Todd Myers, Director of the Center for Environmental Policy for WPC, evaluates the effects of Oregon's Measure 37 and provides a perspective on what Washington citizens might expect if a similar law were to pass in our state. The study is the first comprehensive look at the impact of the Measure in Oregon.

Measure 37, overwhelmingly passed by voters in November 2004, required counties and the state of Oregon to pay for the value landowners lose when new zoning restrictions are put in place. The Washington State Farm Bureau is offering an initiative similar to Measure 37 in Washington.

“Both supporters and opponents of the Measure claimed it would change the landscape of Oregon,” said Myers. “The reality, however, is that during the time it was in effect, the impact on the landscape was less than either side expected.”

The study finds that there are actually a limited number of landowners who are eligible to make significant claims against the state. Landowners can only make claims going back to the date they purchased the land. Many of Oregon's most significant zoning changes are 30 years old, and very few individuals or companies have held land long enough to make significant claims.

Read the full study online at www.washingtonpolicy.org or request a hard copy by calling 206-937-9691.