CHARLESTON — A gathering of elected officials and local property owners found a small amount of common ground regarding the state’s land-use system.

They agreed it isn’t working. But that was about it for consensus Thursday at the South Slough Interpretive Center.

Some said it is unfair to have Willamette Valley politicians dictating what can and can’t be built in rural areas. Others questioned giving more control to county governments, suggesting they would approve projects without considering the environment.

There were calls for more development to encourage business growth and with it more tax money. Others urged restraint, saying the state needs to look at decreasing its impact on nature rather than adding to existing problems.

The meeting was held at the request of “The Big Look” task force, assembled by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to re-examine Oregon’s controversial land use policy. Created in 2005, the team of 10 members, which includes Coos County commissioner Nikki Whitty, is visiting all corners of the state for input that will be considered in making recommendations to the 2009 Legislature.

For the most part, the voices calling for greater local control and fewer development restrictions carried most of the discussion Thursday. At least one speaker was unwilling to share his true feelings about land use because he knew his opinion was in the minority.

Yet many speakers said they felt theirs was the minority view, drowned out by the millions of voters in urban Oregon who helped pass Measure 49 in 2006, limiting the rights of rural landowners.

Robert Vandervelden, who lives south of Coos Bay, said he sees the state’s land-use policy driven by a handful of blue counties that don’t understand the challenges faced by rural communities.

“The state tries to fit everything into its system but there are a lot of local differences,” he said. “I’d like to see more control percolate down into the counties.”

This view was shared by Helen Franklin, who lives north of North Bend and works as a timber and logging consultant.

“I see a complete double-standard in the state of Oregon,” she said. “There is sprawl in Portland but nothing is allowed to happen here.”

Not everyone saw a need to increase development in rural areas.

Joe Snyder, a veterinarian from Myrtle Point, lamented the loss of agricultural land. He recalled how he once was able to buy his milk from Gordon Ross.

“Now I don’t know where it comes from,” he said. “I think we’d sure be better off if we hold on to some of those lands.”

Dennis Phillips, who lives near Empire, went further by suggesting the state should plan for less development. He criticized the process for simply accepting as fact that the state’s population will increase by 1.7 million over the next 30 years. Instead, he said Oregonians should determine what the state’s sustainable human population is and plan for that.

“We’ve exceeded our carrying capacity,” he said, describing the growing human population as a cancer.

Other speakers discussed economic issues.

Will Wright, who lives up Coos River, said he wants fewer restrictions on land use so businesses can have an easier time in rural communities. He said he would like to see children come home to work rather than move elsewhere because of a lack of jobs.

Al Pearn, of Florence, who is running for District 9 in the state House of Representatives, said restricting development has a direct effect on government services in rural communities. He noted that without businesses, the tax dollars to pay for schools, street repairs and law enforcement dry up.

Others brought up the topic of system development charges. Some said they favored them as a way to help maintain infrastructure, while others said they only worked in rapidly developing communities.

“SDCs tend to limit the growth in communities that aren’t growing,” Vandervelden said.

Richard Knablin, of North Bend, suggested enterprise zones are counterproductive as they prevent taxes from flowing into communities that could use the extra money.

At the end of the evening, Glen Bolen, vice president of Fregonese Associates, an urban planning group from Portland, explained that more meetings will be held through the end of next week. After that, the task force will re-assemble, take into consideration comments and send recommendations to the Legislature.