2007-07-24

Marylhurst Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes July 24th, 2007 Opening: The regular meeting of the Marylhurst Neighborhood Association was called to order at 7:07 pm on Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 at the West Linn Adult Community Center by Vice President Jeff Treece. Present: 13 association members were present. Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Richard Morrison and seconded by John Huntsman to approve the minutes of the June 26th meeting. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Jim Koll reported that after spending $228.00 for non-perishables related to the summer picnic, the remaining balance for FY 2006-2007 was 1021.32. The interim Finance Director notified Mr. Koll that we would be able to carry forward this amount to the 2007-2008 budget year. Committee Reports: Neighborhood Representative to Land Use Pre-Applications Conference Report Brian Eastman substituted for Karie Oakes who was not present No new land use pre-applications hearings have taken place in the last month. Open Business: Summer Picnic Bob Thorn was not present to report on the status of the picnic. The picnic will be held on September 9th. Signage Jim Koll asked if someone else might be able to assist with this project. The initial vendor he contacted wanted to go beyond what we need, which is to just replace the sign boards. Mr. Koll has not had time to research other vendors. John Hunstman noted that his wife has had occasion to obtain similar signs, and might be able to recommend a good vendor. Marylhurst Neighborhood Plan The City Council approved the Marylhurst Neighborhood Plan at it’s July 9th meeting. The council had directed staff to make some minor changes to the plan document after the public hearing was closed as the June 11th hearing. The neighborhood association has not received a final draft of the document at this time. Marylhurst Park Ken Worcester, the Parks & Recreation Director for the city of West Linn, was not able to be present at the meeting as had been hoped. John Huntsman updated the membership on the petition to leave the park in a more natural state than planned, stating that there were 86 signatures. Mr Hunstman also provided information about the progress of the park proposal. The city planner for the project will be Peter Speir. The staff report on the parks department’s proposal will be due by August 13th 2007. The proposal will go before the Planning Commission on August 23rd, 2007. Mr. Huntsman submitted the motion that the Marylhurst Neighborhood Association contact the Parks Department via letter and request that the planning process be re-opened regarding the Marylhurst Park and brought back to the neighborhood community for review and possible changes. This motion was seconded by Arlo Mortendale. The motion carried on a voice vote. Funds offered by Phil Gentemann of Centurion Homes The topic of discussion was whether to accept $1500.00 offered by Phil Gentemann of Centurion Homes. This money was originally offered with the intent of using the funds to work with the City Planning department to clarify areas of the CDC that were contested during the neighborhood’s opposition to the Centurion Homes development on Mt View Ct. – in lieu of the neighborhood filing an appeal with LUBA. At the May meeting of the neighborhood association, Mr. Gentemann reminded the association of his commitment and his willingness to provide the funds to the association for use at the summer party or some other purpose. A motion was proposed by Jim Koll and seconded by Arlo Mortendale to accept $1500.00 from Phil Gentemann and apply those funds to working with the city Parks and Recreation department to re-open the design process for Marylhurst Park. After much discussion, including questions as to whether the funds could be applied in such a manner, Brian Eastman proposed to withdraw the prior motion and substitute a motion to simply have an up or down vote on whether the association should accept these funds from Mr. Gentemann and Centurion Homes. This motion was seconded by Arlo Mortendale. The motion to withdraw carried on a voice vote. The new motion to accept the funds was defeated by a vote of 5 in favor and 7 opposed. New Business: Budget Planning Treasurer Jim Koll proposed that the association form a budget plan for the coming year rather than spend what we need to operate and then scramble at the end of the year to find a purpose for our remaining budget amount. He asked the membership to bring ideas for neighborhood expenditures for the coming budget year to the next meeting in August. Land Use, Partition Application at 19295 Suncrest Ave. Brian Eastman provided information to the membership based on the notification document sent by the Planning Department to neighbors within 500 feet of the proposed development. The applicant seeks to remove an existing home on a 2/3 acre lot and divide the lot into two new parcels. The applicant is requesting a variance to allow for access to 5 homes on a private road (the CDC allows for 4 homes). There is also a request for a variance based on “lot depth”, but the notification document does not make it clear what this really means. The application was to be heard by the Planning Commission on August 9th, but was re-scheduled to September 13th due to the Planning Department’s decision not to require a variance based on driveway frontage width and the newly identified need for a variance based on lot depth. Patti Galle objected to the simple concept of even discussing a land use issue such as this without having invited the applicant and accused the neighborhood association of plotting to derail this application without even consulting with the applicant. Mrs. Galle was reminded by several members that the item was placed on the association agenda, and according to the association bylaws could therefore not only be discussed but also voted upon should a motion be introduced. Seeing as the issue was delayed until after the August meeting of the association, Clark Park recommended that the issue be placed on the August agenda, which would allay the concerns of Mrs. Galle as well as give interested individuals the opportunity to research the issue. Agenda Items for Next Meeting: Partition at 19295 Suncrest Ave Whether the association should be obligated to notify an applicant for a land use decision when that decision is placed on the agenda for an upcoming meeting. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:55pm by Jeff Treece. The next association meeting will be at 7:00pm on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at the West Linn Adult Community Center. Minutes submitted by: Brian Eastman, Secretary