Dec. 1, 2014, city council work session/special meeting recap

The West Linn City Council held a special meeting and a work session on Dec. 1. The evening included a public hearing for an appeal by the West Linn-Wilsonville School District as well as a discussion on the Arch Bridge/Bolton draft plan. Mayor John Kovash was absent from this meeting.

Public hearing

The council held a public hearing to decide if Rosemont Ridge Middle School can keep its athletic field lights on one hour later, to 10 p.m.

This hearing was an appeal by the West Linn-Wilsonville School District as the request was previously denied at the planning commission level.

In 1999, the school district received a conditional use approval for Rosemont Ridge Middle School. In 2009, as part of a design review application for some improvements at the school, the district requested the addition of lights to the Rosemont Ridge Middle School athletic fields.

In 2009, the planning commission approved the athletic field lights mandating they be turned off at 9 p.m., including game days. In June, the district applied for a modification to allow the athletic field lights to stay on one additional hour, until 10 p.m.

At the planning commission hearing, two individuals spoke in opposition of the application. The planning commission then denied the application after a continuance.

Residents of a household that is adjacent to the fields spoke against the later time, stating the lights and associated noise are too intrusive and have a negative impact.

After some discussion, the city council voted to tentatively reverse the planning commission’s decision if the school district and the homeowners work together to come up with additional screening that will protect the property owners. The issue will return to the council on Dec. 8 for final council approval.

Arch Bridge/Bolton draft plan

During its work session, the city council heard a presentation of the Arch Bride/Bolton draft plan.

“This is a concept plan only,” City Manager Chris Jordan told the council. “It sets direction for our advisory committees … so when they are doing their planning for the future this concept plan” is included in those discussions.

“This is the kind of project everybody gets excited about,” Community Development Director Chris Kerr said. 

This draft document for the long-range plan represents the culmination of many months of hard work by hundreds of people. Although the plan was assembled by a team of architects, planners, landscape architects, economists, and transportation planners, the work of the team benefited hugely from ongoing participation by the advisory committee, which met regularly and robustly discussed issues and recommendations contained in the plan.

But beyond that, the citizen engagement process used to develop the plan organically has been the critical component.

“The amount of public involvement in this has been pretty significant,” Mark Hinshaw of LMN Architecture said.

The plan divides recommendations into two groups. The first group recognizes the established areas north of the freeway and the second envisions the potentials inherent in the underutilized land and tangled transportation network south of the freeway.

Recommendations for the North Village Area:

1.    Complete improvements to Willamette Drive/ Highway 43 consistent with plans.
2.    Transform West Bridge Park, under the interstate freeway, to a true local park.
3.    Redevelop the former Bolton Fire Station into low-rise/higher density workforce/senior   
       housing.
4.    Encourage limited redevelopment in a few selected locations on parcels flanking
       Willamette Drive.

These four actions constitute the sum of what we believe to be appropriate for the area north of the freeway. But they could give the area a renewed vitality and identity in the community.

Recommendations for the South Village Area:

1.    Create a new urban intersection.
2.    Convert the right of way of Broadway into a terraced park with parking underneath.
3.    The city should partner with a nonprofit to build workforce/senior housing on publicly
       owned property.
4.    Create a new Mill Street.
5.    Build a new central market square.
6.    Encourage multistory, mixed-use development in the core, including higher-density
       residential development.
7.    Encourage residential development of moderate density outside the core.
8.    Construct multi-use trails.

The plan also includes a number of implementation steps, including a phased set of actions and possible funding mechanisms.

“You’ve done quite a bit of work here,”’ Councilor Thomas Frank said.

Planning Commissioner Christine Steel, who attended the meeting, said, “I served a dual role. I helped select architects and I think they’ve done just an amazing, amazing job. I really have a great deal of appreciation for everything that has been done putting this plan together. … I’m just very impressed by the whole thing.”

Council President Jody Carson agreed. “It’s been a great project. But it’s only the first step in a long-term project. … This is a great product and I’m very pleased to see it.”

The city council is slated to vote on approval of the plan during is Monday, Dec. 15, 6 p.m. meeting.

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The city council will next meet Monday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m.