In response to a new law that gives Oregon Governor Tina Kotek temporary power to designate farmland for industrial development, twenty state legislators proposed that she consider high-profile golf courses instead on Thursday.
The property on which the golf courses sit is privately owned. Therefore,Β their proposal to Kotek in a letter is certainly unrealistic. The golf course owners have yet to showΒ signs of being open to selling.
Pumpkin Ridge, in North Plains,Β and the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club, near Aloha, are located some distance from Hillsboro’s semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers concentration. (No one from either team has returned my calls for comment.)
The plan, however, draws attention to the legislators’ β who are evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans β worries about what the new law portends for agriculture in Oregon.
They saidΒ the law βFarmland has inadequate protections in the bill.” βLarge, open fields in the Willamette Valley are not purposeless. These fields are feeding our families, Oregonians, and the world. A member-only golf course does not.β
On Thursday, April 13, Kotek signed Senate Bill 4, which had previously cleared the House and Senate with overwhelming support from all parties. The law allocates $190 million in grants and loans to the semiconductor industry and its suppliers, $10 million to universities for research, and $10 million for improving industrial sites.
Hundreds of acres of rural property might be designated for industrial development by Kotek until 2024, which is a contentious provision of the law.
The latest updates on everything happening at Oregon State:
- Kotek Has Stated His Opposition to the Proposed Coquille Tribe Casino.
- Oregonβs Underprivileged Areas Received $22 Million in Federal Aid From Credit Unions.
Legislators claim that Pumpkin Ridge, a nationally renowned course, spans 350 acres, while The Reserve spans 319. Every developer has yet to contemplateΒ constructing on these lots, even thoughΒ each is large enough to house a medium-sized chip plant or a sizable industrial supplier.
The North Plains urban development border does not go out to Pumpkin Ridge. Despite being one of the best golf courses on the West Coast, it’s not a contender for reconstruction.
