Contacts:
Kathleen Sullivan, CFF Spokesperson
Marilyn Coffel, Fred Meyer

Citizens For Florence and Fred Meyer Announce Settlement of Land Use Appeal

Citizens For Florence, Fred Meyer and Westwood Development have recently reached a settlement resolving a lengthy land use dispute in the City of Florence. All three parties, as well as the City, agree to dismiss the pending action before the State Court of Appeals pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreement.

The agreement provides that Fred Meyer will not open for business before June 14, 2000. After that date, If Fred Meyer opens before the new Florence sewage treatment plant is complete, Fred Meyer will have in place an alternative on-site sewage holding tank system which will prevent the store’s sewage from contributing to contamination of the Siuslaw River due to the ongoing capacity problems with the current sewage treatment plant. “Fred Meyer has indicated to us that they plan to be a part of the community, and they have taken our concerns about protecting a wonderful natural resource such as the Siuslaw River very seriously,” according to Kathleen Sullivan, spokesperson for CFF.

Other provisions of the agreement include:

Fred Meyer will construct pedestrian walkways between their store, adjacent businesses on the site, and the surrounding streets.

Fred Meyer will contribute $10,000 toward additional pedestrian or bicycle access projects along Hwy. 101 to facilitate alternative modes of transportation to the store as long as such projects are constructed within five years.

Fred Meyer will modify their stormwater infiltration disposal system so that in the event the City develops a public stormwater collection system for this area, Fred Meyer can hook up to that system with relative ease. “This redesign will help ensure the long-term protection of the City’s sole source of drinking water which lies directly below the proposed store,” according to Sullivan. Fred Meyer has also agreed to remove all contaminated or unconsolidated fill in the areas where the stormwater system will be installed.

In addition, Fred Meyer will provide CFF with a location on the southwest corner of the store
property where CFF will install, at its own expense, an interpretive sign describing the  Cannery Dune area to the west of the site. CFF plans to consult with the Siuslaw Public Library on ideas for the sign. Fred Meyer will provide access to the dune from the interpretive site, which will include dedicated parking spaces for dune visitors. For the first time, the public will have legal and easy access to the dune area.

“It’s been a long, hard process, but CFF is quite pleased with this settlement,” said Liam Sherlock, attorney for CFF. “Fred Meyer has contributed significantly to the group’s goals of encouraging non-motorized transportation, protecting the river, the aquifer and downstream residents, as well as providing public access to the dunes.”

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with CFF that will allow us to proceed with our plans to bring a Fred Meyer store to Florence," said Marilyn Coffel of Fred Meyer. "The process has been a long one and we have appreciated the efforts of the City staff, Design Review Board and City Council in reviewing our project. We are glad that we have been able to address the concerns about our project raised by CFF and other interested citizens. As a result of all this community dialog, we have a better project. We think people will be pleased with our project and we look forward to being a part of the Florence community for many years to come."

Also see:
CFF and Fred Meyer Settlement Agreement
CFF Appeal Brief  and
LUBA Decision on Fred Meyer Design Review
 

Citizens For Florence recently received their IRS determination letter re: tax exempt organization designation. CFF has been registered as a not-for-profit corporation with the State of Oregon for some time. Obtaining Federal recognition of non-profit status was a much more involved process and took longer. Thanks to some hard working volunteers, we have finally received our determination letter. See CFF Nonprofit Status. If you have questions about how to deduct contributions to CFF on your tax return, consult with your tax preparer.
 

Citizens For Florence joined in on the May Day "Clean Up the City" activities. CFF picked up litter along along Rhododendron Drive from the hospital to Wildwinds. CFF wants to congratulate the people of Florence: it seems there wasn't much trash to pick up. "Made our
job pretty easy!" And special thanks to those who stopped to offer their help - seems there's quite a volunteer pool here in Florence, if we can just figure out how to tap into it.
 

Volunteers will be meeting at the U.S. Forest Service parking lot, off Hwy. 101, on Sunday, June 13, 2:00 p.m. Bring gloves and a hat.

Citizens for Florence has adopted the Cannery Dune, in north Florence. The 40-acre dune is located in the north Florence area, just off Highway 101. The group has agreed to work with the US Bureau of Land Management in removing and monitoring non-native vegetation, such as European dune beach grass. The group sees the open dune area as a unique opportunity for the public to actually see what an inland, living dune looks like.

In conjunction with the Dune Watch, CFF will be installing an interpretive sign at the southwest
corner of the soon to be constructed Fred Meyer parking lot. Through recent negotiations with Fred Meyer officials, CFF also obtained a public right-of-way agreement which will be the first legal public access to the dune. This legal access will also benefit surrounding property owners who have long endured trespass by tourists and locals in their quest to see what was really on the other side of the 100' high sand dune.

"This is a great opportunity for Florence," said Jenny Velinty, CFF Dune Watch Coordinator. "Not only will we be able to preserve this beautiful dune, we will be developing an excellent tourist and education area at the same time." The dune, located about one mile north of Highway 126, and easily visible from Highway 101, will be the most accessible dune area in Florence.

Velinty said the group understands that the changes in wind patterns which will occur after the Fred Meyer retail complex and neighboring properties are completed may have a detrimental effect on the dune. "At this point, we don't know what will happen to the dune from the changes in wind patterns. That's something the BLM will be studying." said Velinty. "We do know that if the vegetation is not controlled, it's a certainty that the dune will die - so we're trying to prevent that." said Velinty. "Even if the dune were going to disappear in the next 20 years, that means we still have 20 years to study, evaluate, and educate. A few weeks a year of pulling weeds is a small price to pay for that opportunity." The group will be using hand-pulling (as opposed to herbicides) in order to protect the aquifer which provides water for the Florence area. "After consulting with the BLM and the Dept. of Forestry, we determined that hand-pulling is probably the best, and safest, method of removing the
vegetation." said Velinty.

The Cannery Dune lies next to a 160-acre tract of Lane County property, which will now be
accessible to the public. The area includes examples of intermittent dunal lakes, dunal wetlands and riparian/dune edge habitats which are rapidly disappearing in the development crush being
experienced in Florence. Citizens For Florence will be holding an orientation meeting for volunteers June 13. Those interested should contact CFF.