Yamhelas Westsider Trail History

The Story of the YWT

Timeline of the YWT | FYWT

Ordinance 880 Adopted – 2012

Ordinance 880 was adopted in 2012 to amend the Yamhill County Transportation System Plan (TSP) to include the Yamhelas-Westsider Trail Project within a 15 mile rail corridor stretching from McMinnville to Gaston. https://www.yamhillcounty.gov/
DocumentCenter/View/1630/Ordinance-880-PDF

Purchase of rail corridor – 2017

In 2017, the county purchased and obtained through donations approximately 12 miles of the corridor using 1.4 million dollars in grant funding obtained from ODOT and ODPR.

 In 1984 Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) abandoned their line north from Carlton to Scoggins Creek north of Gaston. It was at this time that the county considered acquiring and converting the line between Carlton and Yamhill to trail, the same section selected for the first phase of the YWT. In 1991 SP abandoned close to 3 miles of rail line south toward McMinnville.

Ordinance 904 Adopted – 2018

Ordinance 904 further amended the TSP to acknowledge the purchase and intent to plan and develop a section of the multi-modal trail from the City of Yamhill to South of Carlton. https://www.yamhillcounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1644/Ordinance-904
PDF

Planning, Building, Opposition, and LUBA Appeals- 2018-2020

During the planning and building of the trail there was strong opposition from several adjacent land owners and political interests, ultimately leading to appeals to LUBA and remand.
LUBA No. 2018-061
https://www.oregon.gov/luba/Docs/Orders/2018/09-18/18061.pdf
LUBA Nos. 2019-038 and 2019-040
https://www.oregon.gov/luba/Docs/Opinions/2019/10-19/19038 040.pdf
LUBA No. 2019-047
https://www.oregon.gov/luba/Docs/Opinions/2019/10-19/19047.pdf
LUBA No. 2020-066/067
https://www.oregon.gov/luba/Docs/Orders/2020/08-20/20066067.pdf
Ordinance 908 – Ordinance Repealing 904 on Remand – May 2018
https://www.yamhillcounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1648/Ordinance-908-PDF
YamCo Board Order 20-164 – LUBA Remand
https://www.co.yamhill.or.us/DocumentCenter/View/13240/BO-20-164-pdf
YamCo Board Order 21-52 – 2021-02-04 Withdrawal of Land Use Application
Withdrawal of Yamhill County’s application for land use approval (Planning Docket G-18-1),Yamhelas Westsider Trail -NO PAPERWORK

Repeal of Ordinance 880 Initiated – October 2, 2025

On October 2, 2025, the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 to direct planning staff to initiate the process to repeal Ordinance 880.