OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

West Linn City Council Special Meeting - February 18, 2025: Housing Production Strategy, Oppenlander Next Steps, and Traffic Safety

City Council & Planning Commission — Tuesday, February 18, 2025
BodyWest Linn, Oregon
SessionCity Council & Planning Commission
DateTuesday, February 18, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:16:39

Transcript — Verbatim
0:16

Meeting on a Tuesday for once because of the President's Day holiday.

0:20

We're starting at 5 30 because we've got a full agenda and wanted to make sure to accommodate everything tonight.

0:25

So first items to approve the agenda, then we'll go to public comment.

0:30

Thank you, Mayor.

0:31

I move to approve the agenda for the February 18th, 2025 Westland City Council meeting.

0:36

Second.

0:37

Okay, it's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda for the February 18th, 2025 Westland City Council meeting.

0:44

Any discussion?

0:47

Seeing none, we can call the roll.

0:51

Councilor Bondington.

0:52

Yes.

0:53

Councilor Bright?

0:54

Yes.

0:55

Council President Baumgartner.

0:57

Yes.

0:57

Councillor Croner.

0:59

Yes.

0:59

Mayor B.

1:00

Lostowski.

1:01

Yes, thank you.

1:01

So the agenda is approved, and that takes us to public comment of a general nature for items not on the agenda.

1:09

Anyone signed up tonight?

1:11

I know we saw John McCabe signed up for later in the meeting.

1:15

Okay.

1:17

Well then we will move to item four, which is the youth advisory council recommendation on traffic safety.

1:26

I'm very proud of the work you all have done.

1:28

So happy to welcome up whoever would like to speak and provide the recommendation and presentation.

1:40

What would you like us to stand while we do our presentation?

1:43

Oh, uh you could just sit at the chairs here.

1:46

We just have to make sure it's captured by the microphone.

1:48

So all we ask is that you uh when you're about to speak, press the button on the mic so that it's green, green light, and then you want to be pretty close to the mic when you're speaking.

2:00

Yes, well, welcome, and maybe if you all want to move them around and it introduce yourself for the record, and then my name is Brooklyn Carhoyer.

2:13

My name is Misha Rana.

2:15

My name is Sarah Yuk.

2:17

I'm Ruby Fassett.

2:19

And my name is Zachary Santoso, and here we are here from the Youth Advisory Council to present uh a little bit about uh traffic safety and especially about sidewalk connectivity.

2:31

Thank you.

2:31

Awesome.

2:32

Welcome.

2:32

Go go ahead.

2:33

Um, so hopefully, as some of you know, we recently submitted a letter about this topic about sidewalks and sidewalk sidewalk connectivity.

2:42

Um, and one reason we are interested in this topic is because um as youth in Westland, we love walking and biking around the city.

2:50

And for many of us, especially kids and teens who are even younger than us and who um can't learn to drive yet or who don't have a car.

2:58

Walking and biking is really the only mode of transportation around the city.

3:02

Um, and we love walking around here because there's lots of great parks, nature areas, as you all know, it's a beautiful city.

3:09

Um, and in many places, uh, if you could go to the next slide.

3:13

Um we have great sidewalk infrastructure, great bike lanes, like for example, one of those pictures is um on part of Rosemont Road, where there's really great bike lanes and sidewalks, or over on um Ponderosa Road or towards the Sunset neighborhood, lots of great um neighborhoods and places to walk.

3:32

All right, and if we can move to the next slide.

3:35

So, like Brooklyn mentioned, while there are lots of great examples of sidewalks in our community.

3:42

There are also some examples where that is lacking a bit.

3:46

Um, for example, in or an older neighborhoods such as Bulton and Cedar Oak, uh, the sidewalks aren't very maintained, or there is none at all.

3:55

As you can see on the pictures up there on the slide, um, some of those are just really old sidewalks, or there is barely a sidewalk at all, and that's dangerous for pedestrians, no matter if they're youth or any other demographic.

4:07

Another example of more high traffic areas where there's lacking in sidewalk is um at the end of Pimlico.

4:15

There's not a sidewalk there, and there's also a bus stop.

4:18

Presumably, lots of people using that bus and getting off need to go up Pimlico, but that makes it hard when there's not a sidewalk available for them to do so.

4:27

Or also at the end of Rosemont Road, um, by the stop sign where it intersects with Summit Street, there's not a sidewalk there.

4:35

And I personally see lots of students walking to school or biking, and when there's not a designated area for them to walk or bike, then that makes it more dangerous.

4:46

And even by the school on West A Street, where it goes towards the stoplight.

4:51

Lots of uh kids also walk there.

4:53

Even the cross-country team runs through there often, but there's not a sidewalk, which is just a little bit concerning for um members of our community.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement██████████████████████████26%
Affordable Housing████████████████████████24%
Parks and Recreation███████████████15%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Private Partnerships███████7%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Active Transportation█████5%
Public Use Zoning██2%
Youth Programs██2%
Summary of Proceedings

West Linn City Council Special Meeting - February 18, 2025: Housing Production Strategy, Oppenlander Next Steps, and Traffic Safety

The West Linn City Council held a special meeting on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, starting at 5:30 p.m. The agenda included a Youth Advisory Committee presentation on traffic safety, a joint work session with the Planning Commission on the Housing Production Strategy (HPS), and an open listening session on the future of the Oppenlander property. The Council also approved the consent agenda and made advisory group appointments. The meeting adjourned around 9:00 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: Motion carried 5-0.
  • Consent Agenda: Approved (5-0), including Agenda Bill 2025-02-18-01: Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Temporary Permit of Entry for Abernethy Bridge Construction. Council President Baumgardner raised a follow-up regarding homeowners near the bridge project whose dock was damaged; Council agreed to connect them with state legislators.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • General Public Comment: None.
  • Youth Advisory Committee Traffic Safety: No public comment beyond the presentation.
  • Oppenlander Next Steps: Multiple speakers testified:
    • Seamus Barron (Vice President, West Linn Baseball Association): Expressed strong support for retaining Oppenlander, stating it provides three youth baseball fields and half of the city's senior-sized fields; loss would cripple the senior program (ages 13-18).
    • Dean Suhr (Friends of Oppenlander): Supported a second bond measure layered on the existing $3.5 million to meet the School District's $7.875 million price; estimated cost per household at ~$48/year. Urged action by February 28 deadline.
    • Youth speakers (Quinn Hogan, Alexandra Bacon, Derrick Peterson): Urged preservation for recreation, community, and wildlife.
    • Harlan Borow (Icon Construction): Proposed a public-private partnership: develop front 7 acres into 22 R-10 lots (with middle housing potential) and dedicate back 3 acres as a park with ballfields, parking, restroom, etc.; park cost estimated under $1 million; could be sold back to city using existing bond funds.
    • Keith Steele (former School Board member): Proposed swapping Parker Road land for Oppenlander, using proceeds plus existing bond to purchase, improve, and fund maintenance without new taxes.
    • Teri Cummings (former Councilor): Described historical agreement from 2010 where voters approved school redevelopment in exchange for keeping Oppenlander as a playfield annex; called School District's actions a betrayal; urged voters to hold school board candidates accountable.
    • Karie Oakes: Criticized the agenda as irregular and lacking sufficient notice; declined to comment on Oppenlander until proper materials were provided.
    • John McCabe: Supported a May bond measure and urged voters to oppose School District's general obligation bond due to lack of transparency.

Discussion Items

  • Youth Advisory Committee Recommendation on Traffic Safety: YAC members presented on sidewalk connectivity issues, highlighting hazards in older neighborhoods (Bolton, Cedar Oak) and high-traffic areas (Pimlico, Rosemont/Summit). Council praised the alignment with recently adopted priorities and noted a joint meeting with the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) on April 21st to explore funding. City Manager Williams confirmed TAB has been working on project lists and funding options.

  • Joint Meeting with Planning Commission: Housing Production Strategy (HPS): Matt Hastie (MIG) and Brendan Buckley (Johnson Economics) presented the draft HPS, focusing on the Construction Excise Tax (CET). Key points:

    • CET would be adopted by ordinance, no voter approval; estimated revenue $300,000/year at 1% rate, $400,000 at 1.5%.
    • Working group split 3-3 on CET (with two abstentions from Councilor Bonnington and Commissioner Watton). Affordable housing developers supported; homebuilders opposed.
    • Planning Commission and Council expressed unanimous support for all other strategies (SDC scaling, tax abatements, code updates, etc.). Concerns raised that CET would be passed to homebuyers and that West Linn has limited developable land.
    • Council asked Planning Commission to study CET and provide a recommendation.
    • The HPS will proceed through Planning Commission hearings and then to Council for adoption; public outreach will occur.

  • Open Session: Oppenlander Next Steps:

    • Opening statements: Mayor Bialostosky provided history (2021 School District offer, court battle, new appraisal at $7.875 million). Councilors expressed frustration with School District's lack of communication and rushed timeline.
    • Staff report: Parks Director Megan Big John presented ballpark estimates for capital improvements (restroom ~$800k, playground ~$400k, etc.) and annual maintenance (~$65/hour for staff time, plus 25% increase for restroom cleaning). Emphasized no formal plan exists.
    • Four options: (i) use existing $3.5M bond to purchase part of property (e.g., 5 acres); (ii) explore alternative financing (private fundraising, developer partnership); (iii) ask voters for new bond to meet $7.875M price; (iv) do not pursue acquisition.
    • Council discussion: Consensus not to pursue a May ballot measure due to February 28 deadline, rushed process, and other capital needs (operations center, road safety, water infrastructure). Council will consider other options including a November ballot, public-private partnerships (Icon proposal), land swaps, and further community engagement.

Key Outcomes

  • Council decisions:
    • Unanimously approved the agenda and consent agenda (including ODOT easements).
    • Appointed Alyssa Cruz (Economic Development Committee), Alex Kraft (Transportation Advisory Board), and Torsten Kieper and Jeff Stallard (Utility Advisory Board).
    • Decided not to move forward with a May 2025 ballot measure for Oppenlander acquisition; directed staff to explore alternative options and schedule future discussions.
  • Next steps:
    • Joint meeting with Transportation Advisory Board on April 21st to discuss transportation safety funding.
    • HPS will continue through Planning Commission and Council work sessions/hearings in April/May.
    • Staff will follow up on dock damage issue for Abernethy Bridge neighbors.
    • Future meetings: Work session March 3rd, special business meeting March 17th (right-of-way vacation, financial policies, operations center).
  • Other: Councilor Bonnington reported McLean House listed on National Historic Register; Council President Baumgardner attended Willamette Falls Trust meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Meeting on a Tuesday for once because of the President's Day holiday. We're starting at 5 30 because we've got a full agenda and wanted to make sure to accommodate everything tonight. So first items to approve the agenda, then we'll go to public comment. Thank you, Mayor. I move to approve the agenda for the February 18th, 2025 Westland City Council meeting. Second. Okay, it's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda for the February 18th, 2025 Westland City Council meeting. Any discussion? Seeing none, we can call the roll. Councilor Bondington. Yes. Councilor Bright? Yes. Council President Baumgartner. Yes. Councillor Croner. Yes. Mayor B. Lostowski. Yes, thank you. So the agenda is approved, and that takes us to public comment of a general nature for items not on the agenda. Anyone signed up tonight? I know we saw John McCabe signed up for later in the meeting. Okay. Well then we will move to item four, which is the youth advisory council recommendation on traffic safety. I'm very proud of the work you all have done. So happy to welcome up whoever would like to speak and provide the recommendation and presentation. What would you like us to stand while we do our presentation? Oh, uh you could just sit at the chairs here. We just have to make sure it's captured by the microphone. So all we ask is that you uh when you're about to speak, press the button on the mic so that it's green, green light, and then you want to be pretty close to the mic when you're speaking. Yes, well, welcome, and maybe if you all want to move them around and it introduce yourself for the record, and then my name is Brooklyn Carhoyer. My name is Misha Rana. My name is Sarah Yuk. I'm Ruby Fassett. And my name is Zachary Santoso, and here we are here from the Youth Advisory Council to present uh a little bit about uh traffic safety and especially about sidewalk connectivity. Thank you. Awesome. Welcome. Go go ahead. Um, so hopefully, as some of you know, we recently submitted a letter about this topic about sidewalks and sidewalk sidewalk connectivity. Um, and one reason we are interested in this topic is because um as youth in Westland, we love walking and biking around the city. And for many of us, especially kids and teens who are even younger than us and who um can't learn to drive yet or who don't have a car. Walking and biking is really the only mode of transportation around the city. Um, and we love walking around here because there's lots of great parks, nature areas, as you all know, it's a beautiful city. Um, and in many places, uh, if you could go to the next slide. Um we have great sidewalk infrastructure, great bike lanes, like for example, one of those pictures is um on part of Rosemont Road, where there's really great bike lanes and sidewalks, or over on um Ponderosa Road or towards the Sunset neighborhood, lots of great um neighborhoods and places to walk. All right, and if we can move to the next slide. So, like Brooklyn mentioned, while there are lots of great examples of sidewalks in our community. There are also some examples where that is lacking a bit.

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