The West Linn Planning Commission met on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in a hybrid format. The meeting included a quasi-judicial public hearing for a temporary use permit, a work session on the commission’s annual report, staff and commissioner announcements, and a recognition of outgoing Chair Metlen. The commission unanimously approved the temporary use permit.
Good morning and welcome to the Westland Planning Commission for Wednesday, December 17th, 2025. I'd like to call this meeting to order and let's call the rule. All right, Commissioner Kachariski. Present. Commissioner Schulz. Present. Commissioner Watton. Commissioner Jones. Present. Vice Chair will be able to do that. All right. With that, we'll move on to public comment related to land use items not on the agenda. Do we have any public comment for tonight? None. Okay, thank you. That moves us to the main item, which is a public hearing, a quasi-judicial hearing for MISC-25-04. Proposal for a temporary use permit to operate a sales office for new home construction at 17324 Hillside Drive. And I'll turn it to staff for their presentation. Chair Metlin, I believe you have a script for this. Where's my script? Can I interrupt for just a moment to make sure that everybody's on mute? Yeah, a new script. We'll pause one second while we get a script. Okay, we're pausing again while uh we get a script for the um the chair. So hold on. Is that a script there? Okay. All right. Now we can resume. Umight we are holding a public hearing regarding application number MISE-25-04 for a proposed one-year temporary use permit and one year extension location located on lot 20 in the upper midhill estate subdivision for a temporary sales office. This is a quasi-judicial decision. Unlike in legislative hearings where personal opinion may come into play, quasijudicial rulings must be grounded in the relevant code. And if the application meets the code, the commission must approve it. The hearing will proceed as follows. After the preliminary legal matters, staff will make a presentation, followed by the applicant, then by citizens who wish to address the issue, uh, will be given the opportunity. Finally, there will be time for rebuttal by the applicant. The applicant will be given 20 minutes initially plus 10 minutes for rebuttal. All requests to speak during public testimony have been received. Commission members may ask questions of the staff of the applicant, staff, or anyone else who testifies. Remember to use the hand icon if you wish to ask questions. Please keep yourself on mute until you're ready to speak so everyone is clearly heard clearly. I now call to order uh the public hearing, and I will now ask the city attorney to cover the preliminary legal matters. Thank you, Chair Metlin. Um, I will begin with the legal matters first, starting with the burden of proof, criteria and appeals right. The applicant has the burden of proving the application is consistent with the City of Westland's community development code, comprehensive plan, and any applicable and any applicable municipal code provision. The criteria that must be addressed in this hearing are CDC Chapter 14 R 4.5 zoning, CDC Chapter 35, temporary structures and uses, CDC Chapter 99, quasi judicial decision decision making procedures. As the planning commission is sitting quasi-judicially, any testimony, argument or evidence that speakers give us must be directed at these criteria or at some other criteria in the code or comprehensive plan which you believe should apply to this decision. If your testimony be would be repetitious, but you would like the opportunity to appeal the decision, please email city staff. Only those who have appeared before the planning commission commission in person or in writing will have standing to appeal this item to the city council. Prior to the conclusion of the first public hearing on an application, the applicant or anyone who takes part in the hearing may request a continuance or ask that the record be left open to present additional information.