Lake Oswego City Council Meeting – April 21, 2026: Foothills Vision, Fire Grant, and Library

The Lake Oswego City Council convened on April 21, 2026, to hear a presentation from Meals on Wheels, receive public testimony on the Foothills District Plan, conduct study sessions on the Fire Department's Senior Care Initiative Grant and the Foothills Vision, and address an urgent water intrusion issue at the city library. The meeting opened with a proclamation declaring the first week of May 2026 as Public Service Recognition Week.

Presentations & Proclamations

• The Mayor proclaimed the first week of May 2026 as Public Service Recognition Week to honor city employees.
• Meals on Wheels: Co-chairs Judy Hathaway and Karen Alice Jones reported that the program served over 25,000 meals (home-delivered and dine-in) in the past 12 months. They noted program revenues are down while personnel and food costs are up. The Lake Oswego Meals on Wheels board presented a check for $19,867 to the city to cover the program's budget deficit.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ryan Roberts (Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, representing Public Storage): Provided testimony on agenda item 6.2 regarding the Foothills District Plan update. He stated that modifying the Public Storage access between Avenues D and E from its current condition would constitute a taking worth tens of millions of dollars. He expressed frustration over the lack of engagement with the city on the planning process and requested collaboration.
• Lisa Adano (Lake Oswego Sustainability Network): Expressed support for the staff's draft Foothills Vision and guiding principles. She invited the council to a clean energy event on June 8th at Lorac and proposed exploring the opportunity to make the Foothills a clean energy district.

Discussion Items

Study Session: Senior Care Initiative Grant Fire Chief Don Johnson and Paramedic Nate Sigler provided an update on the state-funded Senior Care Initiative Grant. The two-year, $288,000 grant focuses on improving safety, preparedness, and outcomes at Lake Oswego's seven licensed senior care facilities.

• The department responds to roughly 5,000 calls annually, of which about 750 originate from senior care facilities.
• Since implementing the program, lift-assist calls decreased from 6–10 per month to about 1 per month across all facilities.
• A successful evacuation drill at Green Ridge Estates led to effective staff response during a real fire on February 23, 2026. Staff evacuated all residents and marked doors before firefighters arrived, demonstrating the program's impact.
• Council members broadly supported continuing the program but asked for a detailed breakdown of its components. Some council members expressed concern about subsidizing for-profit care facilities, while others emphasized the program's value for all vulnerable residents. Council requested a work plan differentiating services for licensed care facilities from those for low-income residential facilities and individual at-risk residents. An advocacy agenda for state-level changes was also requested.

Study Session: Foothills District Plan – Vision and Guiding Principles Long-range Planning Manager Eric Olson and consultant Jason Graff (First 40 Feet) presented the draft vision statement and six guiding principles for the Foothills District Plan update. The district covers about 120 acres, with roughly 16 developable acres.

• The draft vision aims to create Lake Oswego's "next great residential neighborhood," knitting together downtown and the Willamette River with public waterfront access, housing, and sustainability.
• Using the Mentimeter tool, council members provided feedback on the vision and principles. Conditions for support included: better defining "multimodal" (emphasizing pedestrian and bike connections), addressing the visual aesthetic from the hill (e.g., green roofs), ensuring development is complementary to downtown (not duplicative), and clearly articulating the "grand connection" between downtown and the waterfront.
• Concerns were raised about the term "small town character" being too limiting for the density needed to achieve housing goals and pay for infrastructure.
• Staff will bring the refined vision and guiding principles as well as initial concept alternatives to the council on May 19, 2026. The target for plan adoption is January 2027.

Key Outcomes & Staff Reports

• Senior Care Grant: Council directed staff to prepare a detailed breakdown of the program to explore sustainable funding beyond the grant's expiration at the end of 2026, and to develop an advocacy agenda for state policy changes regarding care facility licensing and training.
• Foothills District Plan: Staff will refine the vision and guiding principles based on council and public feedback. Concept alternatives will be presented at the May 19 council meeting.
• Library Water Intrusion: The city manager reported an emergency situation earlier in the day involving active water intrusion from the library roof. Nine buckets were deployed, electronics and furniture were damaged and relocated, and the second-floor reference desk was temporarily moved. Staff is coordinating with facilities for immediate roof maintenance and will bring a decision-making framework and timeline for library site selection to the council in May.
• Council Reports: Councilors provided updates on regional issues, including the Regional Transportation Plan update, the Regional Policy Oversight Committee for the Supportive Housing Services measure, the MPAC land banking discussions, and a warning about potential blue-green algae in local lakes this summer (the city’s water treatment plant is equipped with ozonation to handle it).