Our city, like others in the state, had a master plan about land use with a goal that seemed to us to be pretty clear:
Goal 8: Recreational Needs: To satisfy the recreational needs of the citizens of the community and visitors to the area.
POLICIES: 1. Existing park sites will be protected from incompatible uses and future expansion alternatives at some sites will be developed.
We thought that meant that our existing city parks would be safeguarded, and that the city would look to acquire and expand some parks.
But early 2019, the City Council decided that any park could be rezoned from being an open space park to something entirely different. And suddenly we realized that every park was in jeopardy, because a park could be carved up into a variety of uses, and the open space, fields, playgrounds, or other amenities could vanish forever. This put all parks at risk, and motivates us to act to protect the parks we have.
Goal 8: Recreational Needs: To satisfy the recreational needs of the citizens of the community and visitors to the area.
POLICIES: 1. Existing park sites will be protected from incompatible uses and future expansion alternatives at some sites will be developed.
We thought that meant that our existing city parks would be safeguarded, and that the city would look to acquire and expand some parks.
But early 2019, the City Council decided that any park could be rezoned from being an open space park to something entirely different. And suddenly we realized that every park was in jeopardy, because a park could be carved up into a variety of uses, and the open space, fields, playgrounds, or other amenities could vanish forever. This put all parks at risk, and motivates us to act to protect the parks we have.
Why Protect Our Parks
Who we are
Protect Our Parks is a non-profit group formed by concerned local citizens whose goal is to protect ALL Hood River parks. It is crucial that we safeguard our green spaces for present and future generations.
A lost park is lost forever!
A lost park is lost forever!