Resident urges clearer landslide, drainage rules in city's hazard overlay

Christopher Snell addressed the Bandon Planning Commission during public comment on May 22, arguing that the city’s natural hazard overlay and related municipal code lack clear requirements for drainage review and that geological assessments should explicitly consider surface and groundwater drainage.

"The city has identified a natural hazard overlay zone in line with Oregon's statewide planning goal 7…Bridal municipal code requires a geological assessment review for development in hazard zones, but it's not clear at what stage this should occur," Snell said. He warned that permitting development within identified slide‑hazard and excessive slope areas without full review of available geological data is "at best irresponsible and a risk to both property and personal safety." Snell also told commissioners that Bandon’s storm drain master plan dates to 1999 and called it "woefully inadequate."

Snell recommended restoring an explicit review role for the planning commission or another independent reviewer rather than leaving final determination solely to a single identified "decision maker," and urged the code to require consideration of drainage factors such as permeability, groundwater conduits and surface flow in geological assessments. The commission acknowledged the comment and thanked him; no formal action was taken at the meeting.