Development Services – Monthly Report – May 2022

Planning Department items:

15234 Dreamcatcher Avenue (22-016 ADJ):  The final order for this set of adjustments to the front and rear yards of the residential property at this address was issued on May 18th.

Jewelberry Ridge tree removal (22-018 TREE):  This application to remove four trees was approved with a number of conditions, including two mitigation trees, additional tree protection fencing, and additional measures to protect the remaining nine trees on the subject site.  Unfortunately, the property owner did not adequately protect all of the trees in accordance with the land use decision and was issued a fine for $2,000.

Parks Code Changes (21-032 DCA):  The Parks and Trails Advisory Board and Planning Commission have jointly forwarded a recommendation of adoption to the City Council which will be heard at a public hearing on June 6, 2022.

362nd Ave and Bell Street Extension (22-003 FSH/MP):  The final order for this application to partition and construct an extension of Bell Street and 362nd Avenue was issued on May 19th.

Sandy Vault – May 2022

The Riffles Food Cart Pod (22-012 DR/VAR/ADJ):  This application for a food cart facility at 37115 Highway 26 (next to the MHAC & the dialysis center) was submitted to the Planning Division on March 18th and was deemed complete by Planning staff on May 16th after additional requested materials were received.  This project is currently under review by Planning staff.

Immanuel Church playground (22-022 DR):  The initial application for a new playground at Immanuel Church at 39901 Pleasant Street has been received by Planning staff and is currently being checked for completeness.

Pleasant Street Master Plan:  Planning and Economic Development staff are currently collaborating on completing this report.  Current project status: the report is undergoing a complete re-write to improve readability and clarity, and to create more robust versions of small visual items like inset maps and tables, as the current draft versions of these items are merely placeholders for data and not visually appealing.  [This is a “back burner” item and is worked on by staff when time allows.  We are currently complete with the intro and the first four chapters of the report, which comprises about 70% of the full report.]

Bornstedt Views Subdivision (21-021 SUB/VAR/FSH/TREE):  This 42 lot subdivision between Bornstedt Rd and Averill Parkway south of Cascadia Village is currently being reviewed by Planning staff and is scheduled to come before the Planning Commission at their regularly scheduled meeting on June 27th.

Deer Meadows Subdivision (21-014 SUB/TREE & 21-061 AP):  The final order for the Deer Meadows Subdivision was issued on May 2, 2022.  On May 18, 2022, the City of Sandy received notice that the applicant has filed a Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) appeal contesting the decision by the City Council to deny the subdivision.  Staff will share more information on this LUBA appeal as we learn more.

City of Sandy Comprehensive Plan Update:  Throughout the month of May, Planner Shelley Denison will be holding community conversations with multiple stakeholder groups in the community as she assists 3J Consulting with this outreach process.  She has been doing a lot of public engagement and outreach for the comprehensive plan as part of the visioning process.  To date, staff has completed or have scheduled community conversations with the following groups (see also “Kelly’s Kudos”):

  • Community Advisory Committee
  • Sandy High seniors
  • Library Advisory Board
  • Economic Development Advisory Board
  • SandyNet Advisory Board
  • Chamber of Commerce
  • Sandy PD
  • Parks and Trails Advisory Board
  • Rotary Club

Shelley will also have a presence at a number of community events this summer such as the Farmers Market, the Longest Day Parkway, the Sandy Mountain Festival, and others.  Additionally, staff has worked with the consultant team to finish a series of background reports which constitute an existing conditions assessment.

Shelley Denison at the Ec Dev Advisory Board meeting on May 18th, 2022

Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA):  City staff is forming a technical advisory committee (TAC) to assist ECONW and staff with the analytical evaluation completed as part of the EOA.  The TAC will consist of key staff stakeholders, the SACC Executive Director, and at least one prominent business owner.  Additional business owner recruitment was performed by staff; however, it is proving difficult to obtain commitments from these stakeholders.

Clear and Objective Code Audit:  The contract for the code audit has been executed by City Manager Wheeler and MIG/APG is now officially under contract.  An internal kickoff meeting with staff is scheduled for mid-June. 

Kelly’s Kudos:

In mid-May, Shelley Dension and 3J Consulting met with over 200 seniors at Sandy High School to ask them what they love about Sandy and what they want to see improved.  Youth are a key stakeholder group in the Comprehensive Plan outreach efforts as they use and experience the City in different ways than adults.  The students were excited to be part of the process and had a lot of thoughtful and insightful comments and questions.  

We’ll be using their feedback alongside the other public input we’re gathering to inform the visioning piece of the comprehensive plan.  We’re committed to being inclusive in our public outreach efforts to make sure we hear from everyone in Sandy.  We thank the Sandy High School Seniors who participated and the Oregon Trail School District staff for helping make this happen.