City Council Minutes - 07/14/2015 City o 'Tigard
Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes
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TIGARD
July 14, 2015
STUDY SESSION 6:30 p.m.
Council Present: Mayor Cook,Councilor Henderson,Councilor Woodard,Council President Snider
and Councilor Goodhouse. Staff present: City Manager Wine,Assistant City Manager Newton,City
Attorney Rihala and City Recorder Krager
A. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORTS. Councilor Woodard reported on the Relay for Life. He
reported that the PRAB recommends that the community center should be called a community
recreation center.
Councilor Henderson said he was elected chair of the CDBG and commented that the program
continues to shrink. He asked about the grant for the Hunziker property and City Manager Wine
clarified the state would match the$1.5 million. Councilor Henderson handed out a copy of an
engineer's report on the downtown art base work. City Manager Wine said she will forward it to
City Engineer Faha and ask for a redesign if warranted.
Council President Snider said the LO/COT Water Project is progressing well. An executive session
will be scheduled in the near future.
Councilor Goodhouse reported on the Westside Economic Alliance meeting. He noted that the
TriMet payroll tax increase equals one-tenth of one cent for ten years.
B. PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENTS
Assistant City Manager Newton led a discussion of two proposed charter amendments and said she
will prepare resolutions for council approval to place them on the ballot.
1. Allowing Council to Seek a City Office without Resigning—Council President Snider said
this was something that Councilor Henderson requested because mid-term councilors are at
a disadvantage. Councilor Henderson said it would create an issue if there are two
councilors running and may lead to hard feelings. Councilors Henderson, Goodhouse and
Snider were in favor of this and the Mayor agreed if it does not apply to sitting councilors.
He said he does not want this to be for current council to avoid the appearance of being
self-serving. Councilor Woodard said this could be a problem if all the council is running.
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Councilor Goodhouse said it will lead to a better pool and opens up the playing field so it is
better for citizens.
2. Increasing Term Limits—Ms. Newton said council agreed to have a total cap of 16 years but
the mayor is limited to two terms. The 16 can be in any combination. Council President
Snider and Councilors Woodard,Henderson and Goodhouse agreed. Mayor Cook said he
wanted just a 16 year term limit total. Councilor Woodard said he thought it good to have
new blood after someone has been mayor for two terms,but agreed that experience is
valuable.
Mayor Cook said he wants to get public comment when this is discussed on the July 28 agenda.
Administrative Items—
City Manager Wine received council preferences for League of Oregon Cities conference. She asked
if anyone was interested in participating in the elected official paddle on the Tualatin River.
Councilors Woodard,Henderson and Goodhouse said they wanted to participate.
There will be a council groundrules session on Monday,August 31 from 4-6 p.m. as a check in on
leadership styles. Consultant Lenny Borer will contact each councilor prior to the meeting
The council fifth Tuesday event might use a school as the venue. Assistant City Manager Newton
will do some research. Councilor Goodhouse said that a banner would be helpful at offsite council
events. Ms. Newton said Senior Management Analyst Wyatt posted some pictures from the July 7
Council Cookout on the Strategic Plan page on the website.
IR IR
1. BUSINESS MEETING
A. At 7:34 p.m. Mayor Cook called to order the Tigard City Council and Local Contract Review
Board.
B. City Recorder Krager called the roll.
Present Absent
Councilor Henderson ✓
Council President Snider ✓
Councilor Woodard ✓
Mayor Cook ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
C. Mayor Cook asked everyone to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance.
D. Call to Council and Staff for Non-Agenda Items—None
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2. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION 10
A. Follow-up to Previous Citizen Communication—None.
B. Tigard Area Chamber of Commerce—Mayor Cook said there would be no report from the
Tigard Chamber because they were having their 60d'birthday party. He said the chamber,
known then as the Tigard Businessmen's Association was the organization that
incorporated the city in 1961.
C. Citizen Communication— No one signed up to speak.
3. CONSENT AGENDA: (Tigard City Council and Local Contract Review Board) —
A. APPROVE WORKERS'COMPENSATION INSURANCE FOR CITY
VOLUNTEERS
RESOLUTION NO. 15-34-A RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE CITY OF
TIGARD'S WORKERS'COMPENSATION COVERAGE TO VOLUNTEERS
OF THE CITY
B. APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF FOUR 2016 FORD EXPLORERS AS
POLICE FLEET REPLACEMENT VEHICLES
C. RECEIVE AND FILE:
1. Council Calendar
2. Council Tentative Agenda for Future Meeting Topics
Mayor Cook asked if anyone wanted to remove an item for separate consideration and there was
no request. Councilor Woodard moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Council President
Snider seconded the motion and all voted in favor.
Yes No
Councilor Henderson ✓
Council President Snider ✓
Councilor Woodard ✓
Mayor Cook ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
4. PUBLIC HEARING—CONSIDERATION OF COMCAST CABLE FRANCHISE
AGREEMENT RENEWAL
a. Open Public Hearing: Mayor Cook opened the public hearing.
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b. Staff Report: Network Administrator Sears gave the staff report. He noted that Fred Christ,
Administrator of the Metropolitan Area Communications Commission (MACC) along with
former MACC Administrator Bruce Crest were in attendance.
IRMr. Christ said the unanimous recommendation from MACC is to renew the Comcast
franchise for another ten years. He noted that Councilor Woodard was the Vice Chair and
Councilor Henderson also served as Tigard council liaison to the Commission in the past. He
commented on the long process it took to reach an agreement but said all parties are pleased
with it.
c. Public Testimony: No one signed up to speak.
d. Council Discussion and Questions:
Councilor Woodard commented that it has been a long work in progress and all jurisdictions
worked together. He said the agreement is a good deal and Tigard retains a five-percent
franchise fee. He acknowledged the$1.00 per month fee for Public Access/Education and
Government channels (PEG)was reduced to 80 cents but more subscribers were added. He
thanked outgoing administrator Bruce Crest for his service.
Council President Henderson asked about changes to the PEG channels. Mr. Christ said the
PEGs are in a good position in this franchise and will all be upgraded to high-definition (HD)
over time. He noted the long term stability of the 80 cent PEG fee which will continue to
provide equipment and other resources cities have come to depend on. He said there are six
channels and these are not jeopardized.
In response to a question from Council President Snider,Mr. Christ said negotiations were at
times cantankerous and combative but they arrived at a fair franchise for both parties. Mayor
Cook thanked both MACC and Comcast for reaching an agreement and avoiding a lawsuit.
Councilor Woodard said a franchise is a partnership and complimented the attorneys for
Comcast,MACC and the cities. He also applauded the MACC staff.
e. Close Public Hearing:Mayor Cook closed the public hearing.
f. Council Discussion and Consideration:
Councilor Woodard moved to approve Ordinance No. 15-11. Councilor Henderson seconded
the motion. City Recorder Krager read the number and title of the ordinance.
ORDINANCE NO. 15-11-AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF
TIGARD GRANTING A NON-EXCLUSIVE CABLE FRANCHISE
TO COMCAST OF OREGON II,INC.
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A roll-call vote was taken and Mayor Cook announced that Ordinance No. 15-11 was adopted
unanimously.
Yes No
Councilor Henderson ✓
Council President Snider ✓
Councilor Woodard ✓
Mayor Cook ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
Mayor Cook announced that the order ofAgenda Items No. S and 6 would be reversed. Agenda Item No. 6
(RosackerAnnexation)will be heard prior to Agenda Item No. S(Appeal of Heritage Crossing Zone Change and
Subdivision).
6. QUASI-JUDICIAL PUBLIC HEARING—CONSIDER APPROVAL OF ROSACKER
ANNEXATION (ZCA2015-00001)
a. Mayor Cook opened the public hearing.
b. City Attorney Rihala announced the quasi-judicial hearing procedures, a copy of which was
available at the front of the room.
C. 0 Declarations or Challenges:
- Mayor Cook asked if any members of council wished to report any ex parte contact or
information gained outside the hearing,including any site visits. There were none.
- Mayor Cook asked if all members had familiarized themselves with the application. Council
said they had done so.
- Mayor Cook asked if there were any challenges from the audience pertaining to the
Council's jurisdiction to hear this matter or was there a challenge on the participation of
any member of the Council? There were none.
d. Staff Report: Associate Planner Caines gave the staff report and showed a slide of an aerial
photo of the area. She said the site is located within a 7.79-acre island of unincorporated
Washington County on the north side of Fern Street. The site includes three parcels totaling
1.75 acres. The two northern parcels are vacant and the owners wish to annex to obtain city
services for future development. The third parcel is developed with a single-family home
currently on a septic system.The owners joined this application and will be provided with a
sanitary sewer lateral during development so they can receive services. Remaining property
owners in the island were invited to join the annexation but there was no interest at this
time. Current Washington County zoning is R-6 so it will change to R-7 upon annexation
which is the closest city zone. There is sufficient water and sewer availability and capacity to
serve any future development.The proposed annexation meets the requirements of Tigard's
Community Development Code,Comprehensive Plan,Metro and state statutes.
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e. Public Testimony:
- Applicant: Ms. Caines said the Rosackers agree with the staff report but would not be
testifying. Mayor Cook said they signed up on the testimony sheet and asked if they
wanted to speak. Mr. Rosacker indicated from the audience that they were in favor.
- Proponents: None.
- Opponents: None.
f. Staff Recommendation: Associate Planner Caines said staff recommends the city council
approve the proposed Rosacker annexation ZCA2015-00001 by adoption of the proposed
ordinance.
g. Close Public Hearing: Mayor Cook closed the public hearing.
h. Council Discussion and Consideration:
Councilor Henderson asked how this annexation would not create another island. Associate
Planner Caines clarified that the lines are hard to view on the slide or in Google maps,but
the annexation actually reduces the size of an existing island.
A discussion was held about which water district will serve the annexed area and Associate
Planner Caines said language should be added to the ordinance to include withdrawal from
the Tigard Water District.
Councilor Woodard asked about incentives for voluntary annexation and if the properties
fall within the sewer reimbursement district program. Associate Planner Caines said the
properties are not within a sewer reimbursement district. She said the last discussion was
that voluntary annexation was extended for those not coming in for development. City
Manager Wine clarified that this is not technically a voluntary annexation because it was
requested so the properties could be developed.
Council President Snider moved to approve Ordinance No. 15-12 adding removal from the
Tigard Water District. Councilor Goodhouse seconded the motion. City Recorder Krager
read the number and title of the ordinance.
ORDINANCE NO. 15-12 AN ORDINANCE ANNEXING THREE (3)
PARCELS OF LAND TOTALLING APPROXIMATELY 1.54 ACRES,
APPROVING THE ROSACKER ANNEXATION (ZCA2015-00001) AND
WITHDRAWING PROPERTY FROM THE WASHINGTON COUNTY
ENHANCED SHERIFF'S PATROL DISTRICT AND WASHINGTON
COUNTY URBAN ROADS MAINTENANCE DISTRICT, and the Tigard
Water District
City Recorder Krager conducted a roll-call vote of council.
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Yes No
Councilor Henderson ✓
Council President Snider ✓
Councilor Woodard ✓
Mayor Cook ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
Mayor Cook announced that Ordinance No. 15-12 passed unanimously.
5. QUASI-JUDICIAL PUBLIC HEARING—APPEAL OF HERITAGE CROSSING ZONE
CHANGE AND SUBDIVISION (ZON2015-00002/SUB2015-00001/VAR2015-00001)
a. Mayor Cook opened the public hearing.
b. City Attorney Rihala described the quasi-judicial public hearing procedures noting that council
must declare any conflicts of interest and the audience must wait until they are called upon to
speak. The order is staff report,hearing from the appellant and then public testimony. She said
anyone must testify to protect their rights on appeal.
C. Declarations or Challenges:
Mayor Cook asked if any members of Council wished to report any ex parte contact or
information gained outside the hearing,including any site visits. Council President Snider said
he drives past the site daily and cannot reach city hall from his home without driving past it.
Councilor Goodhouse said he runs,walks or drives past it frequently and Councilor Woodard
said the same. Mayor Cook said he knew the owner and visited the house as a child and also
had ex parte contact with the applicant and consultant over a year ago prior to this application
being submitted to the city. He said they discussed issues that may come forward tonight but
he did not feel biased in this case.
IRMayor Cook asked if all members had familiarized themselves with the application. They
indicated they had. Mayor Cook asked if there were any challenges from the audience
pertaining to the Council's jurisdiction to hear this matter or was there a challenge on the
participation of any member of the Council. Hearing none,he asked for the staff report.
d. 10 Staff Report-Associate Planner Floyd gave the staff report with a PowerPoint
presentation. He acknowledged council's familiarity with the site but said of relevance was
that it is a little over nine acres in size, flat,and unconstrained. He said it is an easy to develop
site,well serviced by transportation and other infrastructure. The only constraints on the site
are two low quality wetlands,not regulated by the city. The applicant has applied for permits
from the state and federal government. He said it is a concurrent application for a subdivision
and zone change and he focused his comments only on the zone change which is what the
Planning Commission did. He said there are three issues which led to the application being
denied by the Planning Commission.
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1. The proposed zoning map amendment changing it from R-12 to R-7 and
lowering the density is inconsistent with 32 years of city policy. The R-12 zone was
applied in 1983 as part of the city's first state-acknowledged Comprehensive Plan.
The reasons for the R-12 zoning application are the same today with no change in
conditions or reason to change the zone.
2. The proposed zone change reduces the variety of potential housing types and
removes the multifamily option from the site. The application refers to numbers and
proportional changes in numbers. The Staff and the Planning Commission's
position,as detailed in two letters from Metro is concern about potential losses to
Tigard's housing diversity. Specifically, the change in zoning removes multifamily
from the site and makes it more difficult to develop attached housing. Tigard has a
need for a wide variety of housing types and choices and this application does not
serve this. Mr. Floyd said Associate Planner Grass will address housing policy and
put this application into the context of the broader housing needs in Tigard.
3. The proposed zone change reduces opportunities because it does not leverage the
amenities and location of the site. The site is adjacent to a bus line which TriMet has
scheduled to be upgraded from regular to high-capacity service. Mr. Floyd showed a
map of the area and said it is a highly walkable site. He summarized the walkability
to various sites and schools and said he walked the site to familiarize himself.
Walking to the corner store on Hall Boulevard and Durham Road took about two
and one-half minutes. He reached the high school in five minutes and Durham
Elementary in about eight minutes. Durham Elementary is the designated
elementary school for this site and Twality is the designated middle school. There
are continuous sidewalk paths to all of the schools. Cook Park is south of the
neighborhood.
Mr. Floyd said Hall Boulevard is not just a city arterial and state highway,it is also a
regional corridor and is designated as such in the Metro 2040 map. He said he will
discuss with council the kinds of things council can consider in terms of a map
amendment. This site has been served by transit since at least 1983 and that is one
reason why this area was zoned R-12. In 1983, the public and decision makers
wanted to place transit near density and also near sites that would be easy to develop.
This site meets both criteria.
TriMet bus line 76 is a major connector taking riders to three transit centers,
downtown Tigard and Beaverton,Washington Square,Bridgeport Village,Legacy
Hospital and the Tigard Public Library. TriMet has expressed interest in more
frequent service as part of the SW Enhancement Service, from 30-33-minute
headways to 15-minute headways. Reducing ridership along an established transit
corridor with significant connections and future service enhancements would be
contrary to local and regional policies regarding transportation system development
and desired urban forms.
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Mr. Floyd said the Planning Commission heard this application on May 18. They
found insufficient evidence in the record to support the gravity of the change and
the impact it would have. They felt the applicant could have made a better argument
and encouraged the applicant to further refine the design and find something that
better met the criteria. It was not an outright rejection but a request that they bolster
their argument and return. There was a lot of neighborhood testimony. The
Planning Commission acknowledged their concerns. R-12 zoning would result in
something slightly different but there is difficulty in matching new development to
that developed in the 1980s and 1990s.As time passes, needs change and the market
changes and the Planning Commission recognized that you cannot always put next
door what was there before. He noted that one planning commissioner talked about
his personal experience living in an R-7 development with an R-12 subdivision built
across the street. He said they both function well. His comments are detailed in the
Planning Commission minutes.
Mr. Floyd said the applicant disagrees with the Planning Commission and is here tonight to
appeal. Council is being asked to reconsider the Planning Commission's decision on three
approval criteria:
1. Compliance with the Tigard Comprehensive Plan—the application is
inconsistent with ten polices in the plan ranging from land use to transportation
and housing. If an application is inconsistent with even one criterion it must be
denied.
2. Compliance with other applicable ordinances—In this case,Metro's Tide 1.
Letters from Metro were forwarded to council with their interpretation that this
application is inconsistent with Title 1.
3. Change in the community or neighborhood or a mistake in the zoning map.
There is no evidence of change in the neighborhood or a mistake or
inconsistency in the zoning map.
Associate Planner Floyd said the final order contains a lot of background research and
zoning history. There is clear evidence of R-12 zoning being adopted for this area so there is
not a mistake on the map. There is an ordinance and a reaffirming ordinance adopted in
1983. Regarding a change in the community or neighborhood there is more evidence of
consistency than change. The reasons why R-12 was applied to the site have not changed in
32 years. R-12 zoning was applied due to the flat topography, road capacity, proximity to
transit and an arterial,and distance to schools and neighborhood amenities.
Mr. Floyd said Metro Tide 1 is a section of the Urban Growth Management Functional Plan
which applies to all cities in the region. Cities must maintain or increase housing capacity.
There are four exceptions. Reducing capacity by transferring it to another site is one option
but is prohibited in this case because Hall Boulevard is a regional corridor. There are three
other options but two do not apply because it is not a rezone request for industrial or
educational use and the applicant is not protecting natural resources on site. The option the
applicant proposed is the exception for negligible effect on the city's overall housing
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capacity. The applicant did not provide a comparable analysis of the impact on the city's
overall housing type allocation in terms of single-family detached or multi-family attached.
This was missing in the applicant materials.
Associate Planner Floyd said the other main issue is compatibility and the applicant raises
this as a major reason for the zone change. He spoke to the verbal and written testimony
received on this issue. He said concerns about compatibility are not supported by evidence
in the record. There is no change to height and massing requirements between R-7 and R-
12 zoning. This is more an issue of allowed housing types rather than changing height limits.
Setbacks are similar;both zones have height limits of 35 feet. The Tigard Transportation
System Plan anticipates site development to R-12 levels so the transportation system would
not be unduly burdened by development consistent with the current zone. He said the
Tigard Development Code acknowledges that there may be conflicts between different
housing types such as single and multifamily. To counter that there are mandatory
compatibility standards. There would be requirements if someone wanted to build
multifamily housing there such as landscaping, setbacks,height limits and parking. There are
also flexible design options available to the applicant. One concern expressed was that lots
around the sides of the subdivision would be smaller than existing adjacent lots. Lot size
averaging is acceptable. Larger lots could be placed around the periphery and smaller lots in
the middle. This is a Type II decision and the Director could approve it.There is also the
option of planned development. If exact matches are required between existing and new
housing it precludes housing choices and housing diversity is needed in the city.
Associate Planner Floyd compared homes in the surrounding area. He showed some images
of Applewood neighborhood houses. The houses are all two-story,maximize their building
envelopes,and are set about 15-20 feet from the property line.According to the assessor's
office they average in the low 2,000 square-foot range with 500 square-foot garages. These
are not one-story, small homes built on large lots.They are large homes built out to their
building envelope and they all look down into each other's backyards. He said it is a great
neighborhood that people seem to like and are invested in. He also looked at housing on the
south side of the property and saw that the homes are very similar but built in an earlier
decade. Mr. Floyd showed slides of the 15-foot setback required in both R-7 and R-12. Any
house built on the periphery will have Applewood neighbors looking down on them. He
said in both zones when different densities are alongside each other there is a required
setback enhancement of 30 feet. He showed an aerial slide with the setbacks illustrated.
Under R-7 there would be 15-foot setbacks but under R-12 there would be 30-foot setbacks.
He clarified what R-12 means. He said it can include multifamily dwellings and showed
slides of different styles of R-12 homes built in the last ten years. He said it is possible to
build detached housing on the site. He said compatibility standards are listed throughout
Tigard's Community Development Code.
He called attention to a letter written by Metro Regional Planner Harper, four additional
letters from neighboring property owners and one letter from the Applewood HOA.This
information was distributed prior to the meeting.
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Associate Planner Floyd noted an oversight in the memo sent to council. On page 4 of the
appeal letter it states that staff wrote on page 6 of the Final Order that policy 10.1.2 was not
met. There were no findings on this. Staff erred in moving this into the Final Order because
this policy does not apply to this project. Any decision made by council should mention
this.
Council President Snider asked if some of the letter writers were confused. Mr. Floyd
agreed that some seemed confused because they assumed developers usually increase zoning
to add more homes,rather than try to downzone.
e. Public Testimony
Michael Robinson,Attorney for the Applicant, 1120 NW Couch Street,Tenth Floor,
Portland, OR 97209,distributed materials to council which have been added to the record
for this item. He introduced Mimi Doukas of AKS Engineering and Kelly Ritz,president of
Stonebridge Homes and Venture Properties,which is the applicant. He said they were
present to request that council reverse the Planning Commission decisions and approve the
three applications submitted to the city. He said they were principally talking about the
zoning map amendment,not the subdivision or adjustment. He began with three main
points.
1. Applicant met the burden of proof to show applicable approval criteria were met. Some
Tigard Comprehensive Plan policies citied in the Planning Commission decision are not
relevant,and are general policies directed towards actions,not towards quasi-judicial
policies. He referred to letters dated May 6 and May 14,2015,to the Planning
Commission and also the June 15, 2015,appeal and each letter explained why the plan
policies the staff report and Planning Commission rely on are not applicable. Where
they are applicable they explained why the substantial evidence in the application meets
the policies.
2. The application meets the relevant Tigard Community Development Code policies
governing a zone change. The evidence shows that the applicant meets 18.380.C.3
which shows evidence of change in the neighborhood.What has changed is the
neighborhood around the R-12 site. They have slides in a PowerPoint to demonstrate
this. This represents the change in the neighborhood and that is the basis on which
council can find that this is met.The R-12 zone is not compatible with the surrounding
R-5 and R-7 developments. What they did not see from the Planning Commission and
what they did not discuss and the staff did not tell council was that if one builds single
family housing in the R-12 zone what would be butted up against each of the lots in the
Applewood subdivision are two lots,not one. The R-12 zone allows about 3,000 square
foot lots so the homes will be smaller. All of this does make a difference and staff can
try and place design compatibility standards but this does not change the number of lots
or the home sizes adjacent to those longstanding homes in Applewood. People that
testified for this said the city wants development to occur in a zone that is not
appropriate for its location. The R-12 has been there for a long time but the
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surrounding area has changed and what has grown up around it is not at all what would
have been envisioned 30 years ago.
The staff report also noted that the applicant had not described the ways in which the R-
12 zone is physically not characteristic of the surrounding zone. He said they did talk
about that in oral testimony at the Planning Commission and in one of their letters and in
their appeal. What you end up with in the R-12 zone are one-car garages, two lots against
each surrounding lot, dissimilar house types and sizes and no, little or on-street parking.
All of these things impact surrounding properties. Smaller lots, smaller homes and more
of them in the same area will result in incompatible situations. This is why people do not
want the R-12 development. The two letters that came in that said they were opposed to
the application indicate confusion about upzoning. We are trying to do what most
developers do not do,which is take it down a notch.
Mr. Robinson said Tigard Comprehensive Plan policy 2.1.151 calls for land uses to be
compatible.The Planning Commission said the applicant needed to show evidence of
incompatibility. That is not what the policy calls for. Its plain language calls for
compatibility and R-7 is compatible with the surrounding existing subdivisions. The
neighborhood association supports this project. It is fair to say that the majority of
speakers at the Planning Commission hearing supported this project.
Mr. Robinson talked about the Metro letter. He said the first letter from Metro did not
explain why Metro Functional Plan Section 3.07.120.e was not met. The section states
that a county or city may reduce the minimum zoning capacity of a single lot or parcel as
long as the reduction has a negligible effect on the city's overall minimum zoned
residential capacity. The Metro Functional Plan defines this as the highest number of
dwelling units or jobs that are allowed to be contained in an area by zoning. The applicant
addressed this in letters and testimony and explained that if approved, this zone change
has the effect of less than one-percent on zone capacity. Tigard's Comprehensive Plan
document acknowledges this on page 10-2 where it says "The city is committed to
providing the opportunity for an additional 6,308 dwelling units between 1998 and 2017."
This number shows Tigard's zoned capacity for additional dwelling units. Assuming that
this zone change removes capacity for about 60 dwelling units, it would be less than one
percent of zoned capacity and is a negligible effect. He said the city, not Metro can decide
this is a negligible effect. This was not addressed in any of Metro's letters; they addressed
housing types but housing types are not what zoning capacity is about. Metro has not
shown that they failed to meet that provision of Metro Title 1. Council can find that
changing from R-12 to R-7 is a negligible impact on zoning capacity.
Mr. Robinson showed a slide of the site and a summary of their arguments. He pointed
out that staff believes that this application will reduce housing capacity and this is not the
case. Tigard, like all other cities in the metropolitan area, must comply with the
metropolitan housing rule requiring a certain division of single family and multifamily
housing. There is no assertion by approving this application that the city will not be in
compliance with this rule. That is the basic template for housing diversity in the city.
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There is nothing in the code that is relevant to reducing housing diversity and if there is,
Council should think about whether the right place to encourage housing diversity is a
vacant lot surrounded by dissimilar single family homes that has been that way for a long
time.
Mr. Robinson addressed the issue of transit and said nothing changes the walkability of
this neighborhood. Walking to schools or to the small store on Durham by the high
school in a few minutes is the same whether zoned R-12 or R-7. He pointed out there are
no employment opportunities or commercial activity nearby. This was clearly not
considered by this city council, previous city councils or Metro to be an area to be
promoted for high density. Most people in this neighborhood would drive to downtown
Tigard for shopping or restaurants. Some hearty souls might walk but he thought most
would drive. He said the Tigard Community Plan Policy 10.1.5 calls for high-medium
density in areas such as transit corridors (and the applicant acknowledges the site is in a
corridor) where employment opportunities and commercial services are either present or
planned. The fact that you can take TriMet bus line 76 to Meridian Park Hospital does
not mean this policy is not met if the zone is changed to R-7.
Mimi Doukas,AKS Engineering, 12965 SW Herman, #100,Tualatin, OR 97062,gave the
zoning history of the property and characteristics of the neighborhood. She showed
slides and said a lot of R-12 zoning was placed in this district in 1983,around the time the
Albertsons store came in. There were no density requirements or a mandate in this time
frame. In 1984,two subdivisions requested R-7 zoning,not to reduce density but to have
better setbacks. They wanted to match what was in the neighborhood. In 1996 the
Applewood subdivision was zoned R-12 and R-4.5 and blended it by placing R-7 on both
properties in 1997.This was related to the Sattler Road improvements improving access.
This meant that the Schmidt property was now surrounded by R-7 property on three
sides. In 1998 minimum densities were placed over the entire Metro region. It is
noteworthy how much of the R-12 zoned properties were built out before the minimum
density was applied. In 2013,the entire district was built out and this property is the last
remaining piece. She said these are substantial changes since 1983 when the R-12 zoning
was applied. A rezone happened to the south to R-7;a rezone happened in the north to
R-7 and a re-zone happened in the west from R-4.5 to R-7.
Ms. Doukas discussed the Sattler Road decision. When that zone changed the blending
of the densities happened for Applewood and that decision talks about how a mistake in
the plan had occurred. This was part of the basis for that decision. There is a mistake in
the history of the zoning but she felt it was more important to focus on the fact that the
character of the neighborhood has progressed over time.
Ms. Doukas showed slides of additional site plans illustrating ways the applicant could
develop this property to the minimum density of R-12 zoning with 30-foot wide lots and
20-foot wide homes. With the surrounding neighborhood's concern about design and
compatibility, reductions to side-yard setbacks would not be appropriate. This is
minimum density. They cannot go larger and still meet minimum density for single family
homes. She showed a slide of an overlay of this design against the existing Applewood
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neighborhood which indicated two homes for every one home in Applewood and
commented that this is a lot of density and not a lot of on-street parking. The plan allows
for 30-foot rear setbacks.
Ms. Doukas discussed the variety of homes in R-12 minimum density design. The existing
homes in Applewood are 52-feet wide on a 62-foot wide lot. She showed slides of homes
that would fit the R-12 lots which were 20-22 feet wide. They are intense little homes. She
said Venture Properties looked at how to make R-12 work and found it does not work
financially so you would need to go to increased density, which means going to an attached
product. She showed a slide of a 93-lot subdivision with attached townhomes which adds
another type of intensity to the neighborhood. Another concept is garden style apartments
with 108 units. But with the design compatibility standards in Tigard's code, the parking is
placed in the back, putting the intense noise, trash compactors, playgrounds, lights and
parking up against the neighbors which does not seem fair.
0 Mr. Robinson described a slide with a comparison of R-7 and R-12 capacity. He said
using 2014 capacity numbers (with River Terrace),rezoning would mean 50 fewer units out
of 7,421 which is less than one percent. This is council's decision to decide if this is a
negligible effect.
Ms. Doukas discussed the importance of R-12 in relation to supporting services. The
neighborhood commercial is small and there is a lack of support services for this type of
density.
Mr. Robinson thanked council for their time. He said the evidence in the three letters from
the applicant and their application is more than ample to find that relevant policies can be
satisfied.
Melissa Blue, 8743 SW Hamlet Street,Tigard,OR,lived south of the property for 10 years.
She noted that many slides shown were from Applewood and the houses south of the
property are larger. She said she is in favor of the zone change. She expressed concerns
about walkability and believed having smaller homes would potentially create more cars and
traffic. Hall Boulevard has not been improved significantly and has become less walkable as
more traffic builds up on their streets. There are no sidewalks consistently throughout the
property. She said the TriMet argument is interesting and whether there are 52 or 110
properties it would not change the need. She said her main concerns are walkability, traffic
and compatibility. She does not want taller properties.
Sharon Mead, 15320 SW Empire Terrace,Tigard, OR 97224, said her backyard is
underneath the oak tree on the Schmidt property. She strongly supports the change to an R-
7 zone. She noted the discussion on compatibility and consistency and how the areas
surrounding the property were changed to R-7. The homes built on R-7,even those to the
south,have the same look and feel. It would be completely different going to R-12. There
is already a traffic issue in the Applewood neighborhood as it is a cut through from Sattler to
the high school. This property will open onto Ashford Street and Applewood Street and
neighborhood traffic will increase substantially. Regarding the bus line, she has lived in her
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home for 12 years and the most riders she has ever seen waiting for the bus during rush hour
is four. She did not think TriMet would be increasing service anytime soon.
Matt Hughart, 8817 SW Greening Lane,Tigard,OR 97224,is a resident of Applewood
and President of the HOA Board. He said residents have carefully monitored interest in this
development. Two of their local streets will be used. He said it is clear that more units are
available from R-12,potentially double. Narrow homes mean increased trip generation.
He said he is a transportation planner and knows that smaller single-family homes have very
similar trip generation to larger homes. Trip generating capabilities of more units will have
a negative impact not only regionally but on neighborhood intersections. This site needs to
be compatible and this is good from a neighborhood standpoint. The applicant has worked
well with neighbors to develop a project that is consistent and he appreciates the
planning efforts. He discussed what has changed in the neighborhood. There has been
a progression of single-family homes and the only parcel that has not changed is this parcel
and it is R-12. He said he personally,and the HOA Board and members support a rezone.
City of Tigard Associate Planner Grass said she is the planner who handles the city's
housing issues. She said included in the record is a letter she wrote dated April 21,2015, that
recommends denial.The first and foremost issue is the opportunity for housing choice.
City adopted policies in the Comprehensive Plan center around opportunities to develop a
variety of housing types that meet the needs,preferences and financial capabilities of
Tigard's current and future residents. One size does not fit all. The R-12 zoning is an
important part of the mix of housing in Tigard. She said Tigard's buildable lands inventory
has twice the amount devoted to R-7 as R-12,and River Terrace has three times as much
land for R-7 than R-12. She asked that council consider the city's future residents and the
housing options they might be looking for. This neighborhood is located near services like
the library and transit. She noted the community commercial area is the only one located in
the city.
ElApplicant Rebuttal: Attorney Robinson said the applicant wants to avail themselves of
the right to submit final written argument per state law,with no new evidence after the
record is closed to other parties and the period of time is seven days. He indicated that the
applicant was fine with seven days. They wish to respond in writing rather than speak now
and would like to extend the 120-day clock. Tigard's city attorney said council deliberation
was scheduled to occur on July 28 so they will extend the clock another 14 days.
Mr. Robinson said no one testified that they want this to be developed at R-12. The
applicant wants to develop at R-7 because she believes it is the right thing to do. Neighbors
are the ones most affected by this, not just the developer making money or the city's or
Metro's desire for more density. They want it to be developed at R-7 because it would be
compatible and comparable to what they have. The only entity supporting R-12 besides the
Planning Commission and staff is Metro, and Metro is in the density business. But council
has to look at the standards and make a legal decision. There is no evidence that the
applicant has not met Metro Title 1 requirements, either by virtue of the numbers shown
on the slide tonight or the number in the acknowledged plan. If the city changes this from
R-12 to R-7 the reduction on housing capacity is less than one percent. Metro's letter of July
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13 misses the mark because it doesn't talk about the right standards; it talks about housing
type,it is housing numbers. We all understand how important it is that we have density in
the right places. The right place is where you have done it well, such as in River Terrace,
where the city was thoughtful about where it should go, how it relates to the roads and you
do not have existing neighborhoods next to R-12 and R-25 districts.
He said if R-12 remains here it will be an island in a sea of R-4.5 and R-7. The city will
meet the Metro Functional Plan, the Metro housing rule for the area is still satisfied and
houses and lots will not be comparable or compatible. Council is not legally required to
deny this zone change. He suggested if on the fence about a decision,council could approve
this in a tentative way when deliberating on July 28th and let the applicant develop findings.
If the findings do not meet the legal mark then council can deny the application. He asked
that council approve it by reversing the Planning Commission and close the record to all
other parties, keep the written record open until July 21 at 5:00 p.m. for the applicant to
submit written argument only, without new evidence, and then return for deliberation on
July 28,2015.
Mayor Cook asked if council had questions.
Council President Snider asked a question about a map provided by the applicant. Ms.
Doukas replied that from a design standard a 4,000 square foot lot looks similar to a 5,000
square foot lot. Once the garage door is reduced, it becomes the true dominant feature of
the lot.
Associate Planner Floyd said the neighborhood is a patchwork of both projects.There
are a number of projects that were built in the past ten years that were built to R-12.
Council President Snider said he lived in two different lots on the applicant's map and
knows how they feel rather than how they were zoned. He asked about the economics of an
R-7 compared to an R-12 zone and why they feel R-7 is more economically viable.
In response, Ms. Ritz said they started by looking at compatibility with the neighbors which
led to a zone change of R-7. When they looked at the numbers the R-12's smaller lots
reduce the value of the individual units. Then she examined how to bridge the gap by doing
the lowest density in an R-12 zone. She looks at what price she could sell the homes. Even
at lowest density, houses are still skinny and not as compatible. The bigger problem is that if
you go to R-12 it has to be maxed out. She considered half R-7 and half R-12 and the
challenge is that the house prices for an R-7 home are at least one-third more than a smaller
house,or a 3,000 square foot lot. If she goes to R-12 she would have to, "max it out."
Councilor Woodard asked how much time was invested in considering R-12 compared to R-
7 zoning. Ms. Ritz said they were proposing a 53-lot subdivision and asked how many units
would have to be added with R-12 zoning. City staff said with their street layout they would
need to add 21 units but the neighborhood is not compatible and the price goes down. They
considered apartments and townhomes. She said she has a philosophical feeling that R-7 is
better and wants to go forward with the project. She said she is not against density but does
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not like it in the wrong place. She mentioned another property she thought was owned by
the Schmidts zoned at R-4.5 which ended up taking 125 units and asked how that was fair.
Councilor Henderson asked if Ms. Ritz saw the zone change as a huge problem when first
looking at the property or did her concerns rise after investigating the history. Ms. Ritz
replied that she has not attempted a zoning change before and usually developers try to
increase zoning. She saw that everything around it was zoned R-7 and it had been changed
for this property. She did not anticipate that staff would want to stay with R-12 and
expected more flexibility. She met with the neighbors and was straightforward with them
saying that it was zoned R-12 but she would attempt to change that to R-7. She said Tigard is
developing River Terrace so she thought they had a good legal argument to put in
something similar. Councilor Henderson said he has been looking at the desirability of
Tigard as a place to live and we are facing growth. He said as Mr. Floyd eloquently said
earlier,things are changing and we need to understand where the growth will occur. He said
he can also understand her point of view on the R-7 zoning.
Associate Planner Floyd said two of the three site plans shown on the screen were new to
staff and this is new evidence that they need a chance to review. He said he can understand
some of the compatibility issues identified on the site plans but can also spot some easy
changes that could be made under the current code. He referred to his pre-application notes
and said staff was approached by Venture properties in August. The application came
fully formed, the applicant had made up her mind and staff was not asked to help with
modifying an R-12 site plan. The applicant has not made an effort with staff to develop a
workable site plan in the R-12 zone.
Mr. Floyd returned to the approval criteria discussion. He referred to Metro's letter and said
Title 1 was either adopted or readopted within the last four years. This is their regulation
and he would recommend that Tigard follow their interpretation of the code. He referred
to Ms. Ritz' comment on the Bonaventure project on the other Schmidt property,which is a
new assisted living facility. He said that speaks to diversity in housing but these are not the
same kind of projects. It is a large facility that is not true household living. There are a
number of Comprehensive Plan policies that speak to diversity in housing. Policy 10.1.1
says the city shall adopt and maintain policies,codes and standards that provide
opportunities to provide a variety of housing types that meet the needs,preferences and
financial capabilities of Tigard's current and future residents. As Ms. Ritz said,her product
is of much more value than a product under R-12. Policy 10.1.5 says the city shall provide
for high and medium density housing in areas such as along transit corridors where
employment opportunities,commercial services, transit, and other public services necessary
to support higher population densities are either present or planned for in the future.
Council President Snider asked if the Bonaventure property addresses the housing
inventory. Mr. Floyd said it is outside the inventory requirements as he understood it but
he could get back to council on that if they want. He said the policies speak to
opportunities and not removing the number of households capable of getting on a transit
line and going to a job or walking to school and making Tigard's Strategic Plan and Safe
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Routes to Schools Plans work. Another policy is 2.1.15.d which says the applicant must
demonstrate that there is an inadequate amount of developable, appropriately designated
land available for the land uses allowed by the new designation. As Associate Planner Grass
said, there is a lot of R-7 in the city. He said he understands the compatibility issues, but
Tigard is really awash with R-7 and this site is flax, unconstrained and has a lot of services.
This is really an opportunity that could be lost. The policies are better served by preserving
R-12 than they are by converting to R-7.
Council President Snider. asked what Metro's abilities are to appeal any decision a city
council makes. He discussed the rules of quasi-judicial public hearings and said if someone
wants to change the Oregon land use rules they should talk to their legislators. City Attorney
Rihala said Metro has given written testimony and has standing in this case. It would go to
the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). In response to a question from Council President
Snider about whether Metro would appeal, Associate Planner Floyd said he approached the
question gently and they said it is not off the table.
Council President Snider asked if the less than one-percent change in housing inventory
argument was compelling at all from a staff perspective. Associate Planner Floyd said the
significance is not defined and the issue comes back to,"one percent of what?" There is no
analysis of how many attached units the city could lose. Council President Snider asked if
staff could do that analysis. Mr. Floyd responded no, because the burden of proof is on the
applicant.
Mr. Robinson said the opportunity for Metro or any other party to testify has ended. Mayor
Cook said he had not closed the public hearing. Mr. Robinson said no one asked prior to
the rebuttal that the record remain open for evidentiary purposes. He said if council wants
another party to testify that is not staff, then they need to discuss an open record period.
Council President Snider said that was not his question. He was asking if staff could report
back on his question. Mr. Floyd apologized if his answer was misconstrued but
typically the applicant provides information and we have pointed this out in the past and it
was not done. There is a clock running and the applicant would have to provide an
extension. He said it still comes back to how council wants to interpret the Comprehensive
Plan policies. Even a small change would be in conflict with the policies to promote and
provide for a variety of housing types.
Councilor Goodhouse asked if the Bonaventure memory care development counts as
housing units and Associate Planner Floyd said it does not compare in terms of self-
contained units and there are more common areas. Councilor Goodhouse asked if some of
the units have their own kitchens and some use a common dining area. Associate Planner
Floyd said it was his understanding that there is a blending of both types with options.
Councilor Henderson asked about a proposition for denial and then finding conditions that
may be found acceptable. He asked what conditions might change that. Mr. Robinson said
he suggested council tentatively approve it,ask the applicant to come back with findings
addressing each of the relevant approval criteria and then council would take a final vote on
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it. He said he thought when the council sees the findings they will see evidence that the
relative approval criteria can be met. He said council can meet their legal burden and the
applicant can demonstrate that with findings. In response to a question from Councilor
Henderson,Mr. Robinson said they are asking council to reverse the Planning Commission
decision,approve it and ask the prevailing party to come back with findings.
Council President Snider asked if all the evidence should not have already been in the record.
Mr. Robinson said all the evidence that would allow the council to reverse the decision is in
the record. He disagreed with Mr. Floyd's assertion that they did not put in an analysis of
Title 1. He said they addressed it in at least the May 16 letter,if not the May 9 letter, and the
appeals statement also addressed it. He said he read about zoned capacity tonight which
addressed Title 1. He said if council would tentatively approve this the applicant could draft
findings.
Mayor Cook said he has lived here in those 32 years and knew the property owner well. He
could have changed his property as did the properties around him but he did not want it
developed while he was alive, or even some time after his death. Everything around it
changed but in 1998 things changed and we had minimum density requirements. The Metro
2040 map amendment identified it as a transportation corridor and the city is not allowed to
transfer density to the Tigard Triangle or some other location. He asked when that rule
came in and asked if Metro decided that we cannot do trades along the corridor. He noted
that Tualatin changed their Transportation System Plan and asked how Tigard should. Mr.
Floyd said it is a state highway and arterial,long standing designations. He was unsure when
the 2040 map was adopted. Title 1 was adopted or readopted in 2011 in concert with other
cities. There was regional buy-in that certain things cannot happen along corridors in order
to achieve regional goals. Density did change in 1998 and the zoning in the adjacent
properties did change for good reasons at the time. One reason a neighboring subdivision
could not be developed to R-12 had to do with problems in setback standards for single
family homes in that zone.Applewood site design changed from R-12 and R-4.5 to R-7 and
is an efficient,cohesive site design but the net effect was an increase in density in the site.
Each decision is made in the context of the moment. Mayor Cook asked again if it is Metro
that enforces these requirements and Mr. Floyd said it was. Mayor Cook asked if what Mr.
Floyd was saying is if council denies this as the Planning Commission did,Council is
following the rules that Metro is requiring. Mayor Cook reminded council of their quasi-
judicial roles.
Mr. Robinson said the applicant has asked for the final written record to remain open so
council does not have all of the argument before them.
City Attorney Rihala asked for clarification from the applicant about keeping the record
open because there was a request from council for additional information about the housing
needs. She asked if the applicant agrees to extend the record. Mr. Robinson said they have
not asked for the written record to remain open;they are asking for final written argument.
He noted that Ms. Ritz will not be available on July 28 and wished to be present for the vote.
He asked to come back and deliberate on August 11. Mayor Cook said two councilors will
be absent from that meeting. Mr.Robinson asked for the evidentiary record to close but
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leave the written record open for final argument for the applicant only. He asked for 14
days to do final written argument,which would come in by the 28`h rather than the 21"
Council President Snider found it objectionable that a decision like this would be made with
almost half the council absent. The next available date is September 8 with a full council.
Mr. Robinson said they are willing to extend the 120-day clock to whatever deliberation
date will work for council. He requested that they have until July 28 at 5:00 p.m. to provide
the final written argument.The record is closed to all other parties after tonight.The
Applicant will deliberate on September 8,which extends the clock by 56 days. City
Attorney Rihala and Associate Planner Floyd indicated their agreement.
Council President Snider moved to accept the applicant's request. Councilor Woodard
seconded the motion. Mayor Cook conducted a vote and the motion passed unanimously.
Yes No
Councilor Henderson ✓
Council President Snider ✓
Councilor Woodard ✓
Mayor Cook ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
7. AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO SIGN A PROPERTY PURCHASE AGREEMENT
8 Parks and Streets Manager Martin gave the staff report and said council is being asked to
authorize the City Manager to sign a contract and a lease agreement. The city would lease the
property back to the owner. He said the property is commonly called the Lasich property and the
city is purchasing it for$1.4 million. It is outside of the city boundary currently. It is not within the
Urban Growth Boundary or rural reserves and is a 28-acre, flat and beautiful property suitable for a
future park.
Councilor Henderson and Councilor Woodard agreed this is a great idea. Mayor Cook explained
that property negotiations are done in executive sessions which are closed to the public but council
can and wants to talk about this publically now. He said the city is looking for park land in this area
and is planning ahead as property inside the Urban Growth Boundary costs about ten times as much
as property outside of the UGB. It is advantageous to find a 28-acre property adjacent to Tigard
with river access owned by a property owner willing to sell over time. He said the city cannot
develop it right now but it can be a passive area. It will be usable but will not be a soccer field for
example,right away. He noted that Cook Park was brought into the city before it was within the
city limits because someone was thinking ahead. He thanked Mr. Martin for his time and effort
putting this together.
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Council President Snider moved for adoption of Resolution No. 15-35. Councilor Woodard
seconded the motion. City Recorder Krager read the number and tide of the resolution and Mayor
Cook conducted a vote.
RESOLUTION NO. 15-35 -A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY
MANAGER TO SIGN A PURCHASE AND SALE DOCUMENT FOR THE
PURCHASE OF THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS THE LASICH PROPERTY
Yes No
Councilor Henderson ✓
Council President Snider ✓
Councilor Woodard ✓
Mayor Cook ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
Mayor Cook announced that the motion passed unanimously.
8. CONTINUED DISCUSSION ON COMMUNITY CENTER BALLOT TITLE APPROVAL
City Manager Wine introduced this item. She said the question before the city council is should the
council refer a measure to the Tigard voters that would authorize the city to issue general obligation
bonds for a community center. Prior debates focused on whether or not it might reference
operation by the YMCA. The focus tonight once public comment has been received is to consider
ballot tide language and consider authorization of a measure on the November 3,2015 ballot.
Mayor Cook announced that those signing up to speak will have two minutes.
IJ Gene McAdams, 13420 SW Brittany Drive,Tigard, OR, 97223, observed that he does not
have all the information he needs. I oppose the project in terms of putting it on the November
ballot. He understands this meeting is to possibly develop a title and he believes it must be changed
to include new parking for downtown businesses. He said the public is not aware of this. The
recreational facilities and other things the city has identified are fine but there should also be
emphasis on the performing arts theater.The tide to this heavy expenditure needs to contain enough
information to allow a prospective voter to readily identify the community center elements. He
referred to the 500 parking spaces and compared that to the 110 parking spaces at the library. He
said this means five new library parking lot sized parking spaces in the downtown. The alternative is
a parking garage. That would be a four- to five-story parking structure right in the downtown. He
expressed concern that the planning is not complete on this and the figures are not valid. Going to a
November election on this is a mistake and if the city does proceed it will end up with something it
does not want.
Vince Arditi, 12820 SW Peachvale Street,Tigard, OR 97233, said he is the Director of Recreation
At Your Service, a consulting firm for parks and recreation. He said he was employed as a building
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manager for three recreation facilities for the City of Portland for 12 years. He was asked to do a
study as a follow up to the 2009 parks master plan. He said he made the presentation in 2012 and
was contracted by MIG to do the latest survey. He has been asked to comment on the latest
ideas about this community center. He said he is a community center guy and knows how good
they are for the community. He analyzed the partnerships that could be developed within the city.
He said the city has a well-developed recreational services program already in place with private
companies. He asked to sit down with council and discuss how this program can be
implemented because even though the city is planning to build a new facility,this other program
could be implemented in six months at very little cost. He reached out to 15 individuals that were
represented from a recreational service guide developed after the first MIG 2009 program and found
that they had no knowledge of this guide. They did not know where their advertising was coming
from. He said he is in favor of the property but there is misinformation. He held up the YMCA
advertisement and said some of the numbers are not correct in any way shape or form,based on his
experience managing three buildings. He offered his help because if the voters and the people who
are promoting this do not come together this is not going to happen.
Reid Iford, 11575 SW Pacific Highway,Suite 151,Tigard, OR 97223, said there is a saying in the
newspaper business, "Happy people don't write letters." He said it can be hard for elected leaders,
very accessible to the public,to see people show up to speak at meetings when they are angry,most
particularly a NIMBY. But there are far fewer people who show up to compliment or praise our
city,elected leaders and fellow residents. So it is a mistake to believe that one or two vocal
opponents represent the community as a whole. For every opponent who writes a letter to the editor
or speaks at a council meeting, I promise there are thousands of happy people who do not share that
point of view. He said Tigard is his hometown and we need to preserve our hometown and build
on it. People in the city know what they want. The DAXKO study shows overwhelming support
by voters for building our YMCA community center. Our government supports this;the PRAB
voted unanimously to encourage council to submit this to the voters. He said at least three elected
are supportive,based on past comments.Councilor Snider,Councilor Woodard and Councilor
Henderson support giving this to the people for a vote. Nearly 50 downtown businesses are
working aggressively to have this sent to the voters in November and have this built in downtown
Tigard. Our citizens want a community center and they want it downtown. He asked that council
honor the will of the people that put them in office and put this on the November ballot. Let us
vote. He added that all of the numbers he has used were carefully vetted and established and he can
provide this.
Lea Williams, 12129 SW Anton Drive,Tigard, OR said she disagreed with the previous testimony.
There are nine physical fitness centers in the Tigard area. We are not without facilities to exercise in.
These businesses make Tigard the unique place that it is. She asked why the council needs to
recover costs. You are talking about 88,000 square feet of taxable area being taken away to be a
non-taxable sinkhole in the downtown area. Instead, the city could use those nine tax-paying
businesses and do all of those things that you want a community center to do. Scholarships could be
given to poor people. The brick and mortar businesses are already here. The cost of putting any of
these nine tax-paying companies out of businesses is quite high. Support them instead of competing
with them. Senior citizens just had a ten dollar increase on their water bills and now the city is going
to add this to their tax bill. Most senior citizens are never going to use the facility. This puts a higher
burden on people that we should be supporting in their golden years. She disagrees with the whole
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concept and asked that council make the proponents go through the initiative petition process. She
asked, "Why is the city bypassing this process." If they cannot collect signatures,you will see the
voters are not behind this. She disagrees with the city council doing their job for them. She said if
the majority of people knew what the city was doing they would say no. Let's support these
businesses and if we need to develop a way to help people afford these activities. Then you will not
need someone like the first person that spoke tonight about helping to recover costs.
Robert Van Vlack, 15585 SW 109''Avenue,Tigard, OR 97224, said as much as he is in favor of
the mission of the YMCA, or Young Men's Christian Association,he is not in favor of the city
council putting a community center run by the YMCA on the November ballot. The petition group
should be the ones to gather the signatures to go through the initiative process. His guess is that the
support is not there unless the bond measure is put on by the city council. It is his sense that those
who are circulating a petition for the YMCA are using intimidation and fear to make the city council
feel they have no choice but to do what they are demanding,which is to burden the citizens of
Tigard with another bond measure resulting in higher property taxes on people who are overtaxed
already. This bond measure puts the tax burden on the 95-98 percent of Tigard residents who will
most likely not use the YMCA. Tigard has a pool that can be accessed by all citizens.The library has
a large meeting room that can be used for community events. The Tigard High School auditorium is
already being used for theater events. It has been stated that a large parking structure in the
downtown will give shoppers more parking spaces. If there is indeed a downtown parking problem
perhaps those business owners should purchase land and build their own parking garage. It appears
that the community center in the downtown would replace some businesses that are currently paying
taxes.A new community center would not be paying those taxes. He urged the city council to
seriously consider this and not put this on the ballot in November. He repeated that he is not
opposed to the mission of the YMCA. He is opposed to using taxpayer dollars to build their
facilities. Many residents of the Summerfield community and other Tigard residents he has spoken
to are not in favor of this community center. He has a strong sense there will be an uprising of
citizens that will defeat the bond measure if it is placed on the November ballot.
Carine Arendes, Chair of the City Center Advisory Commission,9524 SW North Dakota Street,
Tigard, OR 97223, acknowledged Councilor Henderson for making sure the CCAC was aware the
potential ballot language identified the downtown as the likely location. The CCAC is focused on
the downtown issues and the urban renewal program. They focused on possible impacts on the
downtown area if a recreational facility was located there and were not able to recommend that the
ballot measure go forward. However, they are looking at a number of issues that would be raised for
whatever kind of facility would be considered for the downtown area. They want council to be
thinking about the impacts of siting such a building in the downtown. CCAC's three big issues are
1)Transportation implications
2) Effects on existing and new businesses.
3) Impacts on tax increment financing revenue that supports ongoing and planned projects.
Ms.Arendes said the CCAC does not have those answers yet so they could not come forward with a
recommendation. She said the project has been reverse engineered as Councilor Woodard
commented at their meeting last week. Some information may not be available now. Some issues
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could be handled through the land-use review process and some relate to site identification and
design stages. She asked that council keep these issues in mind and hoped that this can be
considered in a public process so they and other downtown stakeholders can remain involved. She
said if these issues are considered it will be best for the community,best for recreation and best for
the downtown area.
Troy Mears, 11680 SW 113`'Place,Tigard,OR 97223,and Tim Pepper, 14550 SW 120''Place,
Tigard, OR, are members of Tigard's Park and Recreation Board (DRAB). At their meeting last
night they voted to recommend the following: Place a measure on the November 2015 ballot in
which Tigard voters consider the funding of a community recreation center operated by an
experienced, qualified,non-profit operator such as the YMCA." He said they support it and support
recreation and look forward to seeing this on the ballot.
Linh Pao,CCAC Vice Chair,7444 SW Ashford Street,Tigard, OR 97224, thanked council for
spending their time here at this late hour and said it means a lot to those in the room and those
watching at home. She said she spent most of her adult life in Tigard and echoed some things that
Ms.Arendes mentioned. She referred to a copy of a memorandum to council from CCAC. She
said speaking from CCAC perspective,in years past,where there was a ballot measures affecting or
mentioning downtown Tigard, the CCDA and council requested the CCAC-s opinion and advice.
We were unable to come up with a recommendation because there are so many unanswered
questions. She said it is hard to ignore the fact that the marketing has said the downtown area is
implicated as the area where the community center run by the YMCA would be built.There are
questions about effects on the tax increment financing and transportation implications. The CCAC
would appreciate it if council and CCDA would ask the CCAC for a recommendation. She spoke
from a personal view and said it would be great to take a little more time to get more opinions and
flesh it out before rushing to the ballot. She remembered growing up in Tigard and being aware of
attempts to put in a recreation district and there were also difficulties with the swim center. Things
that were rushed did not turn out well. She said if the city takes a harder look,a longer time and
does it right the first time,there is an opportunity to really add something to the community. If it is
rushed she is not sure what the outcome will be.
City Manager Wine said the question before council is whether they want to refer a general
obligation bond to the tax payers for a community center. Prior discussions were about whether or
not to name an operator. Staff has deliberately chosen not to put together an administrative
recommendation in prior staff reports but some prior discussions focused on legal opinions received
from the city's attorney and the bond counsel on how to comply with election law and how to
credibly go to the bond market and issue bonds if voters approve.
Ms.Wine said the written opinion from the city attorney says it is preferable not to name an
operator in the ballot language. The bond counsel discussed ways to name an operator if that is
what council prefers. She reiterated two things: One is that the city has not taken any of the steps
needed to appropriately identify community needs,the size,the location, the program needs or the
rough cost of the community center no matter who operates it. The second administrative
recommendation is that we take the time to do that. She acknowledged that this is an unpopular
statement given the community support and the work that has been behind the YMCA that the
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council wants very much to respond to. But there are steps we would take as a city even if the
measure is placed on the ballot and approved. It is very unlikely that we would issue bonds prior to
doing some work to identify community needs, do a review of possible operators, conduct a site
selection process and this would all be done through a public process because we are using public
funds. She wanted to manage expectations because these are steps the city must take time to do in
spite of the fact that a measure passes by voters. She said the discussion tonight is whether to place
a measure on the ballot and what council wants the ballot language to say.
Councilor Goodhouse commented that council has been talking about this for a while. In the
beginning there was much discussion on timing the ballot measure. Many people in the audience,
especially Neal Brown,have worked hard to bring people forward and it was agreed upon to put it
on the ballot sooner than later. He has always preferred to wait until more research can be done but
people want to move forward while the momentum is there. He recommended keeping a vague
model if it is placed on the ballot now. If people want more details then we can take more time to
do our research and put it on the ballot later.
Council President Snider spoke to citizens who testified that they would rather not see this on the
ballot and wanted those interested to gather signatures. He said he understood their sentiment but
after having served on the council and seen the initiative petition process,what comes from that is
not as good of a public policy as something more carefully crafted and worked on in partnership. He
said it would likely be a facility that is a very short-distance from downtown, specifically sized,and
would probably contain YMCA language that may pose more liability for the city. This has not
happened because the public process at the council level has melded to write something that we do
not love but is less risky and inflexible and with less rigidity. He said he does not like the timing but
can live with it. He does not want location specifics. He said some people have made vague
references tonight that the Tigard Downtown Alliance (TDA) supports this and he had not heard
that. He said he asked about buying an insurance policy that would protect the city from potential
claims in the future. He said the response around bond insurance was not what he was asking.
Councilor Woodard was curious about what the bond counsel said about not putting the name of
the operator in the measure. He thought there were two ways to avoid litigation and the suggestion
he liked said,"The city expects the initial operator of the community center to be a non-profit
organization like the YMCA," so in the event the YMCA fell through another non-profit could
come in. Proceeding forward,an operating agreement needs to be worked on immediately.
Councilor Woodard said what people lose track of is that the city has a lot of kids out there that are
forgotten. Things are not working for youth. Statistics show youth crime and drug use has
increased. He said when he was a kid we built community because parents took care of their kids
and other kids. They took care of other people's kids even if it did not benefit them and that is
missing today. He said some councilors may not think so but there are a lot of people who want a
chance to have a voice. Ms. Arendes mentioned reverse engineering and this may not be what we
normally do. But we have positive survey results and an organization that gives 25 percent to an
underserved population that cannot afford to pay. There are many good things the YMCA does as
opposed to other non-profit organizations.The ballot tide has to make a reference to YMCA
because that is what the survey supported. Without putting the YMCA on the ballot it is not worth
putting out there because it will be a failed measure. The number of downtown businesses that
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support this is greater than the number who are members of the TDA. He asked council to put this
all in perspective. He is thinking about youth and increased services for police. He would prefer to
see proactive activities for children from low income families. The more affluent can help with this.
We are talking about$10 a month which is the cost of a pizza. He noted that the supporters could
have gathered signatures and have received some including those from kids. But kids do not get to
vote so who is looking out for them? He said it was interesting to him that a majority over 50 years
of age who took the DAXKO survey said yes,they will support this. He recommended using the
YMCA wording in the measure the bond counsel recommended and immediately begin work on an
operating agreement. He asked that council give the grass roots majority a voice.
Councilor Henderson said he first heard about a community center in the parks and recreation
master plan and it was identified as something the city wanted to do. It was going to be expensive.
The City of Tualatin had in-house recreation. The City of Beaverton started the Tualatin Hills Parks
and Recreation District (THPRD). He said the city asked if Tigard could join,but we cannot as it is
too expensive. He noted that the THPRD is large and expensive for seniors. He said if there is an
error made by Tigard it is that we should have started 20 years ago. Tigard needs to start their own
recreation program with a partnership between the city,an operator and a foundation to raise
support money. He recommended the city move forward to get a program started because this will
only become more expensive in the future.
Councilor Goodhouse said in January council was considering different ways to bring recreation into
Tigard,whether through THPRD,a city recreation center or through an operator. He was in favor
of not referencing the YMCA and keeping a vague model in the ballot measure. He said council
decided to move forward now but agreed to keep it vague since there is no agreement with an
operator. The operator can be selected later if voters approve the measure. He would like to move
forward with the"skinny model" and then if people want it,we will work on those details. The only
other way,if people want all the details now,is to move the vote further down the road.
Council President Snider said he wanted to clarify what appear to be competing opinions of the city
bond counsel and city attorney. He asked why the city's attorney is uncomfortable with YMCA in
the tide. City Attorney Rihala replied that she looked at it from different perspectives. Bond
counsel considered bond risk and she looked at it from the perspective of election law risk. The
answer the city attorney's office gave is that there is the potential if YMCA is listed in the measure,
that someone would vote for it based on that language. If later on, the YMCA is not the operator
the voter could say they were misled. She said the other point raised is that it is really a matter of
timing and the risk that the ballot title will be challenged as misleading and that would likely throw
off the November election schedule. Council President Snider said earlier discussion was about
whether including the YMCA wording would threaten the ability to levy the bonds and that seems
to have been dispelled. He asked if City Attorney Rihala agreed with that statement and she said she
did.
Councilor Woodard said he was reading the city's legal opinion as it relates to the title,not the
explanatory statement. We can put that in the explanatory statement but it takes away the liability.
City Attorney Rihala said it is all part of the ballot title. Councilor Woodard said Sherwood
mentioned the YMCA but they had an operating agreement. He said the statement should include
the words,"It is planned that the facility will have all the amenities typically associated with the
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YMCA including aerobic,exercise rooms,weight training,indoor swimming pool(s) and
classrooms." He suggested adding that there will be no additional tax dollars for the day to day
management operations and maintenance of the facility.
City Manager Wine said the city does not have an agreement in place with the YMCA and placing
language into the ballot title that would presume something about a future agreement would increase
the risk. She deferred to City Attorney Rihala on this.
Councilor Woodard requested to finish his comments. He said we can do the"skinny model"using
bond counsel's recommendation of the one sentence item and these other things could be added.
The City of Sherwood did that. There is a YMCA operating agreement that has been distributed
and he would be willing to work with Council President Snider on the agreement.
City Manager Wine said the point to make a motion is when staff presents a resolution approving
placement of an item on the ballot. This could happen at the next business meeting if council can
decide on language tonight.
Council President Snider moved that council make two modifications to the draft document, and
replace the words "community center"with"community and recreation center," and the second is
that we use version two of the bond counsel's language, "The city expects the initial operator of the
community center to be a non-profit organization like the YMCA." Councilor Woodard seconded
the motion.
City Attorney Rihala asked for clarification as the word limit has been reached on the question. She
said words can be added to the caption and the summary but cannot be added to the question.
Councilor Woodard suggested taking out the words "of Tigard"and just say"city." City Attorney
Rihala will work out this language to remain within the word limit.
Councilor Goodhouse asked the City Attorney if using the word YMCA would be misleading. City
Attorney Rihala said that it could be misleading prior to the vote because there is not an operating
agreement in place and this could cause a ballot title challenge. After the vote there could still be a
challenge but it would turn more on council making a sole source agreement. It could also hurt
negotiation options. Councilor Goodhouse asked if a few other things could be added after the
words YMCA. Councilor Woodard said he thought it read fine the way it was moved.
City Manager Wine asked Councilor Goodhouse what were the other things he wanted to add.
Councilor Woodard suggested,"YMCA or other qualified non-profit operators."Councilor
Goodhouse said he would rather have the names and could not vote for this without the additional
names. He suggested Salvation Army and Boys and Girls Club. Councilor Woodard said the Boys
and Girls Club is a church organization. Councilor Henderson said that would open up the city for
a challenge.
Mayor Cook stated the reason he is not going to vote against this is that he is in favor of recreation.
He was part of a group that brought forward the Atfalati Recreation District for Tigard and Tualatin
in 2000. The city council voted 3-2 to put the item on the ballot. The Atfalati Recreation District
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got 46 percent of the vote but had the council unanimously supported it,he felt would have helped
them overcome the deficit He said the reason he is unable to vote for this tonight is the timing. As
discussed with the CCAC and other groups,the city has a recreation plan and a recreation study but
has not seen how those work yet. The city just sold its public works yard for a downtown apartment
complex and housing project The police station is undersized for the number of officers Tigard has.
In November voters will be asked to support the county-wide public safety and library levies. If the
library levy passes,it will enable the city to reopen the library on Thursdays. Mayor Cook proposes
holding the recreation center measure vote over until at least May of 2016. He said he is going to
abstain because according to Robert's Rules of Order,one of two reasons to abstain is insufficient
information to make a decision. He said this is what the CCAC was saying;they did not have
enough information to make a recommendation to council and therefore he does not have enough
information to go forward on this vote. Mayor Cook called for the question and conducted a vote
on the re-worded ballot measure language that will go to the attorney who will prepare it for a
council decision.
Yes No Abstain
Councilor Henderson ✓
Council President Snider ✓
Councilor Woodard ✓
Mayor Cook ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
Mayor Cook announced that the motion passed with 3 yes votes, 1 no vote and 1 abstention.
9. NON AGENDA ITEMS—None.
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION—None.
11.ADJOURNMENT—At 10:53 p.m. Councilor Woodard moved for adjournment. The motion was
seconded by Councilor Henderson and it passed unanimously.
Yes No
Councilor Henderson ✓
Council President Snider ✓
Councilor Woodard ✓
Mayor Cook ✓
Councilor Goodhouse ✓
Carol A. Krager, City Reco der
Atte W- �
Joh . Cook,Mayor
Date
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