Hillsboro and Aerotropolis Development
There are troubling indications that the Hillsboro City Council, the Washington County Board of Commissioners and the Hillsboro Airport are pursuing an aerotropolis model as evidenced by opening up farmland, either bordering or in close proximity to the Hillsboro Airport, to taxpayer subsidized industrial development. In the case discussed below, the county and city recently declared 1,090 acres of rural land "blighted" in an effort to quite literally pave the way for additional development. According to Jody Wiser of Tax Fairness Oregon, $131 Million of the money earmarked to pay for this project will be diverted from the K thru 12 educational budget. Oregon is already a state that often receives low or failing grades due to its chronic failure to adequately fund education. It is also negligent in addressing aviation noise and environmental toxins generated by airport related polluters.
For additional information see:
- Wiser, Jody. Get Your Hands Off My Kids' Education. Blue Oregon (10/2/15).
- Ryan, Jim. North Hillsboro Industrial Renewal Gets Okay from City. Council. Oregonian/OregonLiveo (11/18/15).
- Hammill, Luke. Courting Industrial Jobs, Hillsboro Opens Farmland to Industrial Development. Oregonian/OregonLive. (11/14/15).
Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement (GAAM) Update #2
Per Rose Bridger of GAAM,
"The second issue of 'Aerotropolis Update' has been published by the Global Anti-Aerotroplis Movement (GAAM). It contains news of aerotropolis development around 46 airports. A few US airports are mentioned, including Atlanta, but the emphasis is on major developments in Africa and Asia. The allocation of large areas of land, displacement of rural communities, high levels of government expenditure, subsidies such as tax breaks and integration with other megaprojects are among the key concerns. The Update can be viewed and downloaded from the Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement (GAAM) website: GAAM Aerotropolis Update, No. 2.
The Update contains maps showing the land area for Atlanta Aerotropolis, Long Thanh (Vietnam), and King Shaka (South Africa)."
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