• CPO 1 March Meeting: Water When We Need It?!
• CPO 7 looks at bike-ped safety
• Middle Housing is coming to Washington County
• CPO 1 February meeting recap
• Public hearing on Catlin Gabel new middle school
• Cornell Farm new building
• New Touchmark building approved

CPO 1 March Meeting: Water When We Need It?!

Tuesday, March 9, 7-9 pm, via zoom

Following the Open Mic and briefings from some of our service providers (WCSO, BSD, THPRD, etc) we’ll learn what Tualatin Valley Water District is doing to ensure our water system is resilient. Will you have water in an emergency, such as extended power outages (remember Texas!), storms, and the BIG earthquake expected to hit the region? Where does our drinking water come from, and what can go wrong?

Then we’ll get tips on “When the Water Stops, What Do You Do?” with a presentation by Bill Hall, Founder of Cedar Hills Ready. Cedar Hills Ready presented a program for their group called WaSH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and they have agreed to share it with us and take questions. You can watch the video here, or watch the whole meeting on our Facebook page any time.

IF you attend via zoom, you can participate by asking questions. All are welcome!

CPO 7 looks at bike-ped safety

Monday, March 8, 7 pm via zoom

All are welcome to virtually attend CPO 7’s March meeting on “What is Washington County doing to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians?” Since 2011, a portion of your tax dollars have been spent on sidewalks, widened pavement, pedestrian crossings, and bike lanes to improve safety. Marla Vik, LUT Senior Engineer will provide an update on bike and pedestrian projects selected for funding. 

The next round of projects to be funded will be selected in 2021. Which would you most like to see funded? See a list and mapping of unfunded project candidates, and watch for an upcoming public comment period in June 2021 for an opportunity to help determine which projects will be funded in the next cycle.

Middle Housing is coming to Washington County

Washington County and its larger cities are currently considering how best to respond to the “Middle Housing” rule, which attempts to address Oregon’s need for more housing. The theory is that providing more housing in the middle range of affordability will relieve pressure on all housing markets. Property owners are not forced to build any of these housing types. The goal is to enable their construction in more areas.

HB 2001, passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2019, requires that “Large Cities” (defined as cities with a population of 25,000 or more and each county or city within a metropolitan service district) must allow: (1) all middle housing types in areas zoned for residential use that allow for the development of detached single-family dwellings; and (2) a duplex on each lot or parcel zoned for residential use that allows for the development of detached single-family dwellings. 

Middle housing, which HB 2001 defines as duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, cottage clusters, and townhouses, provides an opportunity to increase housing supply in developed neighborhoods and can (according to the legislature) blend in well with detached single-family dwellings. 

Large Cities may develop their own standards in compliance with the requirements of HB 2001. A “Model Code” prepared by the Department of Land and Conservation Development (DCLD) may provide guidance toward that end. However, if Large Cities do not wish to prepare their own standards or if Large Cities do not adopt the required code amendments by June 30, 2022, they must directly apply this model code to development in their jurisdictions. The model code is consistent with the requirements and intent of HB 2001.

We learned more about Washington County’s approach to Middle Housing during the February Committee for Community Involvement (CCI) meeting during a presentation by Theresa Cherniak, Principal Planner at LUT. The meeting is available to watch on the CCI Facebook page here. (Her segment starts around 21 minutes in, and she discusses Middle Housing at around 39 minutes.)

If you’re interested in learning more about “Middle Housing in Oregon,” just search online! A variety of opinions from horror to delight are within a couple of clicks!

Public hearing on Catlin Gabel new middle school

Thursday, March 18, 10 am, via zoom

The hearing will address a Special Use Review, Master Plan Review, and Development Review for a new middle school, grades 6-8 “Catlin Gabel East Campus” to replace the Oregon College of Art and Craft.

Catlin Gabel School proposes to open a new East Campus for its students at 8245 SW Barnes Road, the former site of the Oregon College of Art and Craft (OCAC). Catlin Gabel purchased the property in April 2019, after OCAC closed. The site is located 200 yards east of Catlin Gabel’s main campus.

Catlin Gabel will renovate existing buildings for occupancy by school children and teachers. New building construction is minor: an open-sided, covered play area, a facilities storage shed, and four small building additions. After renovations, demolitions, and additions, total campus building area will be 51,840 square feet in 10 buildings. 

Some changes will be made to vehicular and pedestrian facilities, and three of the six existing driveways onto adjacent public streets will be closed. Travel between the two campuses will be on foot or by school bus. Catlin Gabel will also continue to offer community arts programs at “East Campus.” 

The Master Plan, once approved, is in effect for ten years. Upgrades are dependent on funding, so at this point the timeline is not definite.

For each hearing, the hearings officer will hold the record open for at least one week after the online hearing to accept written testimony, in the event anyone is unable to log on to attend the online hearing. 

CPO 1 has received a full-size copy of the plans and proposals. Since the library is not able to make plans available yet, if you want to view it, contact Virginia Bruce at cpo1leaders@gmail.com. 

Cornell Farm new building

A neighborhood meeting was held on February 16 to discuss a proposal to put a new building on the campus of Cornell Farm Nursery. The building will be placed where the existing “Kitchen Garden” greenhouse is. The Kitchen Garden merchandise will move into the existing sales area in the center of the campus. The ground floor of the new building will be retail, and the second floor will be office space.

We’ll bring you more information once the development application is submitted. The new building is not likely to increase traffic, so neighbors who attended seemed to approve of the proposal. If permitting goes as planned, construction will begin this summer.

New Touchmark building approved

The “Sky Lodge” independent living facility on the Touchmark campus was approved with conditions by Washington County on February 11. The Notice of Decision & Staff Report is available here.

CPO 1 February meeting recap

by Vicky Siah, CPO 1 Secretary

NOTE: this meeting is available to watch on the CPO 1 Facebook page.

Brenda Schaffer, Public Outreach & Education Specialist Bethany Sheriff’s Office, reminded us that money should never be protected through storage in gift cards, and if uncertain, residents can call the Sheriff’s Office. She also discussed mailbox break-ins around Washington County. At this point the Sheriff’s Office has not identified a suspect. 

Brian Yourstone from THPRD announced that most park facilities will be reopened in February, with free Fitness in the Park continuing throughout March. Summer camp schedules will include more offerings this year, and summer camp information will be released on April 12. Registration begins on May 1.

Christ United Methodist Church is partnering with HomeFirst to create an affordable apartment building that serves low-income seniors and is a safe space for those who identify as LGBTQ+. Christ UMC has been working with HomeFirst on funding and project specifications for approximately one year. Ben Pray (HomeFirst representative) intends to begin the land use and permitting process in March, which is expected to take about one year. Construction will extend over 14 months. 

The next steps for this project include “receiving Metro approval for funding, beginning land use/permitting work, and identifying project lending partners.”

Kara Yunck, the Communications Coordinator from the Beaverton School District (BSD) provided us with a variety of updates. BSD is distributing food boxes to low-income families until February 24, 2021. BSD is looking for community members to help run Clothes for Kids, and to tutor AVID students. The BSD affirms that “tutors don’t actually have to know the answer to the elementary and middle school questions.” Instead, they will simply encourage students to “arrive at the answer on their own.”

The new middle school is under naming consideration, and three names are proposed: Tumwater, Cedar Falls, and Timberline. BSD’s Board meeting summary can be found on their website. (See update in BSD News,)

Voters gave BSD one of the largest ever dedications in 2014 bond money, and they have spent it on various projects. They are now surveying the community to determine future bond priorities. The survey and an explanatory video can be found on the BSD website. 

Pat Goodell and Stacey Wainwright, neighbors in the Thompson Highlands subdivision, and Land Use and Transportation information person Melissa de Lyser, Public Affairs and Communications Manager for Washington County Land Use and Transportation, attended to provide further discussion on safety issues on Thompson Road.  The neighbors now propose six paths of action (in addition to eventual realignment if that’s possible):

1. Reduce the speed limit on Thompson Road.
2. Upgrade advanced warning sounds or paint roadway.
3. Install speedbumps.
4. Introduce flashing yellow lights.
5. Install crosswalk with flashing yellow lights from Hibbard Drive across Thompson Road. This will increase the safety of pedestrians who utilize Thompson Road.
6. Add a high friction road treatment to reduce accidents related to snow and ice.

De Lyser had been in communication with the neighbors and appreciated the positive suggestions. The discussion is ongoing. The county can’t provide more details on the proposed Biggi development until the application is submitted.