2025 Achievement in Community Engagement Awards: The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) awarded the City of Sandy the 2025 Achievement in Community Engagement (ACE) Award for the Sandy Comprehensive Plan.

The level and quality of engagement in this project could not have been possible without the entire team’s support. The Community Involvement Advisory Committee was very impressed with the Envision Sandy 2050 Comprehensive Plan application, notably:

• Impressive engagement of community members from all sectors, in particular youth engagement,
• Undertaking a comprehensive plan update through a lens of community preparedness and resilience,
• Reflecting past and potential changes, challenges, and opportunities for the City of Sandy throughout the process.

Thank you to everyone for bringing your knowledge and expertise to this project. We are grateful to be connected to such strong and talented partners!

Building Division Update:
Permits Issued = 28
C of O’s Issued = 6 all for single family homes
ERUs Issued = 5 all for single family homes

Maiden Properties LLC – Eagle Industrial Park: On June 16 the City Council voted unanimously to extend the conditional re-zoning approval and design modification timeframe established in the development agreement between the City and Michael Maiden LLC for another five (5) years. Eagle Industrial Park consists of five (5) buildings located at the SE corner of Hwy 26 and 362nd Drive.

Mr. Maiden and the City agreed that the zone change be conditioned on completing modifications to the existing buildings in compliance with the Sandy Style Design Standards. The approved building modifications would incorporate “Sandy Style” design elements into the facades of these highly visible buildings. In addition, the building modifications would allow for higher and more diverse uses with the eventual zone amendment to Industrial Park (I-1).

Washman Car Wash facility – Vacuum Additions: Washman LLC, is proposing to develop a vacant lot directly adjacent to their current business location on Hwy 26, for the installation of twenty (20) new vacuum stalls and a roughly 300 square-foot maintenance building. The existing Washman facility would have a direct route from the exit of the automated car wash to the area where the vacuums are proposed.

Revenue Reservoir Pump Station: The City just approved the Design Review for upgrades to the City’s existing water reservoir and pump station facility located off of Revenue Avenue, between McElroy Street and Hood Street. The upgrades include adding a new structure housing two new chlorine tanks (sodium hypochlorite), adding new pumps, and modifying the input to the existing water reservoir tank. The new structure is less than twelve feet in height which is similar to the existing pump station building and will be 398 square feet in size.

The project is necessary because in 2027 the City is scheduled to start receiving filtered, pH adjusted, chloraminated water from the City of Portland’s new water treatment plant instead of the unfiltered water from the Lusted Pump Station. The sodium hypochlorite that will be stored in the new building will be injected into the water before the water flows into the reservoir. The sodium hypochlorite will remove ammonia from the water and provide a free-chlorine disinfectant residual in the drinking water before it is pumped into the City’s distribution system.

June Planning Commission Meeting:

File No. 25-031 DCA – Alternative Wastewater Systems Code Additions: The City first enacted a development moratorium relating to capacity issues with its wastewater treatment system on October 3, 2022 (Moratorium 1.0). Since that time, the City has periodically enacted replacement moratoria as circumstances change, generally to loosen restrictions or provide improved flexibility as much as possible.

Additionally, the City Council on November 4, 2024, and then again on March 17, 2025, asked staff to explore the ability to implement alternative wastewater systems. To achieve the ability to use alternative wastewater systems other than the City’s main sanitary infrastructure, municipal code modifications would have to be made. The Planning Commission held a legislative public hearing on June 30 and are forwarding a recommendation to City Council for consideration at the July 21 City Council meeting.

File No. 25-030 DCA – FEMA PICM Code Modifications: Pursuant to the result of a 2007 lawsuit and a 2016 Biological Opinion from National Marine Fisheries Services, FEMA must develop reasonable alternatives to its current floodplain regulations and implement changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), to address takings of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Since the City of Sandy participates in the NFIP, the City has mandatory compliance requirements. The City of Sandy’s ongoing participation in the NFIP is critical, as it provides access to flood insurance for property owners, renters, and businesses. In the City of Sandy there are currently twelve (12) NFIP policies in force representing $2,887,000 in coverage. The Planning Commission held a legislative public hearing on June 30 and are forwarding a recommendation to City Council for consideration at the July 21 City Council meeting.

Code Enforcement Report:

• There were 36 Noxious Vegetation cases closed during June and 22 active to start July.

• 8 Citations were issued in June
  • A property on Goldenrain Street was cited twice for junk accumulation on their property. The violations were abated.
  • The Sandy Smoke Shop was cited twice for noxious vegetation. They have begun to abate the issue, but the case is still open.
  • A property owner on Davis Drive was cited four times for maintaining an ongoing yard sale for six weeks and displaying accumulated junk for the sale. The sale has ended and signage removed, but an accumulation of junk still exists on the property that requires daily citation until abated.