Citizens For Florence

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CFF
Annual Reports
2000 Report

Our Goal: To improve the livability of Florence through public education and community involvement.

2000 Annual Report

CFF Web Page	Comprehensive Plan Review
Cannery Dune Project	Community Involvement
Public Information	Funding
Future Projects	CFF Wish List

CFF Web Page

Our web page has undergone an extensive revamp - a major undertaking. Our goal is to make information on issues of interest to the residents of the Florence area, and others, even more easily accessible. We deleted some sections that we felt were better covered on other web sites, such as the calendar and the weather report. And we added some new ones. We've added more information about our organization, a more detailed section about CFF's participation in the City's Comprehensive Plan review, and other issues of local interest. If you have ideas for our web site, let us know. Contact our webkeeper at: citizensforflorence@yahoo.com

Comprehensive Plan Review

CFF volunteers spent many hours reviewing, analyzing and commenting on the City of Florence draft Comprehensive Plan. As of the end of 2000, the City had not finalized the updated comprehensive plan. When the City's review is completed, CFF will participate in the Department of Land Conservation and Development review, as well.

CFF Web Page	Comprehensive Plan Review
Cannery Dune Project	Community Involvement
Public Information	Funding
Future Projects	CFF Wish List

Cannery Dune Project

For a number of years, CFF has been monitoring the Cannery Dune, located just north of Florence on the west side of Hwy. 101. The agreement CFF worked out with the Fred Meyer store provides for parking spaces and space for an interpretive sign on the southwest corner of the Fred Meyer parking lot. The design phase for the sign is almost complete. Tentative plans, subject to Fred Meyer and City sign code approval, are for a three-sided sign. Each side will feature one aspect of the dune: geologic, flora and fauna, and anecdotal and historical. There will also be acknowledgments of all those who have made this project possible.

Community Involvement

As in previous years, CFF supporters attended countless meetings of City Council, City Planning Commission, City Comprehensive Plan Review Work Sessions, Citizens Advisory Committee, City Budget Committee, Stormwater Development Plan Committee, Siuslaw Watershed Council, Downtown Development Plan Committee, and others dealing with issues of interest to our Florence community.
Our supporters alerted the City to the availability of funds to defray the cost of mailing out comprehensive plan notices, which ended up saving the City over $1,000. Other volunteers have submitted letters, comments and testimony to the City throughout the Comprehensive Plan review process.
On November 27, 2000 CFF was accepted as an affiliate of 1,000 Friends of Oregon. We believe this association with one of the most powerful land use watchdog groups in the State of Oregon will enhance our ability to provide up to date and accurate information for Florence area residents, and our local government.

CFF Web Page	Comprehensive Plan Review
Cannery Dune Project	Community Involvement
Public Information	Funding
Future Projects	CFF Wish List

Public Information

Our primary focus is, as always, public education. To that end, we have maintained and updated the CFF web page.
We have submitted numerous letters and comments on the City's proposed comprehensive plan.
In May, we researched and distributed a newsletter about the City's plans to turn Oak Street into a bypass for Hwy. 101.
We purchased a video about suburban sprawl, "Subdivide and Conquer" and aired it at CFF's "Night at the Movies" at the library in October.

Funding

CFF volunteers held our second annual "Deep Pockets" yard sale in August. Proceeds from that sale will be used to pay for legal fees to appeal the expected re-zoning of a 17-acre parcel from residential to commercial. This is the same parcel that the City attempted to re-zone to to commercial two years ago (Proposed Outlet Mall site), which CFF successfully appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals. CFF expects to be successful in this appeal, as well.
One yard sale just wasn't enough for our group of hearty volunteers, and they managed a second, very successful, sale in November. These funds are earmarked for the legal fund as well, to appeal other components of the City's revised comprehensive plan, including development of a bypass for Hwy 101 in front of our schools.
Our other projects like maintenance of the web site, construction of the Cannery Dune interpretive sign, and distribution of future newsletters all cost money. We are working on grant applications for these kinds of projects.
We've also built a web page for "Shameless Sales". This page contains links to on-line merchants. When you click on the logo of one of the merchants, and then buy something from their web site, they will contribute a percentage of the sale to CFF. So if you're shopping on-line this holiday season, start at CFF's web pages.

CFF Web Page	Comprehensive Plan Review
Cannery Dune Project	Community Involvement
Public Information	Funding
Future Projects	CFF Wish List

Future Projects

Construction and funding of the interpretive sign for the Cannery Dune will continue to be one of our major projects for next year. We will also be organizing "patrols" by the Dune Watch committee to work with the BLM and Department of Forestry in removing non-native vegetation on the Cannery Dune next summer.
Recent proposals to annex 170+ acres into the City of Florence will be closely scrutinized by CFF. If it appears these proposals do not comply with applicable land use laws, CFF intends to oppose them. The first hearing before the Florence Planning Commission is scheduled for January 9, 2001.
CFF intends to be fully involved in the finalization of the City's Comprehensive Plan. CFF is primarily concerned about four major areas of the plan: Expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary to include 170 more acres; Creation of the Limited Industrial/Commercial District; Creation of the North Florence Commercial Area which would require re-zoning of the 17-acre parcel to commercial; Development of Oak Street as a bypass for Hwy 101. The basis for our objection is contained in our August 30, 2000 Comments to the City. Unfortunately, it appears likely that legal expenses will be incurred, as certain details of the process are outside the field of expertise of our volunteers.
CFF will continue to support the videotaping of City Council meetings, as we believe this public service is invaluable to many of our citizens who might not otherwise be able to participate in city government.
CFF has applied for a grant to provide the Siuslaw Public Library with another computer station for public access to the internet, as well as funds to maintain the CFF web site and produce informational newsletters.
CFF will continue the "Night at the Movies" series at the library whenever appropriate videos become available.
CFF's long range plans include continued public education activities through web page production, sponsoring and participating in public meetings and community affairs, and publishing informational newsletters.

CFF Wish List

Our "wish list" when funding becomes available, includes:

Development of the Cannery Dune viewing area to include examples of intermittent dunal lakes, dunal wetlands, and riparian/dune edge habitat. All of these ecosystems are on publicly owned land, within easy walking distance of the Cannery Dune and Hwy 101.
Sponsorship of a "Land Use 101" type conference here in Florence. The goal would be to provide the public with a general overview of Oregon's complicated land use regulatory system.
Purchase of a city planning modeling computer program to assist the City with their visioning process for future development of Florence.
Sponsorship of a "Volunteering" conference. Florence has a large number of volunteers, in many areas of interest from health care to politics. The conference would offer ideas from experts in the field of volunteering, and would address such issues as preventing "burn out", increasing the effectiveness of your volunteer efforts, how to work with existing groups, how to obtain government support, etc.
Purchase a combination television/vcr/dvd player for the library for individual viewing of videotapes. The library currently has a large screen tv for group viewing, but it is often either unused or unavailable because of group activities occurring in the Bromley Room.
Purchase of videotapes for the library on subjects dealing with city planning, urban sprawl, and public participation in government.

CFF Web Page	Comprehensive Plan Review
Cannery Dune Project	Community Involvement
Public Information	Funding
Future Projects	CFF Wish List

1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
CFF Vision: Build a Better Florence

Citizens For Florence
P.O. Box 1212
Florence, Oregon 97439

E-mail Address: citizensforflorence@yahoo.com

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