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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes - 2003-06-23 QE tA10E QswE City of Lake Oswego Re( Planning Commission Minutes June 23, 2003 0.0 I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Vizzini called the Planning Commission meeting of June 23, 2003 to order at approximately 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 380 A Avenue, Lake Oswego, Oregon. II. ROLL CALL Commission members present were Chair Vizzini, Vice Chair Frank Groznik, and Commissioners James Johnson, Mark Stayer and Alison Webster. Commissioner Ken Sandblast was excused. Staff present were Stephan Lashbrook, Community Development Director; Sidaro Sin, Associate Planner; Evan Boone, Deputy City Attorney and Iris Treinen, Senior Secretary. III. CITIZEN COMMENT—Regarding issues not on the agenda. None. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A vote on the Minutes of May 12, 2003 and the Minutes of May 28, 2003 was continued to July 28,2003. V. GENERAL PLANNING—OPEN WORK SESSION Outlook 2025 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Review (P 02-0001) • Goa110, Housing Sidaro Sin, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. He explained that local and statewide goals related to housing called for the City to provide opportunities for housing at price and rent levels that were affordable by present and future residents while protecting neighborhood character and sensitive lands. He referred to the Zoning Map and advised that 80% of the City's land area was zoned for residential use and most of the commercial districts allowed for some type of residential use. He reported City of Lake Oswego Planning Commission Page 1 of 5 Minutes of June 23,2003 that the number of City housing units had increased by approximately 2,500 units between census years 1990 and 2000. He advised that the staff planned to accomplish a housing study in preparation for periodic review. He reported that the most recent studies indicated the City zoning had slightly exceeded the Metro Housing Rule density goal of allowing at least 10 units per acre and according to the last update of the Comprehensive Plan in 1994 the City featured a 50/43 percentage mix of single-family to multifamily or attached housing, compared to the Metro goal of 50/50. He noted that the Zoning Code allowed secondary dwelling units in all residential zones except for the Waterfront Cabana District. He asked the Commissioners to identify what changed circumstances, decisions or inter jurisdictional policies might be inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan and in what manner the Plan might be inconsistent with Statewide Planning Goals. He and Stephan Lashbrook, Community Development Director, reported that the City Council had formally requested that Metro grant the City more time to develop an affordable housing strategy that would help the City conform to the Metro Urban Growth Management Functional Plan, Title VII, Affordable Housing. Mr. Sin advised that two major issues that had been listed in the Summary of Major Issues in the original (1994) Comprehensive Plan and that related to reconciling zoning with the Plan and working with the county on a Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) were outdated. He also suggested that public confusion over the references to "medium" and "high" density residential could be avoided by clearer definitions. He suggested that the City's share of regional needs for special use housing needed to be determined and he noted that at least one residential zone (Waterfront Cabana District) did not provide an opportunity for special use housing. He advised the Plan should be modified to reflect the new infill standards. Mr. Lashbrook confirmed that the City was not yet in full compliance with Title VII and he explained the steps the City Council was taking to attain compliance. He anticipated the Council would direct the Planning Commission to review an affordable housing strategy in the fall of 2003. He suggested that the City address density bonus provisions related to special needs housing; examine parking standards for special use housing; consider amendments for minor transfers of development rights; examine policies related to replacement housing that were used in other jurisdictions; consider offering monetary incentives for increased density; and examine whether some Code provisions related to accessory dwelling units might hinder development of housing for the elderly and disabled. He reported that he had been meeting regularly with a group of builders and developers to gain their perspective and was to report back to the Council about how they viewed development in the City. He reported that the staff was encouraging the developers to consider more transit-oriented development. He related that he was also working with a regional group of affordable housing advocates to expand the focus beyond zoning for affordable housing to other aspects, such as financing and tax credits. Chair Vizzini observed a consensus to wait for direction from the City Council instead of starting earlier discussions about affordable housing. He invited public comment,but none was offered. City of Lake Oswego Planning Commission Page 2 of 5 Minutes of June 23,2003 • Goal 14,Urbanization Mr. Sin explained that Goal 14 was to ensure that the City was prepared to accommodate urban development without diminishing citizens' current quality of life. The burden of the cost of new development was to be borne by developers. He advised that the related statewide planning goal was to accommodate an orderly and efficient transition from rural to urban land use. He traced the Urban Service Boundary (USB) and the Urban Growth Boundary(UGB) on the Zoning Map and pointed out two areas where a USB amendment might be necessary. He advised that those two areas of Tier 1 lands were the only areas in the Stafford area that did not require an annexation vote because they were specifically addressed in a policy in Goal 14. He related that a recent survey showed that citizens strongly favored preservation of the Stafford Basin area. He advised that Metro was the regional planning authority charged with maintaining the UGB. He recalled the City had a long-standing position opposing the inclusion of the Stafford area in the UGB. He pointed out six areas that were within the USB but outside the City limits. Mr. Sin and Mr. Lashbrook observed the approximately 4,000-acre Stafford area presented a planning challenge because it was divided into a number of different school districts and it was surrounded by four local jurisdictions. They outlined methods of urbanisation of outlying areas. They advised that the City Charter provided that the two Tier 1 areas could be annexed to the City without a vote. They advised that when the City received an owner-initiated annexation request, or when a septic system failed and the property was to be annexed in order to be connected to the sanitary sewer system, the staff contacted owners of abutting properties to find out if they also desired to be annexed to the City. They reported that the Quality of Life Indicators Subcommittee planned to present draft growth management-related indicators to the Planning Commission in the fall of 2003. Mr. Lashbrook reported that Metro had recently expanded the UGB to include an additional 370 acres adjacent to the City of West Linn and that agency might look to the Stafford Basin for the additional 2,000 acres of industrial land they intended to place within the UGB. He advised that the City might be then expected to supply services to 1,200 of those acres. Mr. Sin pointed out that the Summary of Major Issues listed a concern about the responsibility for 2,000 acres in the north Stafford area. Mr. Sin suggested that the Commissioners discuss whether a policy that required unincorporated property to annex to the City before hooking up to the sanitary sewer system should be changed to only require an annexation agreement prior to hook up. He noted that Recommended Action Measure (RAM) 3 was to adopt Quality of Life Indicators related to urbanization and he suggested that RAM 4 could be to use those indicators of impact on the community as criteria for development. He anticipated that the staff would suggest policies related to bringing the six areas within the USB, but outside the City, into the City. He reported that the City had not received any public comments related to either Goal 10 or Goal 14. City of Lake Oswego Planning Commission Page 3 of 5 Minutes of June 23,2003 During questioning by the Commissioners the staff clarified that an "island annexation" was accomplished where land was completely surrounded by the City or the City on 3 sides and a body of water. They reported that although there had been no enthusiasm for annexation by landowners in the Country Club Road area, they anticipated that a number of neighborhoods would be annexed into the City over the next year. Mr. Boone agreed to examine a circumstance suggested by Commissioner Johnson where land was bordered on three sides by the City of Lake Oswego and on the fourth side by another city. The Commissioners observed the topography of the Stafford area. They noted that although a large portion of it was steep and would pose a challenge to water and sewer service, part of it along Borland Road was flat land that had good freeway access and could be used for industrial purposes. Several Commissioners emphasized that developers should be required to bear the cost of extension of urban services. Mr. Lashbrook reported that although Metro was focused on identifying land for industrial development, the City of Tualatin had a concept plan for that area that focused on development of housing. The staff confirmed that the City's Transportation System Plan classified Stafford Road as a Minor Arterial. They also reported that the City Council had taken the position that a future roundabout on Borland Road should have only one lane while the county favored making it two lanes to handle a higher level of traffic. Mr. Lashbrook said there was a possibility that recent economic conditions might cause the projections used to estimate future population growth to be revised downward and Metro might find there was not a need for additional land within the UGB for another decade. Chair Vizzini anticipated that the Quality of Life Indicators Subcommittee would work on a set of indicators that could be used as criteria for development in the Stafford area. The Commissioners observed that if the City did not proactively plan how Lake Oswego wanted Stafford to be urbanized then other nearby cities might take over that responsibility. They also noted that the planning process might identify pieces of the Stafford area that could more easily be absorbed into the City of Lake Oswego. Chair Vizzini invited public comment, but there was none offered. He then closed the work session. VI. OTHER BUSINESS Lake Grove Town Center Plan The Commissioners agreed to change the date of their next discussion of the Lake Grove Town Center Plan from July 14, to August 11, 2003 in order to allow sufficient time for the consultant's report and June 9, 2003 meeting minutes to be published and distributed. They directed the staff to ensure that all interested parties were informed of the new schedule. Chair Vizzini entered a letter to the Commission from the Commercial Property Owners' Association into the record of the Lake Grove Town Center planning process. City of Lake Oswego Planning Commission Page 4 of 5 Minutes of June 23,2003 Infill Development Standards Chair Vizzini reported that the City Councilors had reviewed the Commission's recommendation and generally agreed with it, but they were sending the proposal back to the Commission for re-consideration of allowable height on sloped lots and accessory dwelling units. Floodplain Study The Commissioners generally agreed to ask the City Council for permission to carry out their previous commitment to hold a public meeting to discuss the floodplain study results. They noted that although the City had already conducted one public meeting, the change in flood level on the lake was important enough to hold a second meeting to ensure that everyone was aware that the new map placed the base flood level 2.5 feet higher. Election of Officers Chair Vizzini announced that election of officers was scheduled for July 28, 2003. VIII. ADJOURNMENT There being no other business, Chair Vizzini adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Iris Treinen Senior Secretary City of Lake Oswego Planning Commission Page 5 of 5 Minutes of June 23,2003