Lake Oswego Planning Commission Meeting – March 9, 2026
Lake Oswego Planning Commission Meeting – March 9, 2026
The Planning Commission convened on March 9, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included a councilor update, approval of minutes, citizen involvement updates, and a work session on the 2026 work plan. Key topics included the status of ongoing projects such as the Foothills Plan update, tree regulation amendments, code audit, and rezoning for housing. No public testimony was offered.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the February 23, 2026, meeting. Motion by Commissioner Guinea, seconded by Commissioner Twing. All present voted in favor; no opposition.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public provided comments.
Councilor Update
- Councilor Verdock reported that the City Council had approved its 2026 goals (note: Planning Manager Olson later indicated the goals were still in draft and would be formally adopted on March 31, 2026, a discrepancy in the record). A city manager pro tem candidate, Lynn Peterson (former councilor and Metro member), is expected to be approved on March 10. Councilor Rath resigned; his seat will be filled by appointment through the end of 2026, with a November ballot election. The South Shore Fire Station will hold open houses on March 21. The Library Advisory Board and staff are hosting a Maker Day on March 21 as well.
Citizen Involvement Updates
- Blue Heron Neighborhood Association: Meeting on March 17, 2026, at 7:00 PM at West Ridge Elementary School. Agenda includes South Shore Fire Station rebuild proposal and emergency water supply distribution.
- Mary's Landing Neighborhood Association: Meeting on March 19, 2026, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the Nathman Building in Mary's Woods. Agenda includes board report, South Shore Fire Station bond measure, city emergency water distribution plan, neighborhood emergency radio practice, and election of officers.
Work Session: 2026 Work Plan Review
Planning Manager Olson presented the status of 2025 projects and the proposed 2026 work plan aligned with City Council goals. Key points:
- Foothills Plan Update: Continuing; expected completion by end of 2027. Work sessions scheduled for April 2026 and later.
- Tree Regulation Amendments: Hearing scheduled for June 8, 2026, with city council adoption planned for early September. A joint work session with the Development Review Commission will be held on April 13, 2026.
- Code Audit and Amendments: A $300,000 Metro grant accepted; RFP for consultant closes March 11, 2026. Consultant selection expected by mid-April to early May.
- Rezoning for Housing Project: Grant from Oregon DLCD to work with Cascadia Partners; contract expected within weeks. Aim to identify focus areas for housing capacity.
- Low-Income Rental Housing Tax Exemption: Delayed from 2025; to be advanced in 2026.
- Completed Projects: Fair housing policy (adopted), home occupation standards (adopted February 17, 2026), and 4000 Cruiseway Place comprehensive plan amendments (adopted February 17, 2026). Mandatory adjustment exemptions granted.
Commissioner Bruce expressed interest in the low-income housing tax credit project, noting its importance for housing needs.
Other Business
- Boards and Commissions Recruitment: Two planning commission seats (Commissioners Moreno and Mitchell) are terming out. Applications are open; reapplication is common. The recruitment cycle is underway.
Schedule Update
- The March 23, 2026, meeting is canceled. The next meeting is on April 13, 2026, a joint work session with the Development Review Commission on tree regulations. The April meeting thereafter will be a work session on the Foothills Plan update.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes approved unanimously.
- No formal votes were taken on the work plan; it was accepted for discussion.
- The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Oh there we go. Great. Thank you, Iris. I'd like to go ahead and call the to order the planning commission meeting of March 9th, 2026. Iris, could you please call the roll? Najak is excused. Absent. James? Present. Absent. Donald? Mitchell, sorry. Present. Here. Twing. There. Thank you, Iris. The next item on the agenda is actually I'd like to invite um Councilor Verdock to be able to provide an update from the city council. Thank you. Just a few things to update you on. The council did approve our goals, so we will be moving forward. I think we're talking about that tonight a little bit. So those are set. We also tomorrow we'll be hopefully approving a city manager pro tem candidate tomorrow. So we will be doing that. Lynn Peterson will be joining us. She was a previous city councilor. And also she has been serving on Metro. So she's going to be coming over as a pro tem for us again, assuming that approval is given tomorrow. So if anyone needs to or wants to reapply if your terms coming up, we have that going on. The South Shore Fire Station is also hosting some open houses. So if you want to get a tour of that, there's going to be one up March 21st. And if you haven't seen the South Shore and you're really curious of its condition, I highly recommend you check it out. So it's a great opportunity to see kind of what a library could be and what that could look like and see um just go out and try different things that you can do within that library. And I know the library advisory board has been working very hard on this maker day along with library staff, and it should be a great event coming up on Saturday. And then for those of you who may not have heard, Counselor Rath has put in his resignation, so we're going to be sometime in April putting out an application, I guess, or a process to fill his seat until um through the end of the year, and then that seat will be open on the November ballot. So we have that going on as well. Any other questions that you might have? No, will somebody appoint the com someone to replace Commissioner Rapp then? Or so um people will apply, the council will appoint um again someone through the end of the year, and then his seat will become available for the final two years on the November election. So they'll run. Um so again, just a short interim. Kind of like our city, you know, city city manager pro tem, excuse me. Um, just a short term, and then we'll have a more formal process. Got it, thank you. But again, short term there is a formal process in terms of application, and and the council will go through that. And we'll be learning more about that at the upcoming council meetings. Thank you. Councilor Verdock. Next item on the agenda is approval of the minutes.
openpublica.com