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HOOD RIVER (
Fruit growers protest
By RAELYNN RICARTE
Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers was dismayed to learn on Monday about a
change in state law that could contribute to a labor shortage in the
Hood River Valley.
Jean Godfrey, CGFG executive director, said a proposed dormitory for
farm workers in Odell ran into the new regulatory roadblock. She now
plans to ask permission from CGFG’s 450-member farms in Wasco and Hood
River counties to lobby the Oregon Legislature for a return to the old
seasonal housing rules.
“This issue is bigger than one grower’s need,” Godfrey told the Hood
River County Planning Commission at a March 12 hearing.
“We are facing a shortage of housing and we have looked at this project
for several months as an answer to this problem.”
Under discussion was the number of dwelling units that could be built on
a 10.6-acre property along Lippman Road. Adelante Community Development
Corporation wanted to apply $750,000 in state tax credits toward
construction of eight dwelling units. The living quarters, plus a common
room with food and laundry services, would accommodate up to 91 workers
during the weeks of harvest.
Adelante, a nonprofit agency based in Sandy, leased the property from
owner Joe Sheirbon for $1 per year over a 20-year period. The on-site
septic system was expected to lower the overall construction costs by
$375-$475,000.
Mike Benedict, planning director, said the law, which was revised
several years ago, now allows farmers to build only enough housing on
high-value agricultural lands to meet their individual worker needs. He
said until the Department of Land Conservation and Development tightened
up the regulations, there were few limitations on seasonal worker
housing.
Benedict told the planning commission that repeated requests from his
staff for data to justify the high number of laborers went unanswered by
either the owner or lessee. He said the county then calculated that
Sheirbon, with a total of 78 acres, would qualify for a crew of 16
laborers each year.
Godfrey expressed concern that the county would now start deciding how
many workers that an orchardist should have living on his/her land.
Benedict assured her that the county had no intention of regulating the
number of employees who could live on resource lands.
“This is not a position that I ever wanted my staff to have to take; to
tell a farmer how many workers he needs. But, unfortunately, this
project was so large that we had to have some type of guideline,” he
said.
Neighbors of the Sheirbon property, represented by Peter Frothingham,
objected to Benedict’s recommendation that the commission approve
housing for 16 workers. They believed that, since 64 of the 78 acres
were planted in tree fruits, there needed to be only 13 workers living
on the site.
The commission denied Frothingham’s request for a further reduction in
the allowable number of occupants. However, the adjacent landowners were
granted their request that “light pollution” brought by new development
be reduced by having exterior lighting shielded.
Jose Rivera, executive director of Adelante, withdrew his appeal of the
16-worker limitation and agreed to accept Benedict’s recommendation. He
acknowledged being unaware that the law had changed since Adelante built
a 25-person dormitory in 2001 on Gilhouley Road. He said that project
had 24-hour management and extra security checks from 6-10 p.m. daily.
Although the Lippman Road site plan was approved by the commission,
Rivera said the project was no longer affordable. He said it would be
impossible to build dwelling units for just 16 laborers and keep their
rental costs down to $10.50 per day with one meal or $15 for all three
meals. He said the soil on the property was too poor to maintain healthy
fruit trees so it was suitable for housing.
He had intended that the workers residing in the complex be allowed to
choose where they wanted to work, as formerly allowed by law.
“I did not withdraw the entire application even though it no longer
pencils out. I am hoping that someone will come along within the next
four years (time allowed for construction to begin) with the money to
make it work — or the law will change,” said Rivera.
Godfrey said valley farmers are facing tough new federal Occupational
and Safety Health Administration standards for housing. She said a
dormitory, such as that planned by Adelante, would have helped growers
who are unable to afford the upgrades necessary to comply with these new
guidelines.
Godfrey said congregate living would also provide social opportunities
for Mexican workers who did not speak English. In addition, she said
centralized housing was more cost-effective to build and maintain than
separate dwellings — especially when the state provided tax credits to
offset construction costs.
The problem, said Godfrey, was that state officials, while stating that
more labor housing was a priority, appeared to be making it more
difficult to meet that need.
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