profit to be made.

This is the right approach for our community, our environment and our economy.

We need your help! Industrial interests are already fighting hard to convert natural areas to industrial use—no surprise there. It is cheaper for them to destroy natural areas than it is to clean up their own contaminated sites and make more efficient use of their existing land. They profit and the community and environment pay.

How You Can Help:

Write or Call City Council
Commissioner Nick Fish: 503-823-3589 | nick@portlandoregon.gov
Commissioner Steve Novick: 503-823-4682 | novick@portlandoregon.gov
Commissioner Dan Saltzman: 503-823-4151 | dan@portlandoregon.gov
Commissioner Amanda Fritz: (503) 823-3008 | amanda@portlandoregon.gov
Mayor Hales: (503)-823-4120 | mayorcharliehales@portlandoregon.gov

Attend the Upcoming Hearing
Thursday, January 7 2016, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Self Enhancement, Inc.
3920 N Kerby Ave
Portland, OR 97227

Key Messages

  • Let Council know that you support the approach taken on industrial lands in the recommended draft of the Comprehensive Plan;
  • Portland has over 900 acres of contaminated sites. The Draft Comp Plan takes the right approach in focusing on cleaning up contaminated sites and restoring them to productive issue rather than converting natural areas to meet industrial land demand;
  • The Draft Comp Plan takes the right approach in focusing on intensification of use of the existing industrial land base rather than converting natural areas to meet industrial land demand;
  • The Draft Comp Plan takes the right approach in limiting conversion of industrial lands for non-industrial uses rather than destroying the last remaining natural areas along our rivers. Industrial interests should not be allowed to cash out their industrial land holdings and then turn around and demand cheap new industrial acres in critical natural areas.
  • West Hayden Island should not be included in the industrial lands inventory;
  • ​Environmental regulations on industrial lands should not be restricted or rolled back—industrial lands along our rivers are also some of our most important and degraded natural resource lands and industrial landowners should not be exempted from protecting our rivers.

We have fought for years to protect precious natural areas like West Hayden Island from industrial development. Please let Council know that you support the approach to industrial lands currently in the Draft Comp Plan.