Lila Gottman is fed up, and I don’t blame her. For years, Lila and Curtis Gottman have fought with Clackamas County over a series of changing rules that govern a paintball park they run on their property near Canby, about halfway between Portland and Salem.
Photo courtesy of virginsuicide photography via Flickr
The Gottmans opened “Action Acres” paintball in 2005 and have since been running the “paintball park” on weekends (and weekdays by appointment!) on the property they’ve owned since 1978. Since the business was opened, though, it’s been on shaky legal ground – and the battle has continued into this year with a case before the state Land Use Board of Appeals.
The Gottmans’ property is designated as “high-value farmland,” which allows only limited uses, and a private park is not one of them. However, a series of ballot measures gave the Gottmans hope that their land’s zoning would return to what it was when they purchased the property in the 1970s, “low-value farmland,” a designation which the Gottmans were told would allow such a park. Later, different planners told them something different, and the process has gone on for seven years.
“They have changed their rules to put in place things that would stop us from moving forward,” Gottman said. She said the ordeal has made her lose complete faith in the government. That sentiment can even be seen in the paintball part of the business: each year Action Acres hosts a “Robin Hood” game. According to the description on their website:
It is based on the original story of the Sheriff and Robin Hood going to battle over unfair taxes and high handed government thievery. (kind of like what we put up with today).
The Gottmans’ battle with Clackamas County is a long and twisted tale, to hear Lila tell it, including conflicting directions from county planners and state regulators, changing laws and missed zoning timelines… but the most recent twist in the story was a decision by the Land Use Board of Appeals this month that came down against the Gottmans. Though the paintball business still runs, Lila said that when all appeals are exhausted, the Gottmans will be incurring daily fines of $1,000 from the county for their illegal use of their property.
The Gottmans don’t know what they’ll do next, but one of their options is to appeal LUBA’s decision to the state appeals court, Lila said. Those decisions will be made with the family’s lawyer, she said.
“We’ve had 1,000 visitors in the last year, and most of those are mothers hosting birthday parties for their 12 year olds,” Lila Gottman said. “We’re just senior citizens trying to live off of our land.”
Photo courtesy of virginsuicide photography via Flickr
