Annexation or a New City?

Our charter states that the Friends Of Rock Creek, Inc. is organized as a nonprofit community organization devoted primarily to preserving the community's traditions, land use, zoning, and open space designations by representing it before local legislature and administrative agencies that have authority over such matters. The goal of the corporation is maintain and enhance the quality of life in the Rock Creek Community.

In the pursuit of our charter, Friends Of Rock Creek has been actively involved in issues that affect the greater Rock Creek community.

• We continue to monitor the activities of the Rock Creek Country Club to make sure their actions match their stated objectives.
• FORC is working to keep Hillsboro from using our neighborhood streets for traffic mitigation from the new AmberGlen development. FORC board members and the core team have been attending public hearings and private meetings for many months to make sure our voices are heard and concerns are heeded, and will continue to oppose the proposed overpass that would pour Hillsboro’s unmanageable traffic onto Rock Creek Boulevard. Our community is not going to become a dumping ground for our neighbor’s problems.

The Board of Directors is constantly watching for issues that could affect our neighborhood, and it looks like we have a large decision looming.

Like It or Not, Annexation Is Coming

The area north of Highway 26 between the Washington County line and Cornelius Pass Road is being eyed by Beaverton and Hillsboro for annexation. There are approximately 65,000 people living in this area, and both cities would like to add us to the tax rolls. There many unanswered questions about what additional services we would get in exchange for our tax dollars, and if we would have a position on either city council. We could effectively have taxation without representation.

A New City?

We may have to choose if we want to be annexed into the city of Hillsboro or Beaverton. There is also a third option, creating our own city, and it is intriguing. A group called A City By Choice is exploring this option, and they came to the FORC board meeting on Tuesday to present their ideas to us. There are many, many things that need to be worked out, but there is very little solid research to base any decision on. In order for any citizen to make an informed decision, a feasibility study will have to be performed.

Sign the Petition for a Feasibility Study

A City By Choice has an urgent need for signatures on a petition supporting a feasibility study, so they can begin searching for a grant to pay for that study.

At this time, Friends Of Rock Creek is not endorsing becoming a new city, or supporting annexation into either Hillsboro or Beaverton. We do want you to sign the petition. Until the feasibility study is complete, making an informed choice about the future direction of our community will be impossible. What would city government look like? What would the tax implications be? How much more control would we have over our own lives and property? What advantages would Beaverton or Hillsboro give us? It is all up in the air until the study is complete.

Signing the petition does not obligate you to any fees, nor does it say you support the creation of a new city. It simply says that you agree there needs to be an in-depth analysis of our options.

Stay Informed

As the country club found out, an informed community is a strong community, and the Friends of Rock Creek urge you to check out A City By Choice and attend one of their informational meetings. Whether you support joining Hillsboro, Beaverton, or forming a new city, that decision should be based on facts.

One thing is certain: We are not going to be allowed to continue as an unincorporated area of Washington County much longer, and by staying informed we can control our own destiny. Sign the petition in support of the feasibility study so a grant can be secured. It is the first step in a long process, and obligates you to no particular plan of action.

It is inevitable; we will be incorporated into one city or another. FORC will keep you informed of developments along the way, so stay connected to the Friends Of Rock Creek website and watch your email!

Get Involved

A City By Choice general membership meetings are held every second Monday of the month; the next two are April 12th and May 10th. They start at 7:00pm and are held above Huntington Learning Center in Bethany Village ,15220 NW Laidlaw Rd, Suite 200.

Community Meeting Recap

May 31, 2009: There were enough chairs to go around this time, but the Lenox School gym was full of concerned residents as the Friend Of Rock Creek updated the community on what has been happening over the past few months.

Commissioners Andy Duyck and Desari Strader spoke of their continued support for the community of Rock Creek, and residents responded in kind. We are well represented by Commissioner Strader, and the continued support of Commissioner Duyck, when we are not even in his district, proves that we are in the right.

Long-time resident, and the first person to sell homes in this “new” development Fred Hoene offered some perspective on the origins of Rock Creek, the role that the golf course played in the early marketing of the properties here, and the quality of life this neighborhood has maintained since its inception nearly 4 decades ago. “Country Club Living” was the sales pitch, and it is as true today as it was then.

Now, in the face of developers, a county looking for more tax revenue, a parks system hungry for more land, and a regional government reluctant to expand the Urban Growth Boundary, the fight to preserve open space in Rock Creek will be heated and drawn-out. There is big money at stake for the developers, so they will not go away without a fight. So far, we have just seen a quiet squabble. The fight is coming, and we have to be ready.

Paul Pilat, Terry Krause, Roger Gray, and our attorney met with a representative of the country club and their attorneys. In that meeting, Friends Of Rock Creek stated and restated our interest in engaging in discussions with the golf course owners regarding establishing and maintaining a sustainable golf club. At the meeting we were given no assurances that the owners were willing to talk about a commitment to operate the golf course long term without talking about some kind of development.

Friends of Rock Creek, Inc. is organized as a nonprofit community organization devoted primarily to preserving the community's traditions, land use, zoning, and open space designations by representing it before local legislature and administrative agencies that have authority over such matters. The goal of the corporation is maintain and enhance the quality of life in the Rock Creek Community.

To maintain and enhance the quality of life in the Rock Creek Community. Our activities have extended beyond simply fighting for the open space overlay and the preservation of the golf course. Terry Krause and Ryan Hurlbert teamed up with CPO7 representative Mary Beth Cottle to meet with Hillsboro Transportation Planning Engineer Don Odermott to provide input into future road and access development into, around, and through our community as part of the required transportation planning process related to the Amberglen Master Plan, which is being finalized this summer for a fall review and approval by ODOT and the City of Hillsboro. You can read more about the Amberglen plan here.

Ken Tehaar has been monitoring developments in neighboring communities, and reporting on the impact decisions made in those communities will have on Rock Creek. Of particular interest in recent months are the ongoing battles over who will pay for system development and infrastructure for the expansion and development of North Bethany. Please look at his presentation for details on how development there will affect traffic flows in Rock Creek and the cost of development elsewhere. To start learning more about the North Bethany Plan, click here .

Friends Of Rock Creek wants to make it easy for people to contribute to the cause, and had intended to set up our account for ACH deposits directly from community members. Discussions between our treasurer and our bank have uncovered some cost associated with an ACH program that cast some doubt on the suitability of it for us. Our bank recommended that we ask people to set us up in their on-line bill pay system instead, since there is no cost involved and every penny could be put to use.

This may not be as convenient as an ACH debit would have been, but it makes more economic sense for Friends of Rock Creek at this time. If you use on-line bill pay, please set us up as a recurring payment. If you don’t use bill pay, put a reminder in your calendar to send us a check. Regular monthly deposits allow us to better estimate our reserves and plan our expenses, and it makes it easier for families to budget a smaller amount. It is difficult for many people to find an extra $250 in their account when we ask for contributions, but most people can budget for $20-50 a month. Every bit helps.

We are a non-profit, and our books are open to any contributor who would like to see them. Contact Leroy Bentley, our Treasurer, to make arrangements to view the books. You can rest assured that every penny we spend is directly related to our mission. The Board of Directors is made up entirely of volunteers, and there are no paid staff positions. Only our attorney gets paid for his work, and if there was a way to get him for free we would do it! We don’t re-direct contributions to any other projects, although requests have come in for everything from snow removal to sidewalk repair.

Finally, in an effort to better serve the greater community at large, we will be posting notices and links for other activities and meetings for CPO7, the Rock Creek Community Association, and the surrounding communities on our events page to keep everyone informed.

Ken Teharr's North Bethany Presentation

May 31, 2009: Ken has been monitoring the proposed development in the North Bethany neighborhood, paying particular interest in how the changes made there will affect the community of Rock Creek. He made an excellent presentation at the community meeting, but if you missed it or would like to see it again, it is here.

The powerpoint presentation, with the maps and outlines, is available here.

New Contributors Page on Website

Check out our new "Contributors" page where we recognize many of the people that have contributed to Friends of Rock Creek. Without the help of generous community members like these, we would be unable to continue our fight to save the open space.

We won't post your name without your permission, and we were only able to contact about 65% of contributors. If you are not on this list and would like to be, please contact Ryan Hurlbert and let him know. If you are on the list and would like to be removed, Ryan can handle that as well.

Many people have begun making regular monthly contributions to Friends of Rock Creek. This is very helpful to us, and makes budgeting easier. If you would like to set up automatic monthly contributions, your bank can provide you with the required forms. Please contact Leroy Bentley for the required FORC account information.

Friends of Rock Creek Win Round One

Rather than set a precedent of defeat, the owners of the Rock Creek Country Club requested that the text amendment be removed from the Washington County Commission work plan. This does not mean the Friends of Rock Creek have won this fight; we have simply won the first round. The owners of the golf course have way too much invested in this to walk away now. The text amendment tactic was the easiest way for them to go, and the cheapest, and it almost worked. Now they know the community here is united and is a force to be reckoned with.

With our attorney, the core team is developing strategies for the protracted battle that is coming. Please continue your support by volunteering, staying informed, writing letters, and contributing money. Without your help, we cannot defeat the golf course owners, who are well-funded, well-connected, and have way too much at stake to give up easily.

Friends of Rock Creek Launch New Website

Our new website provides a much more flexible platform for community communications and is an easier to use source of information. We have added a Frequently Asked Questions page, links to easily email each County Commissioner, and a news archive page where you can look up old flyers, announcements, and news links. The goal is to make www.friendsofrockcreek.com the only place you need to go for information, meeting notices, and news.

Please send your comments, questions, and suggestions to Ryan Hurlbert, and he will answer them as quickly as he can. Common questions are posted on the FAQ page, so check there, too.

Keep checking this website for updates and ways you can help.

Read Past News Articles