Street Dining Applications Start: The City of Corvallis has opened its Right-of-Way permitting program for the 2023 outdoor dining season from April 1 to Oct. 31. The program is available to restaurants throughout Corvallis.
In a release from the city, the summer 2022 season saw a total of 15 restaurants use 39 parking spaces downtown and six spaces on Monroe Ave. The city currently manages 1499 parking spaces in and adjacent to downtown and 75 parking spaces in and adjacent to Monroe Ave.
A restaurant can reserve up to three parking spaces. A fourth parking space, which cannot be used for dining, may be required as a buffer from parked vehicles in some locations. The application fee is $100.
Street Space Fee:
- $200 per parking space for the season and/or
- $1 per square foot of street space that is not in a typical parking space. Examples include loading areas, motorcycle spaces, corner areas, etc.
According to an analysis from City Staff, “the program is estimated to generate approximately $9,000 in annual revenue for the General Fund and represents an estimated $5,000 annual loss of revenue to the Parking Fund.”
More information about the program can be found in the 2023 Outdoor Dining Program Document and Application.
Does FEMA Plan Threaten Benton County: The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) has issued a letter to the Benton County Board of Commissioners asking for support in preventing efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in Oregon.
Some of these changes may mean that quite a bit of currently developable land would no longer be available for housing developments.
In a letter from the AOC, FEMA sets floodplain development standards that local governments must adopt to participate in the NFIP. In 2016, the NMFS issued a Biological Opinion (Bi-Op) stating that FEMA’s implementation of the NFIP in Oregon, and particularly its floodplain development standards, are causing jeopardy to certain threatened and endangered species in Oregon.
“This is a very significant threat to Oregonians. Many of the mandatory program changes that FEMA has signaled threaten the viability of our communities and are inconsistent with existing Oregon land use priorities and programs,” said Gina Firman Nikkel, Ph.D. Executive Director, AOC. “These regulatory changes would affect what land could be developed, how land could be developed, and corresponding land values and tax revenues. Implementation of these new regulations will place communities at risk of taking claims and lawsuits from landowners who are forced into compliance. FEMA has stated that they will not provide support for communities defending against these suits.”
In Benton County, Commissioners will look over the letter issued by the AOC at their April 4 meeting ahead of the May 5 deadline for FEMA to submit the Draft Implementation Plan.
“Our goal is to pull together a coalition comprised of city and county representatives to participate as a collective voice in the NEPA environmental review process and to hopefully change FEMA’s Implementation Plan to reduce burdens to local communities,” said Firman Nikkel.
Van Buren Bridge Update: The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will be giving a long-awaited update to the Corvallis City Council on the construction project for the Van Buren Bridge.
At the April 6, council work session representatives with ODOT will tell the council where they are currently at with the process of replacing the bridge.
According to ODOT, the replacement is necessary due to the deterioration of the bridge and to make it an earthquake resilient bridge. The project will also include a new signalized intersection at 1st and Van Buren and upgrade current traffic signal elements and the controller at 2nd and Van Buren to improve traffic flow.
The total estimated cost for the project is $80,133,000.00, and so far, $9,254,623.22 has been spent.
By Jennifer Williams
