Final Proposal - Urban & Rural Reserves

I just received notice from Metro that we're in the final stretch of the Urban & Rural Reserves decision. 50 years. That's right 5 0 . That's how mean years ahead the people of the Portland Metro area thought. Areas to be preserved for the Rural Lifestyle and areas for future Urban Growth. I think the goal makes sense...lets do all the hard work upfront on how we want to grow...so we make our regions job a little easy for two generations. The people of 2009 and 2010 decided this is how we're to grow til 2060. 2060, what a thought. I hope these guys took into account Flying Cars and Airspace. Haha. :)

As for Cornelius, Oregon...see the map above. This is the Final Proposal - DRAFT 2/18/2010 of Washington County - for Urban & Rural Reserves. In 50 years...we have the 'possibility' of reaching Dairy Creek and border more of the Tualatin in our expansion. SMART Growth, I'm a fan.

MEGA POST - Happy New Year! Gazette References & Our Decade in Review in my view

HAPPY 2010 Everyone!

May the new year bring us all love and joy. This includes the place we call home Cornelius ->Washington County -> Portland Metro-> Oregon, and the U.S.A. as a whole. With the recession behind us ... we face the challenge of what to make of the aftermath ahead of us. Where should the focus be? Where do we turn? What should we do to make 2010 the best year of our lives yet?

I think all US communities need to focus on their own JOBS and SUSTAINABILITY above all else in 2010. The age of the 'Field of Dreams' - If you build it they will come - is over... We grew up too fast too quickly... In Real Estate, Hedged Huge Bests, settings up our entire financial network up for near disaster. Building more homes than the sum of us can really afford to live in. From what I understand now...something similiar happened when the Dot Com bubble burst early on this past decade...people got unrealistic about evaluations of wealth then too...real money flowing around to those not deserving of it.

Now I was just graduating high school in the year 2000, age 17-18. So the way I see the past decade was that it was my FIRST as an Adult. And boy was there a lot to learn from. From terrorist attacks in 2001 in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC followed by two Wars in Iraq and Afghanstan and finishing with the election of the US's First Black President & the unfolding of the Great Recession...housing bubble, etc. There's much to tell my future kids about.

At my age I was touched in different ways, it was my 'digital decade' seeing Apple become a powerful force in Tech. Gone the days of Music & Movie (VHS) cassettes and starting the decline of CDs, enter the MP3's, DVDs, the iPod, and later the iPhone. The Internet entered the scene really flexing its muscles & quite literally CHANGED OUR WORLD as we see it & continues to do so. Amazon.com, Netflix.com, eBay.com, and many others OWE their fortunes to this 'Internet'. GPS was given to the masses...we can now know where exactly we are on this planet of ours -- we can also get where we're going with ease. Science & Technology really took a GIGANTIC Leap forward for our advancement as human beings & intelligent stewards of this earth.

I'm happy to be play my individual, albeit tiny, role as an active user & consumer of all of this past us and with us. We'll have to live with it afterall. I'm a 'member' of Generation Y. We'll have to deal with Tremendous Debts of our Predecessors, experience our Baby Boomer/Generation X parents become 'the elderly', and watch as their health gradually declines. We are a Learned Generation, we are a connected & enabled Generation, we will see this and hopefully many more great things to come from all of us.

Now I did not intend to take such a LARGE tangent from talking about Cornelius...and our advancement...but today more than ever we can't live our lives encapsulated from the rest of the world...it's together that we made our current livelihood possible & it will require us working together to do the same for our future.

BACK TO CORNELIUS...I think from 2010 to 2019...we should Honestly focus on Becoming ACTIVE Stewards of Our Communities, Helping Empower of Local Government, And CLEARLY letting them know we're DON'T JUST FUND THEIR Budgets i.e. jobs & visions but We are their MOST VALUABLE ASSET. Without us tax-payers and residents, there would be no communities. Put simply, IF you want to live a Civilized Life..with home & raising families & growing old in, then one should do their part of Civil Service. The compensation will not be in Dollars and Cents but the Priceless Positive Piece of change you role played in the community - Noone could take that from you. It'll bring more meaning into your life...I guarantee it.

I didn't think too much about it before I started this blog...I thought it would be handy to document my thoughts on my city before WalMart. Because the way I saw it WALMART would be a MILESTONE for Cornelius. Either we fumble it and simply allow THE CORPORATE BAHEEMITH to build a store within our city limits and wait to see what happens next OR do something more strategic. I'm happy to being serving my community as a Planning Commissioner and doing what I can to share my INSIDER KNOWLEDGE of city developments & visions with whomever is interested. And this Blog is my bulletin & sounding board to the world...found by Google Searches...referenced in newspaper articles, etc.

Goodbye for now folks...think Positive...and think how you can bring that Positivity to Cornelius with me this decade ahead.

Regards,
Jose

Reference: Timeline to Development for the Year or So ahead. Stay Tuned for more pictures of the Walmart Development and possibly the homes of Linda Lane.

Cornelius Gazzette - January 2010

URR negotiations update

Here's a list of references to stories regarding updates on the Urban and Rural Reserves processes. The latest and greatest is a proposal by now President David Bragdon and Metro Councilor Carl Hosticka of Tualatin. Here's a snapshot from their proposal...specific to Cornelius. [I focused in on it].

The result is less than 1/2 what Cornelius originally proposed for...I guess ANY Urban Reserve area is better than NONE AT ALL. The original request asked to boundary the Tualatin to the South... and an imaginary line connecting Verboort Rd (Forest Grove) and Evergreen Rd (Hillsboro) would be it's northern border.

1. http://blog.oregonlive.com/hillsboroargus/2009/12/metro_councilors_pitch_growth.html
2. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/1260903008121100.xml&coll=6
3. http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2009/12/washington_county_request_for.html
4. http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=126041082236391400
5. http://djcoregon.com/news/2009/12/09/some-farmers-want-protected-farmland-open-for-development/

OPB - Think Our Loud Up or Out?

Yes....yet another meeting of the minds on Urban and Rural Reserves...what to do with our (sacred), I mean precious, I mean existing farmlands. Do we preserve them? Leave them and their inhabitants as they are for years to come...and instead grow from within city centers and GO UP. OR do we make use of the farmlands and expand our city centers and label the land as 'future' Urban Reserves and see future homes for Jobs/Homes. OPB and the Forest Grove NewsTimes host Washington County Commisioner/Chairman Tom Brian (PROPONENT of OUT) and Portland Mayor Sam Adams (PROPONENT of UP) tonight at 7:00 @ the Civic Center in Hillsboro for an hour long discussion. Here's some references...

1. http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/or-out/
2. http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=126047866584907700
3. http://www.co.washington.or.us/News/reserves-hearings-and-radio-discussion.cfm
4. http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/12/11/sam-adams-vs-tom-brian-two-visions-of-the-future-face-off-in-hillsboro/
5. http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/12/adams_brian_will_debate_urbani.html

Predatory Lenders from California Out Once Again

Talk about some convincing SPAM/Junk-Mail. Beware of letters like the one I just received last night. "Form 1008-S Payment Reduction Notification" the well packaging envelope reads. This company pulls up the stops to try and fool the recipient into a too good to be true offer. Perferated edges, advesive...very much like a checks from the Treasury.
Inside...you'll find print/verbage that speaks of a "Govermental Economic Stimulus Act of 2008" or "HR 5140 Economic Stimulus Act of 2008" or just plain "STIMULUS ACT". All BS to look, feel, and read like something approved by a Federal Government action.

Then at the bottom is the real deal...fine print stating "WE ARE NOT SPONSORED OR AFFILIATED WITH YOUR CURRENT LENDER AND THIS ADVERTISEMENT IS NOT AUTHORIZED BY YOUR CURRENT LENDER AND YOUR LOAN INFORMATION WAS NOT PROVIDED BY YOUR CURRENT LENDER."

I think its very sad...and very predatory for a lender to go to these lengths to try and SnAG! some business disguising themselves to try and lure people in REAL need with their mortgages and finances. Big banks increasing their Interest Rates on good customers is one thing...this is blatant abuse of peoples emotions by SHARKS! Shame on them...may they all get Coals for Christmas. =)

Take care everyone. God Bless. And Buyer BEWARE on this one.

TriMet Bus Changes

Summary of Bus Service Changes
Route 57 Changes - Forest Grove<->Beaverton TC

Last of 3...Abandoned Buildings b/w Fred Meyer and Cornelius Stadium is Burned Down

It took all of 4 monthes or so...now all 3 abandoned buildings on TMT Development's land have been burned down by the Cornelius Fire Department. Down with the old...in with the new...Well at least...we look forward to better & brighter Cornelius future. Cheers!

http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=125858555794171400