Coos Estuary Land Use Analysis Project
Modern management of Oregon’s estuaries and surrounding shorelands is based on the economic and social drivers of the 1970’s era when local land use plans were developed. How do we modernize land use planning for an Oregon estuary in a way that balances responsible economic development, social interests, and the protection of natural resources? The PCW has worked with Coos County to create multiple products that are needed for a plan update:
1) An audit/assessment of the current Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan (CBEMP);
2) The Communities, Lands & Waterways: Data Source, a compilation of current socio-economic and environmental status and
trends;
3) The Coos Estuary Map Atlas, a series of maps and tables analyzing current natural resource, natural hazard and socio-economic
data within the CBEMP boundaries;
4) Findings from three focus groups (economic development; socio-cultural interests; and natural resource protection and restoration) that evaluated key issues based on the needs of the estuary;
5) Alternative management options for Coos County to consider as they look to revise the CBEMP, including cost and technical feasibility analyses.
6) A framework that can be used to incorporate new data into a revised CBEMP
The full report can be found HERE
The Coos Estuary and Shoreland Map Atlas along with the Communities, Lands & Waterways: Data Source can be used to update the Resource Inventories portion of the CBEMP. The Resource Inventories include maps and data on which all land use decisions are based. Inventory maps also identify resources designated for protection (e.g., habitats, natural hazards, historical and archaeological sites, and other features).
Download PDF here.
As the first community in Oregon to make large strides in fully revising an estuary management plan, this Lessons Guide has been developed so that other communities can examine and learn from our process. While our focus is the estuary management plan, this guide has value for community planning and land use plan updates in general. This guide is split into five main sections:
1) Background – A brief overview of Oregon land use plan and update processes.
2) Beginning Steps – delineates considerations to contemplate prior to beginning a planning process or update, as well as first tasks to undertake.
3) The PCW Process –broken into discrete but cumulative segments that can be used as distinct phases. Each segment provides a brief overview and includes breakdowns of benefits, costs and other considerations.
4) General Considerations – This section describes general best practices as well as circumstances to be careful of.
5) Resources – The final section lists PCW products described in this document, contact information, subcontractor names and grant funding options.
See the Lessons Learned guide in its entirety HERE