Damascus Review

10/26/2014

New news on HB4029 and 3-448

10/20/2014

http://vimeo.com/108199044

This is "Open Spaces" by City of Damascus on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

10/20/2014

http://vimeo.com/108198885

This is "Protecting Legacy Neighborhoods" by City of Damascus on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

10/20/2014

Http://vimeo.com/108198661

10/20/2014

Finally, Damascus has a Comprehensive Plan, Vote YES 3-448

10/09/2014

A brief video overview of the Damascus Comprehensive Plan


http://vimeo.com/108198337

This is "Comprehensive Plan Overview" by City of Damascus on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

09/19/2014

The City of Damascus has finally heard you, it’s citizens.

This proposed comprehensive plan for our city is based upon years of citizen input from meetings, surveys, and citizen comments. It immediately unlocks Damascus properties by allowing subdivision and limited development on properties that can meet septic and water well requirements. It provides for existing and future home based business uses. It allows for accessory dwellings, such as mother-in-law apartments. It recognizes agriculture and farm uses as important to the rural character of Damascus. All of these allowed uses are things for which the citizens have expressed a need and a desire.

This plan meets regional approved standards for stream setbacks, and eliminates the 25% open space requirement, and the arbitrary, restrictive, and inaccurately mapped environmental overlays found in previously proposed plans. It returns control of your property to you. It allows for near-term development of existing properties that is in line with the low-density character of present day Damascus. It calls for extremely low-density development on environmentally sensitive slopes. Approval of this plan allows Damascus to move forward immediately, giving property owners the ability to subdivide a piece of property to finance their retirement, or to build for family members.

They advanced the agendas of professional planners, regional government, and outside pressure groups over the wishes of the people.

There is a vocal minority in Damascus that doesn’t want any plan to be approved because they want the city to die. For years they tried to push through their plans that ignored citizen concerns while pretending to allow citizen input. They advanced the agendas of professional planners, regional government, and outside pressure groups over the wishes of the people. When their plans were rejected by the voters they called for disincorporation of the city. Don’t be taken in by the naysayers. They have nothing constructive to offer. This time there is one plan on the ballot, instead of a confusing mishmash of competing plans. This time the question is simple. Do we want to go forward, or do we want to give up.

Steve Spinnett
Mayor

John Price,
City of Damascus Planning Commissioner has contributed to this article.

09/19/2014

Measure 3-448 is the only Comprehensive Plan on the ballot in November.
Vote Yes as we have finally put together a plan the respects the people of Damascus.

For more details click on the link below.

http://ci.damascus.or.us/152/Comprehensive-Plan

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09/06/2014

The Comprehensive Plan the Citizens of Damascus have been waiting for! An honest plan that is a result of ten years of your public input.

This plan is a balanced approach for development with keeping our rural feel as well as being good stewards of our environment.

There will be no city property tax increase on your property even if you see a dramatic increase in your property values!

The only plan that has been audited by a private sector engineering firm.

No forced density!
We have relaxed the interim development standards to allow anyone with an acre of land or more to be able to build a home with well and septic provided they pass those standards. This interim development assures larger lot lower density development especially in areas where public infrastructure won't be available for years to come. Effectively lowering the density in much of Damascus until public infrastructure and the property owner decides if and when. This policy helps to minimize "Portland Creep" from running roughshod over our city.

We have protected the buttes with a limit of one home per two acres on slopes over 25%.
We are also protecting the legacy neighborhoods with very limited development.
A relaxed accessory dwelling requirement allows an easier transition for our loved ones to live near us.
We have relaxed many unnecessary restrictions found on previous plans.
We have removed previous requirements that put regional bike and walking trails through your backyards and businesses.
We have allowed flexibility in commercial areas encouraging retail businesses in designated areas.
Damascus will be open for business providing local jobs as well as supporting home base businesses.
We have made sure land is set aside for future schools.
We have removed code language discriminating against religious assembly.

- Gone are the 200' stream setbacks.
- Gone are the arbitrary and onerous environmental overlays.
- Gone are the requirements to dedicate 25% of your land for the right to develop.

05/18/2014

Greetings fellow Damascus citizens,

After ten years we now have the chance to vote on the Damascus Comprehensive Plan.
I believe 3-444 is the plan that gives more control to the property owner, and restricts government's overreach into your backyards and businesses.
Don't forget to bring your ballots to a drop off, city hall is probably the closest for most of you!

Thank you,

Steve Spinnett,
Mayor, City of Damascus

05/18/2014

Greetings fellow Damascus citizens,
After ten years we now have the chance to vote on the Damascus Comprehensive Plan.
I believe 3-444 is the plan that gives more control to the property owner, and restricts government's overreach into your back yards and businesses.
Don't forget to bring your ballots to a drop off, city hall is probably the closest for most of you!

Thank you,

Steve Spinnett,
Mayor, City of Damascus

05/09/2014

As you can see from this link, http://www.stevespinnett.com/ 3-444 provides the citizens the most flexibility. With the interim development policy we can guarantee the lowest density of each plan while still allowing people to subdivide their property. Many people are not going to be near public infrastructure for decades - that's okay because 3-444 is the only plans that allows them the ability to subdivide down to one acre without having to have at least ten acres to start with.
The photo at the top of this page shows what interim development can look like - the picture on the left shows what you can do near term and the picture on the right shows full buildout if and when public infrastructure comes to you.

Comparing Damascus Comprehensive PlansMarch 22, 2014 by spinnettLeave a CommentWe recommend a yes vote on 3-444 this MayQuick Facts:About 75% of the content in all three plans is the same or similar, following boilerplate guidelines for comprehensive plans. They DO VARY on some key elements listed b…