{"id":3192,"date":"2021-07-14T18:57:27","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T18:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.loveloparks.org\/?page_id=3192"},"modified":"2021-11-06T21:36:28","modified_gmt":"2021-11-06T21:36:28","slug":"measure-3-568","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.loveloparks.org\/index.php\/causes\/protect-our-natural-parks\/measure-3-568\/","title":{"rendered":"Measure 3-568"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Update Nov 2, 2021: Lake Oswego voters approve Measure 3-568!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Lake Oswego citizens began circulating citizen initiative petition 2020IN-1<\/a><\/strong> in <\/strong>December 2019<\/a>. For 18-months, hundreds of residents volunteered thousands of hours and donated $28,000+ to reach, inform, and educate the Lake Oswego community about the legal protections we seek for these natural areas. 2020IN-1<\/a><\/strong> needed signatures from 15% of Lake Oswego’s registered voters, or 4,365 signatures, to qualify for the ballot; we collected over 4,800 signatures and qualified with 4,433 verified signatures on June 23, 2021, resulting in Citizens’ Measure 3-568<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Measure 3-568<\/strong> amends the City of Lake Oswego’s Charter Chapter X – Park Development Limitation<\/a> to protect Springbrook Park and 15 additional natural parks with sensible development limitations to keep these natural parks safe, accessible, healthy, and vibrant natural habitats. Measure 3-568<\/strong> was endorsed<\/a> by two prominent environment and conservation organizations, Oregon Wild<\/a><\/strong> and Sierra Club<\/a><\/strong>, on August 24th and Sept 4th, respectively, after carefully vetting the Citizens’ Measure 3-568<\/strong> and City Council’s referred Measure 3-575.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citizens are pursuing strong legal charter protections due to frustrations with repeated City attempts to develop and\/or encroach upon one or more of our natural parks (Springbrook Park, Bryant Woods, Woodmont Park, Cooks Butte, amongst others) and a tedious public process that minimizes citizens involvement and voice. One recent example: Cooks Butte was deeded to the City in 1975 by the Emery family for the purposes of remaining a natural habitat. The City has pursued development a top Cooks Butte 3 times (1994, 2002, and 2019) for a major telecommunications facility<\/a>. Citizens strongly opposed each attempt and with the Emery family\u2019s assistance, development was prevented and this natural habitat untouched (for now).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current Chapter X – Park Development Limitation<\/a> was placed on the ballot by citizen initiative and ratified in 1978 to \u201cpreserve Springbrook Park as a natural area\u201d and prevent the City from developing it into high-density housing and a major athletic facility<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chapter X, which currently only applies to Springbrook Park:<\/p>\n\n\n\n