New Oregon Winery Land Use Law Signed
This week, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber signed House Bill 3280, which creates new land use rules governing wineries on farmland. This legislation is an important step forward for the Oregon wine industry and anyone who cares about sustainable agriculture. The bill does however leave several important questions unanswered.
Oregon’s comprehensive land use system was a jewel of the 1970s. Back in the day, Governor Tom McCall raged against “sagebrush subdivisions, coastal condomania, and the ravenous rampages of suburbia.” Although the scheme he and his colleagues created has served the state well, its day-to-day mechanics can be Byzantine.
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