A PROJECT LED THROUGH THE REV
Rural Planning Program
Many rural governments often don’t have much expertise in creating documents such as comprehensive plans and buildable land inventories — key tools for community planning. Out of 59 cities spanning 10 counties in Eastern Oregon, just seven have access to professional planning staff.
The idea for the rural planning program came through conversations between the REV Center and Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development, which had long identified the need for planning resources among Eastern Oregon communities. The goal is to also have participants work on policy analysis and code review — work that could lead to an update of the city’s comprehensive plan.
Planning for Resilience
Multiple Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) identified planning as a key area of need for Eastern Oregon communities. Headwaters Economics identifies land use planning as a unique challenge faced by rural communities, compared to their urban counterparts. The CEDS processed created a Resiliency Planning Group to increase rural planning capacity. As part of this effort, Greater Eastern Oregon Development Corporation (GEODC), Department of Land Use and Conservation (DLCD), and REV developped a Menu of Resources for rural municipalities, consultants, and planners. Currently, we are working to establish a Regional Land Use Planner position to support cities and counties that lack dedicated planners or require additional assistance.
This Menu of Resources has been created to provide a simple, one-stop location to find a wide range of information about the Oregon statewide land use planning program. Included is a summary of many of the Department of Land Conservation and Development website pages, links to a number of documents, and suggested connections. Should you find that a link no longer works or has changed please reach out to REV at staff@revcenter.org
The purpose of this document is to provide basic information regarding the land use planning process definitions and is not meant to be considered legal advice. It is meant for land use planners, administrative staff, clerks and government officials in small cities or counties who are new to land use planning or who occasionally process land use applications.
IN THE NEWS
JOSEPH JOINS PROGRAM TO HELP WITH PLANNING WORK
December 7, 2023 - La Grande Observer
JOSEPH JOINS PROGRAM TO OFFER PLANNING AID
November 12, 2023 - Wallowa County Chieftain
EOU’S REV CENTER LAUNCHES RURAL PLANNING PROGRAM WITH THE CITY OF JOSEPH
November 8, 2023 - Elkhorn Media Group