Building Department items:
2023 was a year worth remembering and celebrating for the Sandy Building Division!
The BEST NEWS FIRST: Our vacant Building Permit Technician position was filled by Jann Reed, who lives locally and has worked for more than a decade at Mt Hood Community College. Jann has exceptional customer service skills, a cheerful attitude and amazing patience in dealing with all the confusion and challenges as our Development Department adapts to Oregon’s new E-Permitting requirements. Our customers have had nothing but praise for Jann’s assistance, and our Administrative Assistant, Rebecca Casey, is delighted to have such a positive team member to help keep the permitting flowing smoothly.
Another Best was the hiring of Senior Planner Patrick Depa and Code Enforcement Specialist Chris Relyea. These two gentlemen have taken a large load off of our Director and have quickly adapted to complete our Department’s team. I am delighted at how much better Sandy’s Planning Division and Building Division have become. It is very apparent to this senior member that our team has grown into a friendlier group of professionals that are committed to making the City of Sandy the best place to live and work in Oregon!
Another Positive development in the City of Sandy was the successful completion of the Shaylee Meadows Subdivision, with Lennar Homes completing 100 homes within the subdivision this fall. Every homeowner that I have spoken to has expressed positive remarks and high satisfaction with the City’s newest neighborhood along the southern boundary of the City of Sandy.
On the north side of Sandy, we have three smaller subdivisions that are also creating attractive new homes. In descending order, Jewelberry Meadows, Jewelberry Ridge and Mairin’s Viewpoint have added 16 new homes this year. Raze Custom Homes is nearing the final stages of 2 more homes. Rob Venema of Rosemont Development is also nearing final completion of 2 custom homes facing Bluff Road, and Russ Bartel, Jeff Saul, Phillip Saul, and Ed Waggoner are currently working on quality homes in the Jewelberry Meadows Subdivision.
Alas, there are many more building projects ahead for Sandy! The Building Division recently issued permits to Holt Homes for the Timber Grove development, located north of Hwy 26 near the east end of Vista Loop. The Building Official is currently conducting plan reviews for multiple apartment buildings on the south side of Hwy 211….and there are still more apartments, condos, and building projects ahead for 2024!
So, we ended 2023 by saying, “More of the BEST is still ahead!”
Respectfully submitted by
Terrence Gift, Building Official
Planning Department items:
Mt. Hood Athletic Club water reclamation system: The owners of Mt. Hood Athletic Club submitted plans and received approval for certain façade improvements to bring their building closer in compliance with the “Sandy Style” design. Upon approval, their intent is to submit this project to the City of Sandy’s Façade Grant program.
The existing two-story, 45,000 square foot building, was built in 2006. The current façade consists of an existing wood trellis which starts at the main entrance and wraps around to the west. The existing trellis has a brown stain with adhered masonry veneer around the base of the trellis posts. There are three tenant entrances east of the main entrance and two of them are covered in fabric awnings. An illuminated sign hangs above the tenant entrance furthest to the east.
The proposed design for the new façade includes partial demolition of the trellis, a new curved canopy above the primary entrance to the building, new wood-framed & metal panel awnings, and a new masonry veneer base that extends 30 inches from the ground elevation. In addition, new sconces will be installed at the main entrance and new floodlights under the canopy for better overall visibility for late night patrons. The curved canopy will follow the curve at the top of the existing main entrance, and the structure of the canopy will be like the glulam’s and tongue-and-groove used inside the main entrance’s lobby.
Development Services Code enforcement items:
Code Enforcement closed 53 cases in December. 61% of these cases were the result of a Business License audit in which businesses that have never applied for a business license were notified of the requirement and given a deadline to comply.