Villages at Mount Hood, Oregon
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The Villages at Mount Hood is the common quasi-government of the unincorporated communities of the Mount Hood Corridor, in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States: Brightwood, Welches, Wemme, Zigzag and Rhododendron. Residents approved its formation in May 2006.
It was the first established village under Clackamas County's "Complete Communities" ordinance, which allows unincorporated communities to form quasi-governments that allow them to have more direct control regarding the issues and activities that affect them.
According to the village's official Web site, the communities united to form the village because the Oregon Department of Transportation required that the towns create a "governmental agency" in order to continue getting grants for the growing Mountain Express Bus system. The "Complete Communities" ordinance makes villages and hamlets official agencies of the county.
The Villages at Mount Hood have thus far approved (and now oversee) the following activities:
- The Mountain Express Bus system
- Creation of a new community center
- New hiking trails and parks
- Forest Sanctuary for Battered Women and Children
- Streetscape improvements (especially along U.S. Highway 26)
- Economic development: more recreation resources
- Protecting the "rural mountain character" of the corridor
- Examining the feasibility of adding bike paths on Salmon River Road and Welches Road
- Giving the Villages a greater voice in zoning and development code changes to reflect mountain style.
