ESA and zoning, engineering writing assignmnet

CE410/510 Homework 4 Summer 2015

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Answer the following questions using complete sentences. Follow these additional guidelines:

1) Format: Use word processing software (e.g., MS Word) to prepare your answers. Upload a PDF of the final document to the appropriate dropbox on D2L by the due date

2) Font: use 12pt Times New Roman font with 1.5x line spacing. Do not indent paragraphs, and provide double spacing between paragraphs.

3) Header/Footer: provide relevant information in the header/footer, including your name, the course number, assignment number, and date.

4) Headings: provide descriptive headings for the subparts outlined below (e.g., “Endangered Species Act”, “Question (1)”, etc.). Use font formatting to clearly identify each subpart (e.g., bold, underline, etc.)

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Answer the following questions related to the ESA (handout provided in class). Reference relevant

portions of the act when answering (e.g., “Section 4.101 states that …”).

(1) What is the purpose of Section 2? What legal weight does it hold?

(2) What is the scientific standard that the Secretary must follow when designating a species "endangered" or "threatened"? What are the potential problems with this standard?

(3) How does this ESA interplay with state regulation? Is state law preempted?

(4) What is the general flow/procedure for the "Interagency Cooperation" outlined in Section 7? What types of acts trigger the requirement to follow Section 7?

(5) What are the potential penalties for violating the ESA? You may find it helpful to view the Environmental Protection Agency’s resources related to interpreting and understanding the ESA: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/laws-policies/.

CE410/510 Homework 4 Summer 2015

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Zoning

The City of Portland (CoP) has implemented zoning to help plan development within city limits. The

zoning code can be found on the CoP website (http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/31612).

Zoning maps can be accessed in multiple ways:

- CoP Zoning Maps (http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/30420) contains PDFs showing zoning

for discrete areas of Portland, organized by quadrants.

- CoP Zone Summaries (http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/36238) contains an interactive map

that you can search for a property with

- PortlandMaps (http://www.portlandmaps.com/) is an online viewer that provides access to the

CoP GIS database. The zoning database can be viewed by selecting “Maps” → “Zoning” (see

Figure 1 below).

Figure 1: PortlandMaps Screenshot

CE410/510 Homework 4 Summer 2015

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Using either PortlandMaps or the CoP Zoning Maps, determine the zoning of a specific piece of property

within the city limits. The property that you choose is up to you—it could be your house/apartment,

work, random parcel, etc. You may not choose the Engineering Building (shown in Figure 1 above).

(6) Describe the property that you chose, and explain why you chose it

(7) Provide a screenshot or excerpt showing the zoning map around the chosen property

(8) What zone is the property located in? Describe (in your own words) what the purpose and

limits are of that zone (see http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/36238 for summaries of zone

types).

(9) Explain whether you think the property currently meets the zoning, or whether it is a variance or

non-conforming use.

(10) Single-dwelling zones are often labeled as “R#”, where # is a number, such as 20 or 5. What

significance does that number have?

Compare the zoning in the downtown core (on the west side of the Willamette River) to the Central

Eastside district (on the east side of the Willamette River across from Waterfront Park).

(11) What are the prevailing zones that you see on either side of the river?

(12) There have been multiple efforts in the past (and currently) to redevelop the Central Eastside

district into a mixed-use (commercial/residential) area, much like the Pearl District. Would that

be possible under the current zoning? What would be a potential policy reason for not rezoning

the area to allow the redevelopment?