Thumbs Down on New Master Plan for Luscher Farm

Hedgerow planted last year by CSA, Friends of Luscher Farm and Parks and Rec.
Hedgerow is just the beginning of restoring wildlife habitat.
This will be demolished with the new plan

AFTER READING BELOW PLEASE COMMENT TO ALL COUNCILORS:

Mayor Jack Hoffman jhoffman@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Mary Olson maolson@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Mike Kehoe mkehoe@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Jeff Gudman jgudman@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Bill Tierney btierney@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Donna Jordan djordan@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Sally Moncrieff smoncrieff@ci.oswego.or.us

We received the following email yesterday from Parks and Recreation Department. After reading and going over it thoroughly we cannot support this plan. Luscher Farm should never be brought into the UGB and shold actually have it's own special code.
Bringing it into the UGB will only enable the developers free access to our beloved Luscher Farm. Notice how Luscher Farm is not called Luscher farm, but rather Luscher Area. Please go online and comment and spread the word. The link is noted below. We are only given until July 10th to comment.
Did you provide comments on the Luscher Area Site Plan Yet?
On June 15, 2011 the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met to review the refined Luscher Area Site Plan. The meeting included a presentation on the background of the properties associated with the plan, the site plan and on the site design. Public comment was taken after the presentation. The Advisory Board took public comments and findings from system plan needs analysis into consideration and directed the design team to make site plan modifications.
To view these changes and provide your comments please visit the webpage at
http://www.luscherplan.org/
The comment period will be available June 27, 2011 to July 10, 2011.
Thank you.
Ryan Stee
Parks Project Manager

Eloquent Opinion Piece

The Luscher Farm Master Plan is out- and it's a disaster! Here is an eloquent Opinion piece written by a fellow Luscher Farm gardener Ann Christensen:

Guest Opinion
PRAB acts in ‘slash-and-burn style’
By Ann Christensen

Jun 23, 2011

On June 15, I attended a Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) meeting where the Luscher Area Final Draft Site Plan was presented. As many already know, Luscher Farm is an award-winning gem of beauty, refuge and environmental stewardship. It is the demonstration home of Oregon Tilth, an organic certification entity whose influence is international in scope. There is a successful CSA. The farm provides education, classes and clean, local, affordable food for hundreds of families, including a half-ton donated to local food banks. Calls come in nationwide asking how this model can be implemented elsewhere. Because Luscher Farm is so popular, citizen demand cannot be met and there is a three-year waiting list to be admitted to the community garden.

But, in stunning industrial slash-and- burn style, PRAB’s plan wants it all gone in favor of a mega sports and entertainment complex, turning a rural gem into an overdeveloped urban nightmare, with new roads, new parking lots, increased traffic and light, noise and waste pollution issues. All of the very popular farm programs that have made Luscher Farm what it is today will be destroyed, moved or repurposed. Sustainability, natural resource and cost questions were raised at the meeting and dismissed by the board. Other elements in the plan were very poorly thought through. And for months, public opinion has been sought as input, and options have been developed – with votes taken and tabulated. The majority of votes indicate that public opinion sides with keeping the Luscher area mostly as is. The four most popularly desired elements for the use of this land are already being met – as is. But, lest they lose control, PRAB then proceeded to lecture the attendees that such public input was not “representative.” Wow, since when was a majority opinion not valid in a democracy? Answer: Since PRAB’s co-chair Steve Dodds publicly stated that Parks & Rec will do what it wants – period –making all the meetings and public opinion surveys just an expensive taxpayer-funded quasi-democratic dog and pony show to prettify their blatant takeover of LO citizen wishes. During the meeting, Dodds made no effort to disguise his irritation with citizen after citizen who pled that Luscher Farm be protected and preserved.

In a further show of power, Parks director Kim Gilmer denied the Natural Resource Advisory Board’s request that the June 15 meeting be held jointly, thus keeping NRAB’s input out of the meeting. We cannot allow Parks & Rec to simply railroad this plan through. Lake Oswego’s Natural Resource & Sustainability Advisory Boards need to get involved and take an unbiased look at the data and impact of this proposed plan. The public supports keeping organic farming and environmental stewardship front and center at Luscher Farm and the master plan should too.

Ann Christensen is a resident of Lake Oswego.

My Testimony for This Evening

Children love to feed the chickens

It's an Important Evening Tonight-Please Show Up!!!

West End Building June 15th 6:30 -8:30pm

Just when did the word “farm” get removed from Luscher Farm?

It’s not a park. It’s a farm. It’s not urban. It’s rural.
Luscher Farm and the adjoining properties need to be set aside for the generations to come as a place of tranquility and peace. Luscher Farm needs to be in a special classification by itself. Never to be brought into the UGB and never to be developed and paved over . There are plenty of properties still out there for active sports; let us keep these lands to be used for agricultural, educational and passive activities; a place of peace, beauty, refuge, solace and health.
When I first moved here my favorite part of this city was Luscher Farm. That was back in 1978. It still is my favorite corner of the city. And little did I know that someday I would have a wonderful garden here. Not only have I been able to grow my own food here for over 15 years, but I have had the pleasure of enjoying the closeness to nature that this precious land can give to all of us.
And where else can one meet such down to earth friendly people while pulling weeds? We are a multi-generational neighborhood of people who want that connection to nature and closeness to the earth. We have enough noise and chaos around us all day and this place brings us back to the basics by being immersed in nature. We want this for ourselves and our children’s children.
Standing quietly in the stillness of Luscher Farm as the sun first comes up and seeing and hearing the farm wake up is a stellar experience. One not to be missed nor dismissed.
Let us ensure that we don’t look back years from now and say

“Oh if only we had left Luscher Farm a farm.”

Important Meeting-Please Attend!

PUBLIC MEETING
PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
LUSCHER AREA FINAL DRAFT SITE PLAN
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. in the Willamette Room at the West End Building (4101 Kruse Way), the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board will meet to discuss the Luscher Area Final Draft Site Plan. MIG, Inc. who is developing the Luscher Area Master Plan will present history/background information on the site, present the site plan and provide insight into the design of the plan. Citizens are encouraged to attend and provide comments.
Luscher Area Master Plan
June 15, 6 to 8 p.m.
West End Building
For questions, contact Ryan Stee at 503-697-6575.

This will be one of the final meetings for us to be
able to publically comment.Please show up and
participate in this important meeting.
If you are unable to attend please take the time to
email each of Lake Oswego's City Councilors and Mayor.
Below are the names and email addresses:

Mayor Jack Hoffman jhoffman@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Mary Olson maolson@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Mike Kehoe mkehoe@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Jeff Gudman jgudman@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Bill Tierney btierney@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Donna Jordan djordan@ci.oswego.or.us
Councilor Sally Moncrieff smoncrieff@ci.oswego.or.us

Remember- if we don't speak up we cannot complain.