The chairman of the Canby Urban Renewal District Advisory Committee has resigned, and is now in the process of forming a citizens action committee opposed to the planned city-sponsored annexation of 301 acres of farm land in mid-September.

Patrick Johnson said his decision to quit was a tough one, but one he felt compelled to take after attending the Canby City Council's July 5 meeting, which included much heated discussion on the issue of fire coverage for the three-phase Logging Road Industrial Park.

Johnson, a writer for a Portland-based Internet company, a former Herald reporter and a Canby resident, said he spent a week thinking about his decision to resign.

"I am not against annexation for the industrial park area," he said Thursday morning. "I am against how they are doing it. I think 300 acres is too much, especially when our comprehensive plan has a 20-year requirement for 170 acres."

The mayor, councilors and proponents of the annexation of 32 tax lots believe it would allow the planned and uniform development and marketing of valuable industrial land to generate long-term revenue growth and to attract employers providing family-wage jobs.

The Industrial Area Association represents about 32 landowners whose land is due to be annexed, and its counsel and president said the annexation is encouraged.

On first vote, the four councilors in attendance decided they wanted to bring the land in at once, believing it would allow better coordinated and planned industrial growth in an efficient, cost-effective manner.

Johnson, plus others who testified before the council two weeks ago, said he is also concerned about post-annexation developments.

"Once the land is zoned and annexed, there is nothing we can do to stop any business that meets zoning requirements from moving in," he said. "With the Fred Meyer annexation, people knew what they were getting when they voted on it. With the future annexation, it's going to be a leap of faith . . . I think we should do it (annexations) in phases, instead of all at once."

Johnson is creating a citizens action committee called Citizens Against Canby Corporate Welfare.

According to the document filed with the city Thursday, the nature of the political committee is "to make developers pay their own way in Canby." As of Thursday, Johnson said he has at least six supporters, including two Canby planning commissioners.

Johnson said he will seek the endorsement of the fire district, whom he has done freelance public relations work for in the past, at its 6 p.m. meeting tonight with the Canby Urban Renewal District Agency.

"I really don't know how much support is out there," he said. "If there isn't any, I'll go away. I don't know at this point if we'll be campaigning" against the annexation, which is expected to be put on Sept. 19 special election ballots.

Johnson said he paid the $300 fee to have comments opposing the annexation included in the Sept. 19 election pamphlet.

In a letter sent July 13 to the city of Canby and fellow URD Advisory Committee members, Johnson said he was "very disappointed" with the annexation process so far, and he questioned why Planning Commission recommendations were not acted upon.

Johnson wrote he doubts today's 6 p.m. workshop meeting between the URD Agency and Canby Fire District board of directors will result in an agreement about funding adequate fire coverage in the industrial area in the future.

"I hope I am wrong, and (that) the fire board and City Council(/URD Agency) can come to an agreement - I hope for the sake of the annexation vote and the future of the URD," he wrote.

"It is my belief that the process is important, and it is becoming evident to me that the process will not be followed as long as the current leadership is shepherding the Urban Renewal District.

''Back when this first started, the Urban Renewal Task Force recommended that the City Council not be the Urban Renewal Agency - a recommendation the City Council ignored. Ironic? I think not."

Since the council-proposed voter annexation option was approved by voters three years ago, all eight annexations have been approved, most by a 2-to-1 ratio or higher, such as the Canby Fred Meyer annexation question two years ago.