Commission Honors Boyer And Thompson, Welcomes Falconer, Skaar, And Kondor - 06/26/26

SALEM – At its June 25-26, 2026 meeting, the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC or commission) recognized the service and contributions of two commissioners whose term had concluded: Commissioner Barbara Boyer and Commissioner Lianne Thompson. Commissioner Boyer served on the commission for a four-year term, bringing expertise in agriculture, working lands, and Oregon’s rural business opportunities. Commissioner Thompson, who also completed a four-year term, shared her enthusiasm and insight about working with diverse communities including Oregon federally recognized Tribes, as well as her broad experience as a coastal county commissioner. Both Boyer and Thompson were key stewards of some of the most relevant and impactful rulemaking in the commission’s recent history; reforming housing planning in the state of Oregon, defining cultural resources as they relate to Oregon’s Tribes, and the Farm Forest Modernization Project among many other accomplishments.

“Commissioner Boyer shared her vast experience with resource lands when there was an opportunity,” said Commission Chair, Allan Lazo. “And, she spoke with equal acumen to urban issues, including housing, economic development, and transportation.”

“Commissioner Thompson brought such a generous wisdom to LCDC conversations,” said DLCD Director, Brenda Bateman. “From economic development to rural issues, she always considered the impact of commission decisions on all Oregon communities.”

On June 16, the Oregon Senate confirmed Erin Skaar, Angel Falconer, and Stef Kondor to serve as commissioners on the LCDC, and reconfirmed LCDC Chair Allan Lazo to another four-year term as a metro-area representative

Commissioner Erin Skaar will represent Oregon’s coast. She is a seated Tillamook County Commissioner who has worked on housing at the local level with the Housing Commission and Community Development Departments in Tillamook County. Former Executive Director of Community Actions Resources Enterprises and founding member of the Tillamook County Housing Task Force, Commissioner Skaar currently serves as the President of the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and leads its executive committee.

“As an advocate for Oregon counties and the president of the Association of Oregon Counties, I’m deeply motivated to elevate the economic, development, infrastructure, and resource needs of counties across Oregon,” stated Commissioner Skaar. “The opportunity to serve on the Land Conservation and Development Commission is a way to access the interconnected nature of our different government, leadership, and industry sectors through the lens of land use planning, which is something that unites all of Oregon.”

Commissioner Angel Falconer serves on the Forest Grove City Council and will represent the northern Willamette Valley. Prior to service on the City Council, Falconer was a Planning Commissioner for Forest Grove. She has held many volunteer and public service positions including on the Clackamas County Water Environment Services Advisory Committee, the board of Housing Land Advocates, and Milwaukie City Council. Her experience with local land use planning and implementation is extensive.  

“I’m focused on promoting abundant and affordable housing, supporting diverse and accessible transportation options, ensuring adequate land for jobs and industry, enhancing and protecting natural resources, and building resilient and sustainable infrastructure in Oregon,” shared Commissioner Falconer. “This position on the commission is both an honor and an opportunity to learn. My goal is to create opportunities for Oregonians to live healthy, connected, and prosperous lives.”

Commissioner Stef Kondor will fill the second of two metro-area positions on the Commission. She is the Executive Vice-President of Development for Related Northwest and has overseen the creation of more than 1,500 affordable housing units in her 13-year career in real estate development. Her work focuses on envisioning and developing affordable housing projects that support underserved communities while incorporating systems designed to help families thrive. She leads development efforts with an emphasis on collaboration and collective input. Previously, Commissioner Kondor served on the Portland Housing Advisory Commissions and the Portland Inclusionary Housing Stakeholder Committee.

“While the work of the commission and the land use goals are diverse, most of the decisions made by this body impact where people live. In this meeting, we learned a lot about coastal protection, natural resources protection, and economic development. Each of these issues has a relationship to housing,” said Commissioner Kondor. “Oregon’s housing and homelessness crisis has been an ongoing and desperate problem. As an affordable housing champion dedicated to building safe communities for families in need, I am excited to bring my experience in local leadership, finance, asset management, and development to these important conversations.”

Each of the incoming commissioners will serve a term that began on June 22, 2026, and will end June 21, 2030. In 2030, all three commissioners will be eligible for reappointment of another full four-year term.

DLCD Director Brenda Bateman is enthusiastic. “The housing expertise our new commissioners bring to the table is irrefutable,” she said. “As an agency, we want to do our part to meet housing needs across the state; I could not be more grateful to these talented commissioners for volunteering their service.”

Clackamas County Recognized With 2026 Achievement In Community Engagement Award (Photo) - 06/11/26

SALEM - The State’s Community Involvement Advisory Committee (CIAC), staffed by the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), helps to facilitate equitable community engagement in comprehensive land use planning. Each year, the CIAC accepts applications for the Achievement in Community Engagement (ACE) Awards. The ACE Awards recognize excellence in engaging communities in the land use planning process. The committee is pleased to recognize Clackamas County’s planning project, “Developing the Framework for Engagement and Decision-making with Underserved Populations for the Clackamas County 2045 Transportation System Plan Update” with its 2026 Achievement in Community Engagement (ACE) Award.
 

With support from an $88,500 DLCD Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities Grant for equitable engagement, Clackamas County created a partnership between the Department of Transportation and Development (DTD) and Public Health Division (PHD). The two departments collaborated on equitable engagement activities for the Transportation System Plan (TSP) update. A central goal of the long range planning project was to elevate community voices in local decision-making, especially those in underrepresented communities and those who are disabled.
 

The two county departments collaborated to develop an engagement and decision-making framework based on the knowledge and connections of community liaisons and supported by data analysis.

“This project built upon a long-standing partnership between DTD and PHD to incorporate public health principles into our transportation work”, said Mike Bezner, Assistant Director of DTD. “But this is the first time we’ve had dedicated resources to bring in additional public health staff like the community liaisons to take our collaboration to a deeper level.”
 

“Our community liaisons have strong ties to some of our most vulnerable and historically underrepresented communities, and while they may not be transportation experts, they have established trust to bring them into processes like this. It’s an exciting partnership between the two divisions that leverages each of our strengths to create an outcome that reflects the values of our diverse community here in Clackamas County”, added Kim La Croix, Clackamas County Public Health Director.
 

The project team piloted these recommendations through three play-based workshops across the county, which generated feedback from a broad audience that identified themes and community priorities to inform project goals. PHD’s Community Liaison team leveraged existing relationships to partner with the disability community, Eastern European and Latine communities, and others to plan the workshops. The workshops included live interpretation in multiple languages, meals, stipends for participants, and entrusted partners promote and lead the event. The content and structure of the workshops provided information and activities in a fun and accessible way that left participants smiling and interested in future engagement opportunities.
 

Clackamas County engagement efforts reached demographic identities not typically seen at government meetings. According to their data, approximately 25% of participants identified as having a disability, 50% as a refugee or immigrant, and about 75% spoke a language other than English at home. The County also reached a younger demographic than those who typically engage in long-range planning opportunities.
 

These events informed the county's "Framework for Engagement and Decision-making with Underserved Populations". This new framework will inform not only the TSP update which began in July 2025, but other long-range planning processes as well.
 

“One of the best practices the CIAC supports is using the community’s time and input thoughtfully and efficiently. Clackamas County’s partnership between different parts of county government is a great example of that”, said CIAC Chair Leah Rausch. “It’s the first of its kind that we’ve seen in an ACE Award application. The community co-design and broad application of their framework really set this project apart.”
 

DLCD staff liaison to the committee, Sadie Carney, said “With the ACE Awards, the CIAC continues to build a body of promising practices that communities throughout Oregon can learn from and build on. Every application we receive for the ACE Awards is worthy of celebrating, which we do through the DLCD website and social media.” The DLCD website includes a description of all five projects included in this year’s round of applications.

Community engagement is a fundamental and unique part of Oregon's land use planning system. The Land Conservation and Development Commission is committed to uplifting and celebrating the values of Statewide Planning Goal 1 for equitable community engagement through the ACE Awards and other activities.