Molalla CPO Meeting

Agenda

April 14th - 6:30 PM 
Molalla United Methodist Church,
11 S. Mathias Rd., Molalla

1. Our Special Guest - Dan Zinder, Molalla City Planner
   Don't miss this opportunity to hear about Molalla's expansion plan.
   Learn how the city meets its goals for housing and business development and how the city's efforts may affect you.
2. Documentary- An Oregon Story, the 25-minute version, locally produced documentary telling the amazing story of the creation of our unique land use planning program that has protected Oregon farmland from urban sprawl for over 50 years.

Jim Gilbert, President, Molalla Community Planning Organization

Minutes

Molalla Community Planning Organization Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026,6:30 PM

Molalla United Methodist Church, 111 S. Mathias Rd 
On the Agenda:

1. Call to order: 6:37 time
   1. Roll call: Jim Gilbert, Kim Sawyer, Kerri Sandberg, Angela Garcia, Ray Garcia, Jan Courtain, Laurie Freeman-Swanson, Zoe Conlee, Blake Spatan, David Vang, Cory Dickman, Kim Brooks, Tony Brooks, Angela Rearick, Brian Rearick, Corwin DiMeo, Aaron Nichols
2. Welcome and Introductions
   1. Review CPO rules of decorum
      1. Board members set expectations for a discussion-based meeting (not strict minutes), with an emphasis on staying on-topic, one person speaking at a time, and allowing time for the guest speaker plus Q&A.
3. January minutes
   1. Meeting minutes were distributed and reviewed. No comments or corrections were raised. A motion to accept was made by Kim Sawyer. Tony Brooks seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
4. How Oregon’s Land Use Planning Program and the CPO work together
   1. A brief background review reinforced that Community Planning Organizations (CPOs) exist to support citizeninvolvement in Oregon land use planning, rooted in Oregon’s long-standing statewide planning system (including SB100’s emphasis on public participation).
   2. The CPO’s central role: represent people outside city limits affected by city planning decisions—especially in unincorporated areas.
   3. Several speakers emphasized Oregon’s land use structure: compact growth inside UGBs, and protection ofrural lands outside them (especially farm/forest lands).
   4. The group reported that the CPO and members asked Molalla’s City Council to pause and reconsider the population forecast numbers used in the sequential UGB planning process.
   5. The key ask: use updated population numbers revised after COVID-era distortions (described as reducing projections substantially), rather than older numbers created around 2020.
   6. Several speakers described tangible consequences if planning proceeds using higher projections:
      1. Water concerns: a water right doesn’t guarantee water availability if river conditions are low or seasonal
      2. Traffic and congestion: Molalla functions as a bedroom community; more residents means morecars on roads already strained at peak times
      3. Farmland conversion: using higher projections was described as putting hundreds of acres of farmland at risk, versus a much smaller footprint under the updated forecasts
      4. Affordability dynamics: residential development costs often get baked into home prices, raising landvalues and worsening affordability
      5. Community character: concern that growth may change Molalla’s small-town feel withoutdelivering local jobs and amenities
5. Aaron Nichols of Smart Growth in Washington County
   1. A guest speaker (farmer and land-use organizer from the North Plains/Hillsboro area) shared a detailed case study of organizing against a proposed UGB expansion in North Plains.
   2. North Plains (~4,000 residents) pursued a UGB plan that would have more than doubled the city footprint (roughly 650 acres existing; ~850 acres proposed).
   3. The expansion was described as oriented toward data centers, raising concerns about:
      1. very high water and electricity demand
      2. expensive infrastructure upgrades
      3. major transportation impacts (including intersection/road reconstruction)
   4. A coalition formed among farmers near the city, town residents, and skilled supporters (including legal help). They mobilized residents to attend city meetings (standing-room turnout) and later used direct outreach to build awareness. They pursued a referendum to send the city’s UGB ordinance to voters. The speaker explained that referendums apply to legislative actions, not administrative or quasi-judicial steps, and stressed that identifying what is referable can involve legal nuance. The speaker described state-level action that attempted to block UGB referendums retroactively, prompting litigation. Their group sued, obtained court relief that kept the measure on theballot, and ultimately won at the ballot box. Afterward, city leadership changed significantly in elections, and North Plains shifted toward renewed community visioning and engagement.
6. City of Molalla Public Hearing Feb. 25 – CPO testimony (see attached notice) 
   1. HPS CPO will submit testimony which will be provided at the March 10th meeting.
7. Next meeting Tuesday, March 10
8. Adjournment
   1. 8:06 pm

Appendix:

Voting eligible roll from 1/13/26 meeting:

• Roll call: Jim Gilbert, Corwin DiMeo, Josh Kramer, Kim Brooks, Tony Brooks, Zoe Conlee, Aaron Rearick, Brian Rearick,Gary and Lacey Hansen, Stephanie, Laurie Swanson, Kim Sawyer, Carol and Adam Oblack, Kirstien Baldwin, LauraJohnson-Graham, Tommy John, Stephanie Kraxsberger, and John Rowan