In 1904, the Port of Portland dredged the Willamette River in order to make it easier for commercial shipping to navigate the river. The dredged material was deposited on shallow areas of the river, which have forever since been privately owned.
A $2.4 Million Dollar Surprise
In 2004, Dolan and Company, LLC purchased nearly 10 acres of this filled-in land from the previous private owner. Much to their surprise, in 2011 the company received a letter out of the blue from the Oregon Department of Justice, claiming that because the land that Dolan and Company had purchased was at one point part of the Willamette River, it was actually owned by the state. The state then demanded that Dolan and Company pay $2.4 Million to the state in order to continue to own the land.
As Dan Dolan put it, “I find it very disingenuous that the State of Oregon and its political subdivisions would encourage filling in…the shallow areas of the river in one century and come back in the next to make a claim against subsequent owners of land that may have been filled. This is just wrong.”
Senate Bill 479: Righting a $2.4 Million Dollar Wrong
Because we know this nightmare scenario may happen to every Oregon landowner who owns land that contains dredge material, Oregonians in Action is pushing for Senate Bill 479, which would prevent the State of Oregon from having ownership over land that has been artificially created by government action over 50 years ago. Click here to read this short, simple bill.
The bill is sponsored by Senators Jeff Kruse, Betsy Johnson, Arnie Roblan, and Doug Whitsett. It is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it awaits a hearing. OIA lobbyists are working hard to get the bill heard and approved.
It is simply unconscionable for the state of Oregon to lie in the weeds for decades, and then demand that Oregon property owners pay the state to “repurchase” land that has been in private ownership for over a century. There is no good reason why they should pay for their land again.
The post State of Oregon Demands Portland Landowner Pay State $2.4 Million to “Buy” His Own Land appeared first on Oregonians In Action.