A Message from the Director of Development Services:

Building Division:

I am sure everyone is wondering how development in Sandy is evolving due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent stock market collapse in the United States.  So far there has not been any noticeable difference in building permit activity; however, I believe that is mainly because a number of projects were already financed prior to the recent downturn in the economy.

Below is the March end Building Permit Activity Report that includes new dwelling (37 single family homes and townhouses issued through March), residential additions and accessory development requiring permits (9 issued through March), and commercial/industrial permits (22 issued through March).  In March alone we issued 11 permits for new single-family homes.

We also have 7 additional house permits that have been reviewed by all internal departments and will be issued in the next two weeks.  In addition, there are another 6 houses that are beginning the review process.  This means that at least 13 house permits will be ready for issuance in April and May.  Development Services staff just finished reviewing the building changes to the Eagle Park buildings (i.e. where Wippersnappers and Platt electric are located) on 362nd Drive and parking lot changes at the USFS site.  Staff is also busy with the review of the Space Age gas station at the intersection of Orient Drive and Highway 26.

Planning Division:

Land use applications are definitely in a 1st quarter slump, although we have 10 land use applications from late 2019 and early 2020 that we are working on.  Also, a few developers have recently stated they are moving forward with their land use applications, independent of the economy, as they have already paid for engineering, surveying, and architectural fees.  Several of these land use applications will be heard in April hearings including the following:

• Bailey Meadows appeal – April 6th (City Council)
• McCormick comprehensive plan map and zoning map change – April 20th (City Council)
• Trillium Machine building expansion – April 27th (Planning Commission)
• Sandy Vault building modifications – April 27th (Planning Commission)

During this anticipated downturn in the economy the Planning Division is working on draft code modifications that will be brought forth in 2020, including changes to the following:

• Parking and Access (April)
• Annexation Criteria (June)
• 5G Small Cell (summer)
• Sandy Style (summer)
• Sign Code (spring or summer)
• Urban Forestry (TBD)
• Accessory Development (TBD)

While I am anticipating a downturn in land use applications, we have plenty of long-range planning objectives, including the Pleasant Street Master Plan and the Walkability Assessment, to work on.

—

Kelly O’Neill Jr.
Development Services Director

1^st Quarter Platted and Tentative Platted Lots Report:

The above graphic shows the updated platted and tentative platted lots list through March 31, 2020.  Bailey Meadows is included because it has tentative plat approval but is currently in an appeals process.  You will receive the next update in July 2020.

Planning items:

Bailey Meadows Appeal (20-009 AP):  City Council will hear the appeal to the Bailey Meadows subdivision on April 6^th.

Sandy Community Campus replat (18-045 MP):  Staff is currently compiling the final order for this project.

5G Small Cell code adoption (20-012 DCA): Staff is currently researching other cities’ approaches to including small cell units in their development codes and plans to bring the results before the PC at a June meeting.

Bull Run Terrace (19-050 CPA/ZC/SUB): Staff is currently compiling the staff report for this project. It is scheduled for the May 27^th PC meeting and the June 15th Council meeting. The applicant has agreed to extend the 120-day clock.

Dutch Bros:  Construction continues at the site next to 7-Eleven.  Kiosk construction is largely complete, undergrounding of Mattress World’s electrical supply is being scheduled by the contractors, and we are negotiating the undergrounding of a telecom pedestal in the pedestrian right-of-way owned by Frontier.

Design Review:

• McCormick Drive re-zone (19-037 CPA/ZC): This request to re-zone a lot from C-2 to R-2 has been rescheduled from the cancelled March 16^th Council meeting to the April 20^th Council meeting.  Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation of approval with conditions.
• Trillium Machine (19-017 DR/VAR/DEV/TREE): This application is for a new building behind their existing building has been rescheduled to the April 27^th PC meeting.
• Sandy Vault Storage (19-046 MOD/VAR/DEV): This application has been scheduled for the April 27^th PC meeting – please see entry from last month for additional details.
• Clackamas County Health Clinic (20-006 DR/VAR/DEV/ADJ): A request to construct a new building for a Clackamas County health clinic is currently under review.
• 15119 Sunflower Ave Tree Removal (20-011 TREE):  request to remove a required retention tree from Sandy Bluff Annex 5 subdivision
• Chapter 17.78 Annexation Code Amendments (20-010 DCA): Staff initiated updates to the annexation code to include clearer annexation criteria

Kelly’s Kudos:

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent impacts it has caused our business community have been devastating.  In a time that businesses needed assistance more than ever, David Snider brought his well-known charm and enthusiasm to the rescue. David put his own health in harm’s way in visiting most food and beverage owners in Sandy to find out their hours of operation for delivery and take out, and to lend a sympathetic ear.  Each and every day this pandemic brings forth new obstacles, but each and every day David is out there continuing to assist with the needs of the local business community.  David Snider truly epitomizes the meaning of ‘community’!


Economic Development/Urban Renewal

Internal projects: 

• COVID-19:  It is no surprise to anyone that our business community is reeling from the closure of restaurant dining rooms and non-essential retail as a result of this epidemic.  Restaurants and retailers are doing what they can to survive right now while waiting for federal and state assistance to arrive.  Here’s what we’ve done so far to help:
  • I have created a business assistance page on the City’s website containing as much relevant information relating to business assistance as I can fit on it.  I am updating this page updated daily. (https://www.ci.sandy.or.us/BusinessRelief–COVID-19) 
  • Jeff Aprati has created and is providing daily updates for a similar page for residents. (https://www.ci.sandy.or.us/CommunityResourcesDuringCOVID-19)
  • I have also created a page (with Jeff’s assistance) called “Information on Accessing Essential Services in Sandy” that lists all current information relating to urgent care, pharmacies, grocery stores, banks, and a list of restaurants that are serving take out and how to get a hold of them.  This is updated whenever we have new information to add. (https://www.ci.sandy.or.us/EssentialServicesInformation)
  • I have been trying to speak with business owners (especially restaurants) to offer them support, point them towards resources and get a feel for how they are surviving this.  Some are faring better than others, but all seem to understand the situation pretty well and are keeping in good spirits thus far.  Many have noticed that city staff and elected officials are patronizing them more than usual right now and it is appreciated.  Keep it up!
  • The few business owners I have spoken to about the emergency business assistance grant program that Council is currently discussing have been very encouraging.  I have been told that any amount of assistance that we can provide would be helpful, especially in the form of grants.   Considering the confusion surrounding some of the federal assistance available out there right now, this could be the shot of liquidity that can make the difference in keeping some doors open in the long run.
  • We have communicated to the restaurant community specifically that we are not going to enforce temporary sign code for the duration of this epidemic so these businesses can communicate to people that they are still operating in whatever way they think will be effective (within reason, of course). 
  • I am trying to learn as much as I can about the various forms of federal assistance, such as the Paycheck Protection Program, that are available right now so I can advocate for and assist local businesses if needed.
• City Hall:
  • The City of Sandy received $28,800 through the Community Development Block Grant program to install a power-assisted ADA entry system at the entrances to City Hall.
  • New signage for the three entrances of City Hall have arrived at the Ops Center.  These will be installed the week of April 6^th by Parks staff.

• Sandy Community Center:  After reviewing the reports completed by Axis Design Group and HHPR Engineering concerning the porte cochere (the structure over the primary entrance) we are still assessing the results but leaning towards having the structure demolished and rebuilding it correctly.  The existing damage to the structure (specifically to some of the primary support beams) combined with its overall design deficiencies would require some expensive scaffolding and temporary support structures to repair and wouldn’t solve some of the identified engineering deficiencies anyway.  Rebuilding the structure would also allow us to incorporate more robust supports, add some Sandy-style elements like a stone wrapping at the base, and give us more options for ADA improvements to the site overall.

Economic Development items:

Econ Devl – Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• Thrive at 25:  This Chamber of Commerce-initiated event at SHS is an exercise in personal finance for freshmen – it asks them to choose a future profession, calculates the average monthly salary for a 25 year old in that profession, and then asks these freshmen to “pay their bills” for the month at different tables around the main gymnasium manned by local professionals in the community to see how much money they would have left at the end of the month.  It is a very eye opening  and educational experience for 15-year-old kids and has been a big hit for the last 5 years that SHS has been hosting it.  On March 5^th, City Recorder Jeff Aprati helped Ec Dev Manager Dave Snider operate the “Taxes” table and dash the dreams of our youth.
• Cleanup on Highway 26:  We passed a request last week to the Code Enforcement office to ask the grocery stores to pick up close to a dozen shopping carts left at different SAM stops along Highway 26.  Special thanks to Officer Kevin Moody for taking the initiative to pick all of these carts up in his old CE van and return them to their homes rather than burden the grocery stores with this task so our grocery workers could continue to focus on their primary jobs during this pandemic.  Well done, Officer Moody.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

Downtown maintenance:

• New signage for Mountain Moka Building:  The signage that was taken out by a semi during a snowstorm last year was replaced this week.

• Street tree trimming: Neal Hatley of AntFarm Youth Services and his crew have started trimming the street trees on Proctor Blvd – a project that will keep a couple of youth employed over the spring and summer and get a project done for the City that we have been meaning to get to for years.  They will start with Proctor and Pioneer, then move on to Pleasant Street and the cross streets downtown.  (If you happen to see Neal and his crew out trimming trees, introduce yourself – he is a delightful young man from North Carolina who has the perfect skill set for this position and a very bright future at AntFarm).  Once the downtown trees are trimmed, we are also considering leaving the street tree lights that we put up for the winter up permanently once they are installed again – this would eliminate the cost of having them put up and taken down every year, and many downtown businesses have told me they would prefer this to be a permanent thing anyway because they think it looks nice.  The LED lights strings use so little electricity that there is no downside to this.
• Action Center exterior lighting upgrade:  SCAC still waiting on quote from Bull Run – this has been interrupted by the pandemic.
• SCC parking lot fencing replacement:  Now complete.

Econ Devl – Economic Development Committee:

The March meeting revisited the retail market study concept – given a choice between Marketek (consumer-driven approach, author of past 2 studies) and ECONorthwest (never used in Sandy but good reputation, data-driven approach, slightly cheaper), the committee preferred the latter pretty overwhelmingly.  We transitioned from there into a basic discussion of urban renewal – why it exists, what it’s used for, how it is funded, etc. – and posed the question of how future UR spending should look to the members.  The meeting ended before any committee direction could be consolidated, but we will open the April meeting with a continuation of this discussion.  UPDATE: This project has been temporarily put on hold for the duration of the pandemic, as there is likely to be substantial change to the local business environment as a result of this event.  ECONorthwest and I will discuss changes to the scope of this project later in April.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the April committee meeting was cancelled.  The committee chair and I will decide about whether or not to convene the May meeting in mid-April.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

Nothing in March.