HomeMy WebLinkAboutExh G-1 E-Mail 11-26-18 fm Novak-Krebs-Uchida LU 18-0059 From: Jeff Novak <outlook_B9B0B7E62AB256DA@outlook.com> on behalf of Jeff Novak
<jnovak@pobox.com>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2018 2:30 PM
To: McCaleb, Iris; Planning Commission
Cc: Cheryl Uchida; Carolyn Krebs
Subject: LU 18- 0059, Ordinance 2803 TESTIMONY
My name is Jeff Novak and I live at 4322 Collins Way in Lake Oswego. I am Chairman Emeritus of the Waluga
Neighborhood Association and between 1993 and 2015 was active in several boards and committees including being
neighborhood-alternate for the Lake Grove Village Center Planning Committee, Waluga Neighborhood Plan Committee
and the Boones Ferry Corridor Study.
I previously provided testimony in this matter in April 2018, as have Carolyn Krebs and Cheryl Uchida, and we have
participated in the Advisory Group noted in the Staff Report as part of the Public Involvement Policies of the
Comprehensive Plan.
As an Advisory Group we touched on all of the issues in the Staff Report. We are generally supportive of Item 1,Tree
Terminology, Item 3 a and 3b, Incentives for Preservation of Large Trees and Item 4, Design Standards.
However, we do not agree with what has been stated in Item 2 which establishes a lower tree mitigation rate. Neither
of the two options suggested were reviewed. In addition,we had proposals to address further work before arriving at
any conclusions, especially given we spent substantial time looking at ways to incentivize tree preservation and provide
further mitigation opportunities.
At no time did the Advisory group find that the current code was onerous to property owners beyond one case where a
large grove of mature fir trees was situated on a small lot with residential use that was being redeveloped into a multi-
family/commercial use. This was the only"exception" where off-site mitigation was required and it represented only
3%of the acres that have been developed/redeveloped under the Lake Grove Village Center Overlay. We are very
concerned that one exception is driving a broad easing across all properties. While we recognize that the tree mitigation
code is different from the rest of the City, we also recognize that, by definition,the intent of the Overlay is to have
differences, many of which are more stringent. Will we be reviewing and modifying code every time a property owner
believes it is different from base code?
We also believe that the Comprehensive Plan Community Culture— Civic Engagement, Policy 1 was not met as there
was no consensus or vote regarding the Items, in particular Item 2. Further,we were never able to test the proposals
against the "real world"to determine if they actually improve the code or just lower the bar. The Advisory Group never
had a chance to review the proposed code or provide feedback as a Group to the proposed Ordinance.
Given that there was no onerous impact determined by the Advisory Group and that we never completed, nor discussed
the two specific recommendations in Item 2,we ask the Planning Commission to not pass the Staff recommendations
until the Advisory Group has a chance to complete their work and come to consensus on Item 2, as well as to allow more
time to review and discuss additional incentives and test them against the realities in the Lake Grove Village Center.
Thank you.
Jeff Novak
Carolyn Krebs
Cheryl Uchida
LU 18-0059 PAGE 1 OF 1