Come to think of it, maybe that's where Neil got this brilliant idea.

"My home is in Portland, my work is in New York but my heart is in Joseph," said Mr. Robins, who often works in Manhattan.

Kill me now.

I love the reference to Bend...I almost get the sense that the NYT is smirking when they make that comparison to Bend (too many outsiders), knowing that they (and other East Coast publications) over hyped Bend a few years ago, turning it into what it is today. And knowing that a few more well placed stories like this one, and Joseph will be well on its way to a place it really doesn't want to go to.

Manhattanites should take their hearts elsewhere.

I agree that this is not the kind of publicity I like to see regarding Wallowa County, but what are we supposed to do about it? In my opinion, it is only a matter of time....

That will certainly boost somebody's investment property value.

Any guesses?

That would probably be Mark Hemstreet - after all, he and his buddies can't hunt for a while.

Thank God for the UGB:

There's little new development, in part because rural construction is constrained by Oregon's land-use laws, which focus growth in urban areas and prevent it on agricultural land. ...

But the supply of new land is tight. ... "Inventory is disappearing," she said.

Maybe, but remember this is still the "discovery" phase. Looks like Joseph will soon realize a little Nez Perce deja vu - "Yankee come from East, bring strange ways and cutoms".

Here's the real-time crystal ball - sorry for the giant URL but this is priceless:

http://bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051226/BIZ0102/512260305&SearchID=73245826016515

"Thank God for the UGB"

Oh come on Kari get a wider view of this disaster theoretical policy.

It's become nothing but a blind and dysfuntional
tool of anti-growth, anti-car activists masquerading as planners. They do think they are god though.

The written UGB policy is not even being implemented so it actually provides land as mandated.
They simply move the boundary, in chaotic fashion, but leave in place other planning constraints which makes the expansion a non expansion.
Any study of the UGB, as implemented, shows it to be a nonsensical instrument which fails to recognize the needs of growth, fails to differentiate between marginal land and prime farmland, fails to acknowledge the abundant land (of all types) between our cities and regions, fails to provide land where it is needed, inflates land and housing costs and needlessly overcrowds all of our cities where most Oregonians live.
Only the most narrow of minds can lay aside all of the detriments while enamoring about saved farmland when the supposedly "saved farmland" swoops up millions of acres of perfectly suitable land for people to live, work and play on.

"Only the most narrow of minds can lay aside all of the detriments while enamoring about saved farmland when the supposedly "saved farmland" swoops up millions of acres of perfectly suitable land for people to live, work and play on."

I believe only the most narrow of minds can deny that the unique planning program we have in Oregon, including UGB's, are the only reason our State has not been overwhelmed by type of suburban and rural development present in most of the 49 other states.

""I believe planning in Oregon, including UGB's, are keeping us from being overwhelmed by suburban and rural development"""

Thank you for proving my point.

Believe all you want and hide behind anonymity but an honest look around shows we a getting the worst of development.
While having abundant land of all types, we are, instead of reasonable growth and planning, needlessly & blindly stacking and packing our communities with development with no plan pieces that don't fit.
The deliberate overcrowding without regard for any reasonable considerations is nothing to brag about.

The UGB is an embarrassment.
Pretending the concept works well takes a blind eye to it's implementation.

Metro took away the right for property owners to apply for an expansion.
2002 residential expansions sit idle awaiting endless planning hoops.
2004 industrial land expansions are essentially useless.

And land of every type is locked up in this 30 year mislabeling fraud called central planning.
All the while countless millions are being spent by the planning agencies attempting to substitute for the reasonable land use they abolished.

I believe only the most narrow of minds can deny that the unique planning program we have in Oregon, including UGB's, are the only reason our State has not been overwhelmed by type of suburban and rural development present in most of the 49 other states. This is what I typed

""I believe planning in Oregon, including UGB's, are keeping us from being overwhelmed by suburban and rural development""" This is what is in your resoponse.

Thank you for proving my point.

Aynonymous Jim Barta

Look Jimbo,
I only condensed what you wrote, quoted it and responded.
What the heck are you talking about?

Your shallow defense of the UGB and planning around here is just that, shallow.

Perhaps you know little about the implementation effects of both but are enamored with the theories to such a point that you don't need any more. And as long as expansion is obstructed at all costs and in any form that's good enough for you.
The problem is that's disingenuous and a detriment to the region's and state's liability.

Steve-

Thank you for condensing what I wrote as it is obviously shallow, disingenuous, and detrimental.

Steve-

Your zeal for dismissing any and all reasons for having a UGB is telling. It also makes it difficult to take you seriously.

TKrueg & Jimbo,
Your naivety for what the UGB does makes it impossible to take you seriously.