Building Department items:

SPRING 2022 – Building Division Report

With the winter over and covid restrictions greatly reduced, the number of construction projects has risen at a rapid pace.  The City of Sandy is vibrant with optimism and activity.  New and relocated businesses has also added to the inspection workload of the Building Official and the Fire Marshal.  Sandy’s Building Division is busy with both commercial and residential plan reviews and inspections.   

Current commercial projects included:

• Clackamas County Health Clinic  – at Ten Eyck and Hwy 26
• Mt Hood Senior Living – 60 Bed Residential Care Facility on Scenic Street
• Sandy Vault – 4 Self-Storage Buildings on Champion Way
• Trickle Creek Apartments – West of Ruben Lane
• Tickle Creek Village Development – on Dubarko Drive, east of Ruben.
• Completion of the new Domino’s Pizza – at 37425 Hwy 26

The common complaint that we hear from all the project managers is their difficulty in getting the materials and workers.  The single biggest challenge of a backlog in the supply chain.  For instance, delays in installation of mechanical ducting and plastic piping materials at TRICKLE CREEK APARTMENTS has been stalled due to the suppliers being out of stock.  LENNAR HOMES has been frustrated with window deliveries being backlogged a month and more beyond the usual 6-week lead time.  SANDY VAULT SELF-STORAGE buildings have been delayed additional months due to lack of material and supplies.

Residential construction projects and plan submittals have remained active.  Lennar Homes has completed almost two-dozen homes and has 22 houses under construction.  Lennar also has about a dozen more house plans on hold in plan review still waiting for revised details and engineering. Russ Bartels has submitted house plans for the new Jewell Berry Meadows Subdivision.  These have also been reviewed and are waiting for revisions to comply with the latest edition of Oregon’s Residential Code.   

A significant recent change in the Oregon Residential Code is the new mandate to change from standard framing to “Intermediate Framing”.  Framing at the corners of exterior walls are limited to no more than 3 studs.  

This allows better insulation at the corner and eliminates 8 to 12 studs in the average home. 

Respectfully submitted by
Terrence Gift, Building Official

Planning Department items:

Meinig Park hazard tree removal (22-013 TREE):  A final order was issued for this hazardous tree removal in Meinig Park on April 1.

Parks Code Changes (21-032 DCA):  Planning Commission is scheduled to review staff and attorney approved changes to the municipal code pertaining to city parks at their regular meeting on April 25^th.  City Council to review in May or June.

362^nd Ave and Bell Street Extension (22-003 FSH/MP):  Deemed incomplete – staff is waiting on additional information from the applicant for this application to partition and construct an extension of Bell Street and 362^nd Avenue. 

Freeup Storage Partition (22-006 MP):  Staff has completed this property partition at the new self-storage facility at Champion Way and Industrial Way.  Final order issued April 1^st.

The Riffles Food Cart Pod (22-012 DR/VAR/ADJ):  An 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 18^th.  This facility proposes 18 carts, a 3,600 square foot dining facility, a permanent restroom facility, and ample parking.  As this request includes a few variances and design deviations, it will be reviewed by the Planning Commission at a future meeting before moving forward.  Staff has received the application and materials and is currently undergoing a completeness check.

Smoky Hearth covered structure (22-009 DR):  Submission has been deemed complete, and staff is currently reviewing this type I design review for our first covered structure outside of the urban renewal district.   

Pleasant Street Master Plan:  Planning and Economic Development staff are currently collaborating on completing this report.  Current project status: The report is still undergoing a complete re-write to improve readability and clarity and creating more robust versions of small visual items like inset maps and tables, as 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 about 50% complete with the re-write.]

Senate Bill 458 (21-059 DCA):  Sandy City Council have scheduled a hearing on Senate Bill 458 code modifications for their May 2^nd regular meeting to finalize how the City of Sandy shall proceed with adopting the requirements of this Senate bill. 

Bornstedt Views Subdivision (21-021 SUB/TREE):  The applicant for this 42 lot subdivision between Bornstedt Rd and Averill Parkway south of Cascadia Village was given a 120-day extension  on March 2^nd.  PC hearing on this matter will likely be held in May or June.

Deer Meadows Subdivision (21-014 SUB/TREE & 21-061 AP):  At the City Council meeting on February 22^nd, the applicant was granted a continuance to the hearing to the meeting scheduled for  April 18.  The applicant asked for the continuance to take additional time to resolve some or all of staff’s concerns regarding the application and potentially revise the application to better address those concerns.  The applicant submitted additional material to this effect on March 14^th, and staff is now processing that information and revising the appeal staff report as necessary.

City of Sandy Comprehensive Plan Update:  The project kickoff with 3J Consulting occurred on March 7^th before the City Council.  The first Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting occurred on March 16^th and the video of the meeting can be viewed on YouTube.  The City of Sandy is now soliciting input via a survey on our new engagement website: Sandy-Speaks.

39601 Scenic Street (21-064 DR/FSH/TREE):  The final order for this duplex conversion of a single-family home and request for tree removal was issued on March 9^th.  This was the first House Bill 2001 conversion processed in Sandy.

Kelly’s Kudos:

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Mike Walker on a well-deserved retirement.  His resume includes an impressive list of past projects and work objectives for the Public Works Department.  Furthermore, his commitment to work objectives in collaboration with Development Services, such as land use review, construction plan review, and meeting with prospective developers lead to countless successful projects around Sandy.  I will definitely miss his wisdom and camaraderie in the office, and the evening conversations we had over the years about non-work related matters.  Thanks Mike for your service to Sandy and your friendship in City Hall!