Page 116 - Rural Tourism Report Washington County

CHAPTER 5: ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS

Rural Road Enhancement Study Corridors
Washington County’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) includes Rural Road Enhancement Study
Corridors, identified and monitored for minor enhancements (per OAR 660-012-0065) in coordination

with affected rural communities as resources allow. The study corridors reflect certain roadways,
originally built to accommodate local agricultural traffic and farm equipment, that are increasingly
used for commercial freight transport, urban motorist/bicyclist commuting and recreation.
Enhancement considerations may include: shoulder widening/pavement markings, sight distance
improvements and vegetation control; illumination or flashing beacons at intersections; curve warning
signs, sign enlargement, use of reflective materials, and more. (See Fig. 3.3 on page 43 for Study
Corridor locations).

Summary/Conclusions • Good neighbor policies – agreements among

Using case study research and supporting findings, neighbors, possibly with County guidelines,
the impact assessment developed a framework to to coordinate and mitigate tourism impacts.
understand potential impacts from tourism-based As a next step, the County could consider reviewing
activities and to offer a set of mitigating strategies. and revising the Community Development Code.
The assessment highlighted that impacts are not Considerations may include limits on the number
necessarily associated with the type of activity of activities allowed, where appropriate, to
offered, but with the nature of the specific events encompass the applicable mitigating strategies in
and the attributes of the event site. Operating close the regulatory framework. In addition, the County

to neighboring land uses, requiring direct access could consider working with the Washington County
to primary roads, having limited parking capacity, Visitor’s Association and industry representatives
engaging high volumes of patrons, and using to develop guidelines for policies and procedures
amplified music are key factors that increase the for use by tourism operators. Similarly these parties
odds of creating impacts. A number of policy and and agricultural industry representatives could be
procedural, as well as technical, solutions exist to encouraged to develop good neighbor practices to
eliminate or mitigate possible impacts. engage with neighboring land owners. Oregon’s

right to farm law provides critical protections for
The consultant recommends three approaches for agricultural practices, but also leaves potential for
incorporating these mitigating strategies into best such practices to impact neighboring residential

management practices to reduce the negative developments and tourism sites in ways that may be
impacts of rural tourism:
difficult or impossible to eliminate. For example, drift
• Regulations –provisions of underlying land from crop spraying may affect rural tourism events
use district standards; that are underway on nearby land. Coordination with

• Guidelines – recommended mitigation and among neighbors is an important strategy when
actions for land owners; and striving to mitigate the impacts.

112 WASHINGTON COUNTY RURAL TOURISM STUDY