Park district purchases Lehman property

In December 2012, Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District purchased 6.85 acres from the family of long-time resident Laurence Lehman. The purchase was funded by $1.954 million of the 2008 Bond Measure money.

The property, at the southwest corner of Saltzman and Thompson, includes two lots. The old family farmhouse is on the larger lot near the intersection. It may be available for rent until park development plans take shape.

The other home on the property is occupied by Larry Lehman and his family. He will lease the property from the district until he is able to move to another location. The family’s horse, Prince, will move with them, says Larry. “Nobody’s ever tried to ride him since he scraped my sister off with a tree branch when she was 11,” he laughed.

Properties in the yellow area on the map are in the park district. Everything within the urban growth boundary in this area is part of the district’s ultimate service area.

Eventually, the property will be developed into a neighborhood park, with a variety of recreation facilities including a multi-use sports field. The farmhouse could be retained as a park feature, but that will be determined during the public master planning process.

It may be quite a while before the park is developed, however, mainly because it’s surrounded by properties that are not in the district’s current boundaries. District Director of Planning Hal Bergsma explains that, “Annexation [into THPRD] became mandatory as a result of a County ordinance adopted in 2004. Some of the development around the site occurred before that time and the developers chose not to annex. Some of the homeowners in the area have annexed through the District's voluntary annexation program, but much of the surrounding neighborhood remains outside the District, even though it is within the District's long-term service area. THPRD may tie development of the site to annexation of the surrounding neighborhood. If that strategy is followed, the District would develop a park on the site if the majority of the neighbors vote in an election to annex.”

If the homeowners do vote to join the district, the district collects its assessment as part of their property taxes. The current tax rate is $1.74 per $1,000 of assessed (not market) property value. Being “in-district” gives residents priority registration and lower fees for district offerings such as classes and athletic programs. More information about voluntary annexation is on the district website: http://www.thprd.org/about/planning/annexFAQ.cfm

When Willow Creek Heights subdivision was built, it was required by the county to include a diagonal road, Kenny Terrace, that would create an alternative route to avoid the right-angle turns on Thompson Road. The western end of the road is closed with a gate on Thompson, and the eastern end stops at the property acquired by the district.

In Washington County, roads are usually built as part of the cost of development. Extension of that road through the former Lehman property could occur before park development if Washington County or another agency would fund it.

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