Spring 2008

Commission Profile

A Brief Respite for Klamath Falls Planning Commission, Klamath Falls, Oregon

They're catching their breath at the City of Klamath Falls Planning Commission, awaiting the growth that will inevitably come their way. "For close to 30 years we had about a 0.9 percent rate of population increase per year," says Sandra Zaida, AICP, the city's community development director. "In 2005 the rate increased to more than three percent. It doesn't sound like a whole lot but it is the beginning of a trend that we've seen in communities to the north of us."

Klamath Falls, founded in 1867, borders northern California and sits on the southern shore of Upper Klamath Lake. The vast natural and cultural amenities are enjoyed by the city's 42,000 residents. Due to its location on the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains, the city enjoys a mild climate and nearly 300 days of sunshine annually. It's been ranked as one of the nation's best and most affordable places to retire by several publications.

Now that growth has returned to pre-2005 levels, so has the commission's workload. "Two and three years ago, we were spending four or five hours a week [on commission business]," says Andy Frei, a planning commissioner and former commission chair. "Currently we spend four or five hours a month."

Some of that time is spent on the road. "We all try to do site visits because there are a lot of things you'll read about in a staff report but can't really see," adds Frei. "Lots of property issues around here involve views and, after a site visit, you're able to bring more to the table."

At that table sit seven commissioners, each with a different perspective. Calling the commission "very diversified," Frei notes that the panel includes retired military, a college professor, plant engineer, and loan officer, among others. "There are not a lot of special development interests," says Mark Neupert, chair of the commission. "We're pretty free of that. And that leaves us free to grapple with development and planning issues without having to worry about satisfying constituencies."

Appointed by the mayor, commissioners serve staggered four year terms. There are no term limits, but the mayor may remove a commissioner who has more than three unexcused absences from commission meetings within a one-year period. Commissioners serve without monetary compensation.

But, notes Neupert, each of them gains something by performing this public service. For Neupert, who teaches anthropology as well as a course on the built environment for civil engineering students, "It's a great opportunity to bring real-world experiences into the classroom. I can take something that's theoretical in a book and bring it to life."

Neupert's students and Klamath Falls residents keep up with the planning commission online. Rogue Valley Community Television at Southern Oregon University has video available for commission meetings dating back about 18 months.

Online training also is available to planning commissioners. "We have a training budget for them," says Zaida. "We often work through the state APA chapter and attend their seminars and conferences."

"Our staff is really good about getting information on training out to us," adds Frei, "because it's really true––the more educated we are, the better our decisions."

Preparing for Growth

"We got a late start in terms of growth," says Mark Neupert. "The run-up in the housing market didn't hit us until about three years ago. Driving that growth were retirees from California looking for a smaller community and the lifestyle that comes with it."

That small-town lifestyle is apparent along what Neupert calls "a classic old Main Street with interesting architecture." Following a decades-long decline, downtown Klamath Falls is reemerging as a social-cultural hub. "In the '80s and '90s, when the timber industry failed, our economy hit hard times," he says. "Unemployment rates were as high 10 percent or so and the downtown suffered. We had high vacancy rates and low rents."

Over the past several years, Klamath Falls began reinvesting in its downtown. "The city and downtown property and business owners created a downtown urban renewal district and put together a 20-year plan," says Sandra Zaida, AICP. New ornamental street lights, benches, banners, and trees have restored the area's vintage feel. As part of its project, the city expanded its geothermal sidewalk snowmelt system along Main Street. The city also has the nation's only geothermally heated bus passenger transfer station.

Building rehabilitation in the downtown has been slow to catch on. The reason, according to Andy Frei, is that any renovation requires a significant investment in seismic upgrades. "We want to bring people to downtown," he says, "but what they find is that it's cheaper to build new than to renovate."

New development is occurring along the banks of Lake Ewauna, adjacent to downtown. Developers intend to create a mixed use development called TimberMill Shores (once the Modoc Lumber Co.) on 40 acres of this brownfield site and restore more than 100 acres of lakefront land to its natural state. In the process, there will be access to a portion of the lakefront that has been closed to the public for 100 years.

While the demise of the timber industry wreaked havoc on the Klamath Falls economy, it forced leaders to focus on the business mix. "The issue for us is to bring industry into our growth model," says Neupert.

Zaida adds: "We're primed for industrial with rail lines, an airport, and relatively cheap land."

Promoting denser development throughout the city is one of the commission's goals and a challenge considering the availability of large parcels within the urban growth boundary, says Neupert. Still, there have been some successes. "One large PUD on the west side of town has done a pretty good job with increased densities," he says. "It's a mixed use development and includes apartments over shops."

Higher density development is now more accepted in Klamath Falls due in part to the influx of retirees. "When people from cities move in, they're fine with smaller lot sizes," says Frei. "But many of the local people see the area as more rural and want two-acre parcels."

Meeting the needs and desires of these two groups will become an increasing challenge, according to Zaida. "As people move here, they bring with them different experiences and different expectations," she says. "We need to work with all groups to bring about consensus and be ready for growth."