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Veneta outlines $500,000 green infrastructure plan to restore wetlands, seek mitigation credits for Hwy 126 corridor
Summary
Community Development Director Kevin Urban described a DLCD Community Green Infrastructure Grant for a corridor along Highway 126 that would emphasize wetland restoration to generate mitigation credits, propose limited development inside the typical 50-foot wetland buffer, and seek additional grant funding to expand pond and restoration work.
Community Development Director Kevin Urban told the Planning Commission the city has been awarded a nearly $500,000 Community Green Infrastructure Grant from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) to work on a corridor along Highway 126.
Urban said the grant area is roughly bounded by the BPA easement, Highway 126, the railroad tracks and Territorial Road, and that much of the corridor qualifies as wetlands under state designation. He described a strategy that would keep new impervious surfaces out of wetlands, restore degraded wetlands to generate mitigation credits for use elsewhere on the site (rather than paying $80,000–$100,000 in mitigation fees for a pending Taco Bell development), and request Planning Commission flexibility regarding the typical 50-foot wetland buffer so development pads and access drives could be used where appropriate. Urban emphasized this was a project proposal and not an adopted change to the city code or buffer policy.
Urban also described a conceptual plan that includes expanding and improving an existing pond so it could function as a working pond to provide wetland credits, clearing hazard trees in the highway safety zone and replanting low-growing native vegetation to improve sight lines, and potential pedestrian-safety improvements such as a rapid-flashing beacon crosswalk. He said the city has not yet signed the DLCD contract, has applied for an additional roughly $250,000 grant (which could raise the project to about $1 million), and expects local students to help maintain restored areas for about three years after completion. Urban noted ODOT’s permit department had designated parts of the corridor as a “red zone” where permits are likely to be denied, so the proposal includes coordination with state agencies and justification to allow limited work that improves safety while preserving and enhancing wetlands.
The commission discussed phasing and timing—Urban said phasing depends on additional grant awards and seasonal seed-collection needs. No formal approval was requested at the March 3 meeting; Urban asked for feedback and indicated a site visit with the grantor agency is pending.
