Statement on Oppenlander Field
Updated August 17, 2021
The West Linn City Council and West Linn-Wilsonville School District have agreed on a Letter of Intent that will allow West Linn residents to vote in the May 2022 election on whether to acquire the Oppenlander property. This agreement will be formalized through a Purchase and Sale Agreement as a next step. Key points of the Letter of Intent include:
- Purchase price will be determined based on a new market appraisal to be completed by December 2021. The property was previously appraised at $6.5 Million earlier this year.
- If voters do not approve the purchase, the sale contract will be terminated at no penalty to the City and the District will be free to work with other potential buyers.
- If voters do approve the purchase, the property will subsequently be formally designated as a park under Chapter XI of the West Linn City Charter, ensuring it is not used for other purposes without voter approval.
- If voters do approve the purchase, closing would occur by the end of November 2022.
We appreciate all of the energy and enthusiasm the West Linn community has brought to this topic. The Council looks forward to a robust conversation with the community about this opportunity, including potential needed improvements to the Oppenlander property, and about other City infrastructure needs, in coming months.
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The West Linn City Council and West Linn Wilsonville School Board are actively engaged in discussions about a potential purchase of the Oppenlander Fields property on Rosemont Road. The purchase would require approval by West Linn voters, and a ballot date of May 2022 is currently planned in order to allow the community adequate time to discuss this issue once terms become public. The Council is committed to a robust public process and looks forward to being able to talk openly with the community very soon.
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The City Council read the following statement at their May 27, 2021 Council Meeting:
Over the past 40 years, the West Linn community has enjoyed use of the 10-acre Oppenlander Fields property on Rosemont Road. The West-Linn Wilsonville School Board has recently decided to sell this property. The School Board approached the West Linn City Council and offered to sell the City the property at the appraised value of $6,500,000. The City Council discussed this in confidential Executive Session, as it does all real estate matters. The offered price far exceeded funds readily available to the City in the budget for a land purchase.
Given the price tag, the City Council requested the opportunity to have an open community discussion of this property with enough time allowed to explore possible uses and potentially hold a city-wide vote in November 2021 on a General Obligation Bond Measure to determine whether the citizens of West Linn wanted to raise taxes so the City could purchase the property. To that end, City staff drafted an option agreement that would have allowed the City to have until the end of this year to determine whether City purchase of Oppenlander Fields was desired by the community. That option agreement was provided confidentially to School District staff and the School Board. Initially, the District was receptive to the Council’s proposed option agreement, but shortly thereafter, the School Board concluded that this timeline did not meet the District’s needs, and informed the Council that they would be moving to sell the property on the open market.
The City Council understands the importance of this property to community members, neighbors, and youth sports organizations. The Council maintains interest in its proposed option agreement if the District is willing to delay sale.
