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Minutes
FarWest CPO
Meeting at Wilsonville Public Libraryp
October 8, 2025, 6pm
Attendees:
Sparkle Anderson
Elaine Newland
Vicky VonTagen
Tami Panicello
Sparkle Anderson noted that she is not getting land use notices from Planning sent her email lately.
Several issues and questions were discussed. Elaine Newland volunteered to seek some clarity on questions.
Taxlot 31E03 00202 at corner of SW Schaefer and SW Petes Mountain Road: Getting answers to this issue was marginal because the taxlot is agriculture. A Compliance complaint to Code Enforcement V0033625 had been submitted to Andrea Hall but had been voided because it was agriculture land making it exempt.
1. There were hundreds of trucks dumping gravel, rocks and dirt dumped at this site at a head of a water drainage ravine to the Tualatin River. The site is small when leveled with all the fill, May be less than an acre. Will it be a viable commercial vineyard?.
Is this considered “grading” agriculture land? Does grading include dumping dirt, gravel, rocks by truckloads.
Is there a limit to amount of material that can be dumped on to agriculture land without a permit? DEQ?
2. Another issue from an attendee at our FarWest CPO meeting.
Do neighbors get notified by the county when Events at the local farms are allowed.? These events are money raising and are often ongoing events. There are too many events in some agriculture areas.
Submitted by Elaine Newland, secretary FarWest CPO
Feedback from Clackamas County on the questions.
From
Jennifer Hughes, Planning Director
Planning and Zoning
Clackamas County Department of Transportation and Development
150 Beavercreek Road, Oregon City, OR 97045
503-742-4518
For 31E03 00202, I find a closed Code Enforcement file related to grading, and a 2024 grading permit application that was voided. For the 2024 application, it looks like Building Codes determined that no review was required. The permit application was for grading for a vineyard. That would be agricultural grading, and no grading permit is required for that. You can reach out to Code Enforcement to verify the reason why the case was closed, but it may be for the same reason.
Hi Elane,
The zoning of 31E03 00202 is FF-10, so farming is allowed but it’s not regulated in the same way as EFU. There is an outstanding question (not sure the courts have addressed it) about grading on EFU land and the point at which it might not be an acceptable farm practice. That same issue isn’t in play on FF-10 land as far as the land use regulations go, so it comes down to whether there are regulated environmental features, and I do not see that any are mapped in our system.
I have copied the Building Official, Matt Rozell, with the hope that he can answer your question about what is required to be considered agricultural grading and exempt from the requirement to obtain a grading permit.
One other possibility is that WES would have surface water management/erosion control authority over the site. If it drains to the Tualatin, it would presumably be within the Tualatin Basin Area where WES regulations apply. I don’t know how WES handles it, though, if no grading permit is required. Possibly Erik Bertram, copied, can respond to that question or refer you to someone in his department.
As far as your other question about events, the answer is that it depends. If an applicant seeks land use approval of more than a single agri-tourism event, a farm stand (where some promotional activities are allowed), a winery/cidery/farm brewery, or a home occupation to host events, notice and an opportunity to comment and/or appeal is provided. Based on anecdotal information, however, I believe some farms host events for which they do not seek land use approval. If a property hosts only one event in any three-month period, we generally do not pursue enforcement, but if it’s a large event, we will connect them to traffic safety, the fire department, etc. so that safety considerations may be evaluated. Beyond that, code enforcement is complaint-based.
Erik Bertram
Development Review Coordinator
Office: 503-742-4567
Cell: 503-936-366
Hello. Farm and forest practices are exempt from the District’s stormwater/erosion control and buffer standards, so it appears the work occurring on this property would not require WES review
From Matt Rozell
Hello,
Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 455.315 exempts agricultural building and grading from the permitting requirements in the Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC). If the owner is using their property for farming practices, we have not authority to require a grading permit.
Thank you,
-Matt
Phone message from WES
This is Jeannie with water environment services. You were in our office Last week, talking about a neighbor that was filling in The ravine and we did some checking and just wanted to reconfirm with you that We have no jurisdiction on this matter whatsoever. There's just none of our rules allow us to do anything regarding. So water environment services are west cannot Do anything on this situation? So we're gonna suggest you talk with Planning calculus County planning I think you already have but If any, if there's anything that Can be done Be the agency would know all the rules and requirements For coming For coming in and take care bye-bye…”
