CPO News April 2022
- April meeting: Candidate Forum
- Land use and your CPO
- Neighborhood meetings
- Development applications
- CPO March Meeting Summary
April meeting: Candidate Forum
Tuesday, April 12, 7 pm, via zoom
The May 17 Primary election may settle some races, and will determine the candidates who will run in the November election in others.
We have invited all candidates for each listed office. Listed below are the people who have responded and will attend. We’re still getting responses so this list may not be complete. We’ll have a brief statement from each candidate, a question selected by our Steering Committee, and open questions at the end if time allows. CPO 1 members may submit questions for consideration by sending an email to CPO1leaders@gmail.com by April 9.
Candidates for Washington County Offices: Chair of the County Commission: Harrington, Pace; District 2 Commissioner: Treece, Frazier; Auditor: Hutzler, Adams-Wannberg; District Attorney: Barton, Decker
Metro Council: Chair: Peterson, Pyszka, Horner; District 4 Rep: Gonzalez
Oregon State Legislature: State Rep District 27: Helm, Carpenter, Nelson; State Rep District 34: Reynolds, Kinzey; State Senate: Steiner Hayward
Labor Commissioner: Kulla, Baca
We will hear from representatives of the BSD and WCSO ballot measures, and any other ballot issues if available, at the May 10 meeting.
Click the zoom link above to join the meeting live or watch it later on our YouTube Channel. We have been live-streaming our meetings since before COVID. Last month we began live-streaming and recording on YouTube, but you can watch previous meetings on our Facebook page here. And please “subscribe” to our YouTube Channel! We can’t get a “real name” until we have 100 subscribers!
If you don’t get CPO 1 meeting notices in your mailbox or inbox, you can sign up here. CPO 1 bylaws say that receiving the notice is how you become a voting member.
Land use and your CPO
Your CPO receives Neighborhood Meeting notices, Development Applications, and Notices of Decision for all land use activities within our boundaries. We try to stay on top of what’s happening so we can be the community resource for neighbors with questions or concerns.
County web pages provide additional information. One such page, “Projects Under Review” is a web page maintained by WashCo Land Use (LUT) listing applications received and currently being considered. You can organize the display by CPO number by clicking that column heading. There’s not a lot of information available there but it’s a way to check and see if something you’re interested in is still under review.
We are hoping that the county department currently managing the CPO system (Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement—OEICE) will offer training to help people who want to be involved in CPOs to understand these complicated processes. It’s been four years since this kind of training has taken place and we have so far been unsuccessful in our request.
Neighborhood meetings
West Union gas station
A meeting was held on March 30 so that Robert Barman and Mercedes Serra (3J Consulting) could present a revised plan for his proposed gas station at 185th and West Union. The new design features a drive-through on the west side of the convenience store with a wider setback from 185th, a smaller footprint for the store, reducing the number of gas pumps from ten to eight, and eliminating diesel. They say the drive-through will make up for the smaller store. They didn’t have information about the increase in traffic that might bring.
Neighbors have organized in opposition, although county regulations are unlikely to prohibit it. You can read Brandon Phillips’ notes about the meeting and learn more here. A campaign is underway to ask the county to implement new rules about gas station siting.
Development applications
Jonathon Place development
An application has been received to build a single-family house on a large vacant lot in the Burton Grove area. Because zoning calls for two houses on a lot of that size, Westlake Development is requesting a Type II approval indicating they will show that a second house could be built in the future.
More news about development in CPO 1 is in Development News.
CPO March Meeting Summary
by Vicky Siah
After the Land Acknowledgment, we heard from some of our Service Providers. Brian Yourstone, THPRD, noted that the multipurpose court at THPRD’s Mountain View site has been approved, and THPRD is working through the permitting process. Construction is set to begin next year. Furthermore, THPRD is partnering with the City of Beaverton to create a “more livable and economically vibrant downtown.” These projects include new parks and open spaces.
Brenda Schaffer of WCSO warned attendees about scams which often take the form of emails: scammers pretend to be entities that control bank account information. Attendees should beware of emails asking them to update account information via online forms. Additionally, Lt. Ed Rawlinson shared the region’s crime map, highlighting a rise in mail theft. He suggests that residents use USPS Informed Delivery—USPS sends a picture of your mail so you can see if anything’s missing.
TVWD’s Andrea Watson gave a reminder about work zone safety as construction starts on the Willamette water supply. Work will be “ramping up in the next two months,” so Watson urges individuals to be cautious when driving through those areas.
Virginia Bruce mentioned that the Estates at Leahy Park development has been accepted by LUT and is under consideration.
A discussion of this project segued into Cornell Road Project Manager Ben Lively’s presentation on the Cornell Road project. It includes a traffic signal, dedicated left turn lane, on-street buffered bike lanes, lockable mailboxes, eight-foot sidewalks, streetlights, and a center turn lane. This project also includes a new sanitary sewer, improved water lines, and a restoration of the Reeves St. water quality facility. According to Lively, construction started in February 2022 and is expected to end in August 2023. The project’s working hours are 8:30 am to 3 pm on weekdays, and steps have been taken to minimize community impact.
For the second meeting feature, Metro Councilor Juan Carlos Gonzalez spoke about his work and future plans. Money from the Supportive Housing Services Measure, passed in May 2020, began to be distributed in July 2021. It provides funds to improve many aspects of housing, from mental health services to rent assistance and employment. These are community specific services, and Councilor Gonzalez reiterates the importance of “investing in what’s currently working.” Transportation is another key issue for Councilor Gonzalez. Washington County received a RAISE Grant, and the County intends to build a 6-mile multi-use path between Hillsboro, Cornelius, and Forest Grove.
Virginia Bruce and Bruce Bartlett concluded the meeting by outlining improvements that need to occur within the CPO system. These concerns were discussed with Commissioner Pam Treece.
