Marylhurst Neighborhood Association
Meeting Minutes
January 22nd, 2008
Opening:
The regular meeting of the Marylhurst Neighborhood Association was called to
order at 7:07 pm on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 at the West Linn Adult
Community Center by President Jeff Treece.
Present:
15 association members were present.
City Councilor Jody Carson and Mayor Norm King were also present.
Approval of Minutes:
A motion was made by Ralph Olson and seconded by Arlo Martendale to approve
the minutes of the November 27th, 2007 meeting. The motion carried
unanimously on a voice vote.
Committee Reports:
Neighborhood Representative to Land Use Pre-Applications Conference Report
Annexation at 19650 Suncrest
Mrs. Oakes reported that phase 1 of the annexation process was completed, with
the City Council recommending annexation with R10 zoning. She further noted
that the phase 2 hearing was scheduled before the City Council on February 11th,
2008.
Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer Jim Koll stated there was no change to the association finances. The
current balance is $1518.21
Mr. Koll provided some ideas for areas to budget the remainder of the 2007-2008
budget and asked for additional input. Some of the ideas forwarded include:
• Purchasing a species tree for Marylhurst Park (so that it could be planted
sooner rather than later),
• Shrub clearing along Marylhurst Dr to facilitate pedestrian access,
• A neighborhood sign on Suncrest Dr.
MNA Minutes, 01-22-2008 DRAFT Page 2 of 5
• Landscaping at the existing Marylhurst neighborhood sign on Marylhurst
Dr.
Lacking significant input for additional ideas or preference for the
recommendations put forward by Mr. Koll, President Treece appointed Teri
Cummings to work with Mr. Koll on developing a more substantive list of
possible expenditures.
Report on HSNA Meeting of January 15th, 2007
It was determined at the November 27th Meeting that Teri Cummings would
attend the Hidden Springs Neighborhood Association meeting in January to report
on the Marylhurst Neighborhood inquiry into neighborhood association boundary
changes in the Ridgebrook Estates neighborhood to the Northeast of the corner of
Carriage Way and Suncrest Dr. Mrs. Cummings was able to locate Marylhurst
Neighborhood Association minutes from 1995 indicating that residents of
Ridgebrook Dr. and Parkview Ct. had voted in Marylhurst Neighborhood
Association meetings in the past. There was no available documentation as to
when the homes on these streets were placed in the Hidden Springs
Neighborhood. Mrs. Cummings communicated to the Hidden Springs
membership that the Marylhurst Neighborhood Association had inquired of the
residents of this neighborhood whether they wanted to re-join the Marylhurst
Neighborhood. This invitation was initiated since several Ridgebrook Estates
residents had arrived at MNA events or meetings. Based on a lack of interest and
participation from residents of the Ridgebrook Estates neighborhood, no action
was taken by the Marylhurst Neighborhood in this regard.
Mayor King noted that if the boundary change was made inadvertently or without
the approval of the City Council, the original boundaries should be restored.
Old Business
Marylhurst Neighborhood Plan
Mr. Koll was not able to prepare the information required for this discussion, so
the topic was continued to the February 26th, 2008 meeting.
Appeal of Marylhurst Park Design Review Approval
Brian Eastman provided an update on the status of Marylhurst Park. At the
November meeting, it was noted that the Peterson family had appealed the Design
Review approval of the Planning Commission, with a hearing scheduled for
January 14th, 2008. This hearing was subsequently removed from the City
Council agenda. Mr. Eastman inquired of the city and learned that the appeal was
based on the proposed design limiting access to some property still held by the
Peterson family to the West of the proposed park. The city and the Peterson
family opted to see if they could work out a solution without the need for an
MNA Minutes, 01-22-2008 DRAFT Page 3 of 5
appeal, and were in the process of doing so. Should such negotiations fail, there
is still the possibility of an appeal in the future.
New Business
Hoff Development Status
Dave Richards provided a brief update on the development application by Charles
Hoff on 40+ acres of county land to the West of Marylhurst Circle. The county
denied the application which had been presented under Measure 37 guidelines. It
seems unlikely that any development will take place in the near future.
Proposed Clackamas County Tree Ordinance
Karie Oakes provided information on a proposed Clackamas County Tree
Ordinance. The effort to improve tree protection in un-incorporated county lands
within the Urban Growth Boundary was instigated by a group called Urban
Green. The desire to implement such protection stems out of many landowners
clearing their land prior to applying for annexation into cities that have tree
ordinances. Urban Green is seeking task force members to help guide this
proposal through the Clackamas County Commission review process. They
expect a 3-4 month effort.
Teri Cummings made a motion seconded by Karie Oakes requesting that the
Marylhurst Neighborhood Association draft a letter in support of the efforts of
Urban Green.
During discussion of this motion, it was determined that the time frame allowed
for further review of the topic, possibly including a presentation by Urban Green
at a future MNA meeting.
The motion was withdrawn and it was decided to invite Urban Green to make a
presentation at the February meeting.
Planning Commission Hearing, CDC Chapter 28 & 29 Revisions
Brian Eastman made a presentation to the membership on this topic. On January
23rd, the Planning Commission will hold a hearing discussing revisions to CDC
chapters 28 & 29 relating to the Willamette River Greenway and Tualatin River.
During the process of enhancing riparian protections in revisions of CDC Chapter
32 in 2006, it was noted that the protections afforded in the Willamette and
Tualatin river zones was not strengthened. These areas are quite different in
terms of protection need, technical definitions, the inclusion of a floodplain, etc,
and therefore require different rules and a thorough analysis and public discussion
that was deemed to be inappropriate to address at the time of the CDC 32
revisions. In an effort to make at least some progress, the City has proposed these
changes that will essentially afford the basic and most applicable protections
enacted in CDC 32 to the Willamette and Tualatin river protection areas. A more
MNA Minutes, 01-22-2008 DRAFT Page 4 of 5
significant review can then take place in the future. Mr. Eastman added that the
proposed language changes, while stop-gap in nature, looked reasonable. He
suggested that the Marylhurst Neighborhood Association did not need to take a
position on this issue at this time.
Planning Commission Hearing, CDC Chapter 99 Revisions
Brian Eastman provided background on this topic. On January 23rd, the Planning
Commission will hold a hearing on modifying the structure of the Planning
Commission. The underlying problem these code changes are intended to address
is that the Planning Commission is supposed to be the decision making authority
for land use issues as well as the initial hearings body on legislative and longrange
city planning issues such as neighborhood plans, CDC revisions, the
Comprehensive Plan and the like. Due to the volume of land use issues, the
Planning Commission is not able to process legislative and long-range planning
issues in a timely fashion.
Several proposals to re-configure and potentially split the Planning Commission
into two bodies have been forwarded, with 5 options currently before the Planning
Commission. Mr. Eastman summarized the options and notes that the Planning
Commission has voiced a preference for option 5:
1) A three member Land Use Review Board chaired by a land use
hearings officer, with a seven member Planning Commission to focus on
legislative matters – with two of the Planning Commissioners randomly
assigned as citizen members of the Land Use Review Board
2) A five member Land Use Review Board chaired by a land use hearings
officer (for quasi-judicial cases) and a five-member Planning Commission
(for legislative matters), with potential membership overlap of up to two
members, but no rotation of members.
3) A five member Land Use Review Board composed entirely of citizens
(for quasi-judicial cases) and a five-member Planning Commission (for
legislative matters), with potential membership overlap of up to two
members, but no rotation of members.
4) Division of responsibilities between the Planning Director and a sevenmember
Planning Commission for major quasi-judicial cases, with the
Planning Director making all decisions unless a qualified individual
(neighbor, neighborhood association, or individual Planning
Commissioner) requested transfer of jurisdiction to the Planning
Commission.
5) Maintenance of the existing Planning Commission as decision-maker
for all major quasi-judicial cases, with commitment to implement a variety
of measures to ensure prompt and thorough attention to both quasi-judicial
and legislative matters.
MNA Minutes, 01-22-2008 DRAFT Page 5 of 5
A motion was presented by Teri Cummings and seconded by Frank Wesson that
the MNA should send a representative to testify at the hearing. This
representative should express the membership’s preference for option 5, with an
additional recommendation that emphasis be placed on improving the quality of
work done by the Planning Department in preparing applications for review,
notably in the areas of completeness and code compliance. The motion passed
unanimously on a voice vote. President Jeff Treece asked Brian Eastman to
present testimony on behalf of the association.
Agenda Items for Next Meeting:
• Marylhurst Neighborhood Plan.
• CDC Chapter 28 & 29 revisions
• CDC Chapter 99 revisions
• Urban Green Presentation
Adjournment:
A motion to adjourn was made by Frank Wesson and seconded by John
Huntsman. This motion was approved on a voice vote and the meeting was
adjourned at 8:30pm by President Jeff Treece. The next regular association
meeting will be at 7:00pm on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at the West Linn
Adult Community Center.
Minutes submitted by: Brian Eastman, Secretary
