Claim Deschutes County showing religious bias; land-use groups also vow fight
By Kate Paul, KTVZ.com
It's been an ongoing fight between Deschutes County and some rural property owners for over a year.
And now the county's opposition to allowing weddings on farm-zoned land has prompted one Redmond-area ranch in the business to threaten a lawsuit, claiming religious bias.
The owners of the Flying Diamond Ranch say they just don't see what the harm is in having a wedding in a rural setting, and they have recently become suspicious of religious discrimination.
They say there's a lot of secular activities the county has permitted in rural areas, like paintball, golf courses and shooting ranges, but for some reason they strongly oppose wedding ceremonies in the country.
Owners of the Flying Diamond say they aren't disruptive in their rural community, and have sent a letter to the county, along with the property rights' group "Oregonians in Action," warning that the county's alleged favor of secular activities will be met with legal action.
"It just gets to a point where it's like, what other conclusion can you draw when they're treating us the way they're treating us? " Kelly Brown, co-owner of the 40 acre Flying Diamond Ranch, said Sunday.
Opponents argue large rural weddings shouldn't be allowed because they have no connection to farming and disrupt a tranquil way of life with noise, dust and traffic, among other things. But that's now how Brown sees it.
"We're doing everything they're asking from us. And they're saying yes to all these secular activities, but they're saying no to us. What is it?" asled Brown. "What's the problem here, folks?"
The county's planning director says the county to soon schedule hearings on a text amendment that would let owners of farm-zoned property apply to allow weddings as a conditional use.
Efforts to clarify the law failed to gain traction in the Legislature this year - and the land-use watchdog group 1000 Friends of Oregon warns that allowing weddings on land zoned for farming could bring a lawsuit from the other direction.
