Planning items:

Sandy Community Campus: There have been no changes to the project since the November report.

Zion Meadows:  The two mitigation tree applications in Zion Meadows were resolved with the property owners paying a fee-in-lieu to relocate a handful of trees (one was for 3 mitigation trees that had died, and the other was for mitigation trees replaced by Japanese maples)

Stowaway Mini Storage: There have been no changes to this project since the November report.

Internal changes: New floodplain ordinance adopting updated Flood Insurance Study, Flood Insurance Rate Map panels, and associated changes to 3 development code sections (17.02, 17.10, and 17.60) adopted by emergency 1/7/19 so that the City remains in compliance with FEMA regulations and properties within the City remain eligible for the National Flood Insurance Program

Bird Property (19124 Jacoby): Annexation application for this property has been deemed incomplete.

Design Review:

• McDonald’s: Staff is in the process of completing a Final Order for applicant’s consideration.
• Robert Mottice: Received a completeness letter for the proposed RV carport structure variance to have the structure located closer than the required side and rear yard property lines (18-051 VAR). The proposal is scheduled to be heard at the January 28, 2019 Planning Commission Hearing.
• Bank of America ATM: Staff has completed a final order for the Bank of America ATM Kiosk (18-053 DR) within the shopping center located in the Sandy Atlas Center.
• Fun Time RV: Staff held a meeting with business representatives to make the process and requirements clearer to the applicant on 11/21/18 (18-030 DR). Staff has been communicating with applicant’s representation regarding requirements and process.
• Double Creek Condos modification: This 69-unit condominium modification has been deemed complete.
• Snowboarding school/camp: Applicant has submitted additional materials on December 26 to the conditional use permit request, which was initially deemed incomplete for this proposed use at the old hospice site on Scenic Avenue.  Application is currently under review.
• Jacoby Heights subdivision: Completeness review is finished for this 32-lot subdivision and has been moved forward to the February 25 Planning Commission agenda.
• Center City Townhouses: An application for a tree variance has been submitted to move a required detention tree due to root damage. Will be heard at the January 28^th Planning Commission meeting.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• TSC, Inc.: Grading on hold until Spring 2019 (weather)
• Sandy Vault Storage: Applicant submitted additional materials to Planning Department on January 4. Staff is in the process of reviewing for completeness again.

Parks & Trails Advisory Board:

• The Board’s Chair, Kathleen Walker, has presented a PowerPoint presentation of historic data regarding the City’s parks and trails. The Board has gone through their drafted CIP and proposed parks locations in efforts to gear up to making recommendations to City Council.
• City Manager Jordan Wheeler has contracted with 110 Percent to complete a workshop with City Council in February. Internal discussion on a future meeting between the Board and Council will occur in the near future.
• City staff, James Cramer has requested a quote for restroom facilities to strategize on incorporating these facilities within City parks.
• City staff, James Cramer has been provided a quote to regarding seasonal shade structures for Bornstedt Park he will present to the Board on January 30, 2019.
• City staff, James Cramer, has reached out to MIG to get an estimate on a consultant for completing a Parks and Trails Master Plan.
• The Meinig Park Entry Arch upgrade is complete; see below under “Econ Devl – Internal Projects” for more information. Efforts were made to use existing information in previous park master plans to create continuity in design with other Sandy parks, including design elements, coloring and font choice.

Internal projects:

Internal changes continue here at City Hall on the Planning side of the building.

• New standing desks for department staff have been installed
• Marisol is learning quickly and integrating into our department pretty seamlessly.  The staff addition was badly needed and is improving departmental processes already.
• We have hired Bull Run Electric to add some needed electrical outlets on the Development Services side of the building (to eliminate extension cords being used in the building, which is unsafe and not allowed by code), including a new circuit for the Devl Svcs copier.  Work is in progress – some work will need to be completed after hours due to noise and dust.  Upgrades were also made to the electrical and lighting systems in the small data closet next to Council Chambers – IT Department requested and paid for those upgrades.

Facade Review Board: The Board met on January 2.  They discussed the following issues and made the following decisions:

• Best Western facade project re-start:  Last attempt at this façade program grant was not successful and very time consuming for staff. The applicant wanted to split the siding project into two projects for cost savings – siding/repair and paint – and staff allowed this project split to occur. The applicant had enough bids at the bid deadline to proceed but continued sending bidders with new bids to staff after the bid deadline. The applicant wanted to use bids received after the deadline as the bids appears to be less cost.  City staff said the bids received after the bid deadline were non-responsive and could not be used unless the applicant wanted to start the bid procedure over. The applicant opted to start the bid procedure over.  Staff is looking for direction on if Urban Renewal funds should still be offered for this project.  The Façade Board decided that we should proceed with another attempt to award façade money for the Best Western. The building is dated, not very visible, and this façade project would help tremendously.  However, the Board also agreed with staff that no progress payments to the applicant shall be granted. The project shall be 100% complete before the applicant receives reimbursement of any kind from the Façade Improvement program.
• Paola’s Pizza Barn:  Denise Overton is looking to rehab this facility and get it open and running again.  The issue at hand was the two loft spaces inside this building.  The existing mezzanines are not safe for fire emergency access and the existing interior stairs do not meet building code. The new business cannot use the existing mezzanines without installing a sprinkler system for the building or install fire escapes exiting to the outside of the building.  Board unanimously agreed that we should focus on getting the business open right now and not worry about the mezzanines.  If the new business owner wants to spend the money to do the outside fire escapes for the building that cost should be covered by the building owner or new business owner. The Board decided the intent of the Façade Improvement program was for aesthetic improvements and removing ADA barriers, but not to cover fire escapes on the rear of a building. The Board asked staff to please let the business owner know the Façade Board would support aesthetic improvements to the building.

Economic Development items:

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

• New retail store: A new retail business has floated in from Estacada and landed in the Mills Building (Stephanie’s, Sandy Vision Center).  Rene’s Lucky Finds is setting up shop in the rear corner suite facing City Hall.  This shop will be a second-hand store that will focus primarily on household goods and tools.  Clothing will not be a regular store item with the exception of specialty items.  This also puts the Mills building one step closer to full occupancy, with one available suite remaining out front.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance:
  • Bignall Pool, north wall: Laverne’s Rock Works of Estacada is currently working on this project.  We anticipate it will be done before the end of January, weather permitting.
  • 
  • Derelict buildings – residential: Environmental testing reports have come back on all of the residential properties now.  Next step is to contact all owning parties and get approval from them to put the job out to bid.  We anticipate that this will go out to bid within the next few weeks.
  • Derelict buildings – Smith Building: The owners of this building appear to have selected a design professional to assist them with the rehabilitation report for this building, and we are currently attempting to set up a meeting with the owners and their design professional to review our requirements for this project. They also continue with repairs to the building on their own.  They have  completed the replacement of all of the broken windows in the building to the City’s satisfaction.  Work continues.
• Clackamas County Tourism’s Community Partnership Program grant projects:
  • Jonsrud Viewpoint: This project is almost complete. Concrete has been poured for the new low-profile curbs and asphalt has been replaced.  The only items remaining now are as follows:

• • • Fill dirt replaced (with bark dust)
    • Old city signage re-installed at exit (R turn only – buses and RVs; map sign showing how to get back to US26)
    • New signage for ClackCo Tourism Heritage Trail audio tour

Also, members of the Parks Board plan to submit a CPP grant application for new interpretive signage at Jonsrud, as the current signage is old and faded and needs to be updated.  Maybe a new telescope that works as well.  I strongly support this.

• Meinig Park Entry Arch: This project is complete except for a plaque stating that the arch was constructed as a partnership between the Sandy Urban Renewal Agency and Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs (as required by the CPP grant program).

• • • Total outlay for arch:                                               $21,433
    • Clackamas Co. Tourism CPP grant:                     <$12,000>
    • Total cost to City of Sandy:                                   $9,433

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Nothing this month

Planning items:

Sandy Community Campus: Staff has received the updated plans completed by the contracted land surveyor for the proposed final plat of the Sandy Community Campus and Sandy Grade School campus. Staff will complete an internal review of the plans to determine if they depict the intended outcome and proceed accordingly.

Ballot measure 3-540: At their December 3^rd meeting, Council approved Resolution 2018-35 proclaiming the annexation (ballot measure 3-540) effective following the majority vote by voters in the November general election. City staff will file the appropriate documentation with the necessary State and County departments to make the results official.

Zion Meadows:  Two separate applications have been submitted for the relocation of mitigation trees off of individual private lots.  These applications are in process.

T Mobile:  Antler Avenue cell tower co-location was approved with conditions on November 7^th.

Tickle Creek Property: Removal of 2 trees within the FSH overlay on the NE corner of Ruben and Dubarko was approved with conditions on December 4^th.

Stowaway Mini Storage: Staff has not received any additional submittal from Stowaway Mini Storage after issuing an incompleteness letter on 10/25/18 in response to their design review application to incorporate 24 storage unit containers into their overall development. As a reminder: The existing storage units did not receive approval before installation occurred.

Internal changes: Planning staff is in the process of adopting new FEMA floodplain maps and associated changes to the Flood & Slope Hazard overlay code chapter.  No appeals were made to DLCD for the recent development code changes to Chapters 17.22, 17.28, 17.80 and 17.82 – these changes went into effect on December 5^th.

Design Review:

• McDonald’s: The McDonald’s restaurant on HWY 26 was issued a completeness letter on 11/28/18 for their proposed facade improvements (18-050 DR).
• Robert Mottice: Received a completeness letter for the proposed RV carport structure variance to have the structure located closer than the required side and rear yard property lines (18-051 VAR). Planning Commission hearing is being scheduled.
• Bank of America ATM: This is for the drive-thru ATM located near the Lovely Nails building in the Fred Meyer parking lot at the intersection of Hwy 26 & SE 362nd Dr. The bank was issued a completeness letter on 11/6/18 for their proposed ATM drive-thru renovation (18-053 DR).
• Fun Time RV: Received an incompleteness letter on 8/28/18 for their proposed expansion of RV storage. Staff held a meeting with business representatives to make the process and requirements clearer to the applicant on 11/21/18 (18-030 DR).
• Double Creek Condos modification: Received an incompleteness letter. Attorney communication to find compromises is ongoing.
• Snowboarding school/camp: Applicant is requesting a conditional use permit for this proposed use at the old hospice site on Scenic Avenue. Application has been deemed incomplete.
• Jacoby Heights subdivision: Applicant submitted new materials on December 5^th.  Staff is re-reviewing the application for completeness.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• TSC, Inc.: Tractor Supply has decided to wait to excavate the site and move forward with construction until Spring 2019. However, their property transaction with Mr. Benson occurred and they now own land in Sandy.
• Sandy Vault Storage: This proposed project was issued an incompleteness letter on 10/29/2018. Applicant’s representative has been making steady progress forwarding missing items to staff.

Parks & Trails Advisory Board:

• Staff has requested the Board begin the conversation to formally make their recommendations regarding the Parks Master Plan at the upcoming meeting proposed to be held 12/19/18. New members and staff have been on-boarded since the current informal recommendations have been proposed therefore this will give new members the opportunity to offer new perspectives and provides staff the ability to better understand the Board rather than making inferences based on the findings received from the Board Chair earlier this year.
• City Manager Kim Yamashita has reached out to the organization 110 Percent in hopes to have a representative speak with the City regarding the parks master planning efforts. Details to come as we wait for a reply.
• The Meinig Park Entry Arch upgrade is currently under construction. Efforts have been made to use what information exists in previous park master plans to create continuity in design with other Sandy parks, including design elements, coloring and font choice.

Internal projects:

We have created some positive internal change here at City Hall on the Planning side of the building.

• We have purchased and are installing new desks for Noryne and Rebecca to give a more professional look (and a more functional counter area) to the Planning & Building Desk.
• We have also hired new planning support staff.  Marisol Martinez will begin to support our Planning Assistant position right away, and will eventually support the Building Assistant position and have other support duties as assigned.  Welcome Marisol aboard the next time you stop by the Planning Desk.

Economic Development items:

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

• Next Adventure: Construction is now complete, and Next Adventure is fully utilizing this building.  There were a few hiccups with the building opening, but all seems to be worked out now.  Also, NA has removed the vinyl banner they had up on the sign for their building and is now fully compliant with local sign ordinance.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance: 
  • AntFarm Downtown Maintenance contract: The work on the Bignall Pool grounds continues slowly but surely. AntFarm crews are preparing to install some kinnikinic as ground cover for the slope next to the pool exit, and weeding continues.
  • West Streetscape project: A few pictures of the completed work…

• Bignall Pool, north wall: Laverne’s Rock Works of Estacada will begin working on this project shortly after the new year begins.  They were clear with us when they bid on this project that they were a certain number of weeks out (6-8 weeks) due to the overheating economy, but the bid was so good that we agreed to the delay.
• Derelict buildings – residential: We have now met with both residential owners and the owners of the Smith Building, and we are happy to report that progress is being made on all fronts.  We have completed environmental testing on one of the residential property owner’s structure, and we now have access to the other residential property owner’s structures and environmental testing is scheduled.  Once we receive the results of the testing on these three structures, we will be ready to put this job out to bid.  Bulldozers will come next….
• Derelict buildings – Smith Building: Development Services met with Mr. Goldenberg and Mr. Paletti, the owners of the Smith Building on December 3rd to discuss how to move forward with getting this building looking good again.  The owners took full responsibility for the condition of their building and seem eager to work with us to get everything into compliance.  While they search for a design professional to assist them with some of the structural restoration pieces, they have already tackled many of the landscaping and minor issues to the City’s satisfaction.  Next time you drive by the building on Hwy 211, check out the back of the building – they’ve done a fantastic job with the landscaping.  Work continues.

• Clackamas County Tourism’s Community Partnership Program grant projects:
  • Jonsrud Viewpoint: This project is essentially on hold right now – our contractor is having a legitimately difficult time getting a concrete truck to roll to this job site because it is less than a full load of concrete. Concrete suppliers are loaded to the brim with work right now, making it extremely difficult to get one of them to commit to rolling a partial load.  We’re working on it — a solution will be found soon.
  • Meinig Park Entry Arch: This project is moving along nicely. Contractor now has most of the arch constructed (see below).  He should have 95% of the project construction done before the end of the calendar year.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• No conferences in November; One training event (Staff training event at Collins Retreat)
• In January, I will be dropping off of the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (I am termed out).
• In January, I will be joining the board of Ant Farm Youth Services. I am excited about this transition as I hope to help develop this relationship further by:
  • utilizing AntFarm crews for more maintenance work around the City.
  • working heavily on workforce development needs in the community and how AFYS can play a role in matching labor with need.
  • Helping their executive director with the continuing development of the organization’s management staff.
  • Developing new services for the greater community – cleaning up the meth camp on Music Camp Road recently has uncovered a new service need here in Clackamas County (homeless/drug site restoration) that could potentially be a new revenue stream for this organization. This type of work is badly needed in this region, and the Clackamas County Sherriff’s Office has already offered their support in developing these services going forward.
  • Creating new programming and potentially new opportunities to engage the community for the organization in the future.

Planning items:

Bloom Annexation: Case No. 18-026 ANN, Bloom Annexation, has been granted an extension not to extend beyond May 27, 2019 (245 days). The applicant’s representative submitted the required TPR analysis and ODOT has provided their response. Currently the applicant’s representative is working with outside agencies with regards to the existing historic designation(s) associated with the property to determine how they would like to approach that element of the project before proceeding to Planning Commission for consideration.

Sandy Community Campus: Following the City Council approval of Ordinance 2018-28 to vacate segments of public ROW, staff has continued to work with the contracted land surveyor to begin the re-platting process to clean up the property boundaries for the two owners (City of Sandy and OTSD). It was communicated to staff that a site visit would be performed on November 12, 2018 with associated deliverable to follow.

Newberry Duplex: Applicant Jeff Newberry received a final order regarding the proposed duplex development of a property on the north side of Creekside Loop.

Zion Meadows:  An application was submitted for the relocation of mitigation trees.  We are in the process of recording an amendment to the tree protection covenant for this subdivision.

Stowaway Mini Storage: This company received an incompleteness letter on October 25 in response to their design review application to incorporate 24 storage unit containers into their overall development.

McDonald’s: The existing McDonalds restaurant on HWY 26 has submitted an application for a Design Review for façade improvements to conform with Sandy Style.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• TSC, Inc.: they have decided to wait to excavate the site and move forward with construction until Spring 2019.
• Sandy Vault Storage: This proposed project was issued an incompleteness letter on 10/29/2018. Next steps on this project would be for the applicant to submit the requested missing items to Planning for review.

Economic Development items:

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

• Joe’s Donuts: Stage II complete.  Sandy citizens can now enjoy their favorite donuts in an outdoor setting!  Many thanks to the Parks crew for helping out with the installation.
• Next Adventure: Construction is mostly complete and should be ready to take advantage of the 2018-2019 ski season.  Paint job is similar to the Sandy PD.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance:
  • AntFarm Downtown Maintenance contract: The work on the Bignall Pool grounds is in progress – you may notice that the landscaping at the pool exit near Sandy Grade is now complete and looking much better. They have also completed the work in front of the former Elusive Trout Pub as well.  As always, if there are areas of downtown that you would like to see them focus on next, let me know.
  • West Streetscape project: Next time you stop by City Hall, make sure to check out the cleanup work completed with this project.  We filled in all of the landscaping “islands” across the street, removed an old driveway apron that was no longer serving an active business with a proper sidewalk segment (and approximately 10’ of new, legal on-street parking), and added some outdoor customer facilities for Joe’s Donuts including bike parking and new seating, along with some general clean up.
  • Bignall Pool, north wall: We have selected Laverne’s Rock Works as the lowest bid contractor to do some repair to the exterior of Bignall Pool.  Since the play structure has been removed, missing mortar and surface damage to that wall is both exposed and obvious now.  We are repairing it so that it does not get worse now that there will be direct exposure to the elements.
  • Derelict buildings: We have now moved at least partially forward with all three property owners identified to Council as having derelict buildings in the downtown couplet.  We are meeting with one of the property owners this week to get access to the property they wish to demo to have it tested for environmentally hazardous materials prior to putting the demolition out to bid.  The other two property owners have been contacted and have responded, but have not yet identified the path they wish to take with their properties yet.

• Clackamas County Tourism’s Community Partnership Program grant projects:
  • Jonsrud Viewpoint: Blake Turin from N8 Construction has started this project in the late part of October by cutting and removing the pieces to be replaced at the   Forms will be built, and concrete is scheduled to be poured by the end of the Thanksgiving holiday, followed by the addition of new traffic and instructional signage from both City of Sandy and Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs.  This project is scheduled to be completed by November 1.
  • Meinig Park Entry Arch: We have signed a contract with Todd Speck of Mountain View Contracting to do the construction work for this project. Speck was the contractor of record on the Shell Station façade project in 2017 – he is local to Sandy and has displayed excellent craftsmanship in the work that he has completed with us to date.  We are currently processing the building permit for this project, which should begin shortly.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Oregon Economic Development Association: 2018 Annual Conference (October 7-9, Klamath Falls): This conference marks 2018’s final opportunity for economic developers around the state to gather and network with each other, and to learn what is going on around Oregon with regard to economic development.  Got to spend some time with our Clackamas County Tourism folks, who sent three representatives to the conference, and Clackamas County Business & Economic Development’s Cindy Moore.  Also spent time catching up with Matt Lorenzen (my counterpart in Estacada) and other regional economic developers.  Tourism was an overarching theme at this event, as Oregon’s tourism numbers continue to skyrocket.

Planning items:

Platted/Tentative platted lot report: We issued permits for 10 new single-family residential structures (single family homes and rowhouses) over the past three months.  We are expecting 173 apartments to be complete in the next year – 9 at Tupper Hill, 24 at Doug Fir, and 140 at SandyPlace Apartments.  Unfortunately, our current inventory of platted and tentatively platted lots shows that we are basically out of available lots for single family homes:

• The one single-family lot in ViewPoint is already owned by the homeowner
• The three lots in Zion are owned by builders and are intended for speculation
• The two lots in Snowberry may not be built on until the visibility issues with regard to Arletha Court are settled
• The three lots in Salmon Creek are so steep that I have been told they are basically cost prohibitive to build on
• The ‘other’ lots in Sandy are owned by individuals who I do not believe are marketing them for sale.
• We are pretty much out of lots available for single family homes! 

You will receive the next update in early January 2019.

Bloom Annexation:  At the September 24, 2018 Planning Commission meeting it was voted to grant a continuance for Case No. 18-026 ANN, Bloom Annexation, not to extend beyond May 27, 2019 (245 days) to allow them additional time to gather and submit for review the necessary information to make a determination. The applicant’s representative submitted the required TPR analysis and third-party review fee on October 4, 2018. Staff will refer the submitted TPR analysis to the appropriate reviewers to continue the final review and hearing processes.

Sandy Community Campus Street Vacation:  City Council approved to adopt Ordinance 2018-28 by title on September 17, 2018 to vacate 72,085 SF of public ROW to be incorporated into the future Sandy Community Campus and existing Sandy Grade School campus. Following the approval staff has continued to work with the contracted land surveyor to begin the re-platting process to clean up the property boundaries for the two owners (City of Sandy and OTSD).

Zion Meadows:  Final orders for retention tree removal at Zion Meadows (lots 2 and 8) were issued on September 6 and 14 respectively.

Stowaway Mini Storage:  This business has submitted for a design review to incorporate 24 storage unit containers into their overall development.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• US Metal Works: Construction began in early September on the first of three approved structures. The first structure will be used for school but maintenance, dispatching, training and employees.
• TSC, Inc.: This project on the Benson property was brought before Planning Commission at meeting on July 30.  Final order completed and issued to TSC on August 15.

Internal projects:

• Code updates: Modifications to five development code chapters went to Planning Commission at their September 24^th All of the modifications were approved with a few revisions, and will go to City Council’s 2^nd meeting in October for final approval.

Economic Development items:

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

• Joe’s Donuts: Seifert Concrete is in the process of completing concrete flatwork near Joe’s Donuts (complete) and Mountain Moka (scheduled) to clean up the area a little bit.* As luck would have it, when the landscaping islands outside of MM were dug out in preparation for this work, an existing leak was discovered on the City side of the meter and subsequently repaired by our Public Works crew.  We will also be adding a wave-style bike rack, an all-weather table and a municipal bench to the site before we are complete (all on order).  *We have also decided to replace about 25 linear feet of sidewalk including the replacement of an old driveway apron leading to a garage that no longer exists with a proper curb and sidewalk panel.
• Next Adventure: Construction is nearing completion, and should be finished prior to our next monthly departmental report. Our understanding is that the new building will be used primarily for rental storage and processing.
• TI grant project #1: – The building that the former Trout Pub is in was recently purchased by State Farm Insurance agent Chris Corbin. Corbin plans to introduce a new restaurant (tentatively titled Burgers and Brats) in the space, and has applied for and received the City’s first TI grant to help with the internal remodel.  This space has needed an internal update for a very long time, and this update will touch almost every part of the interior, from a new kitchen hood and fire suppression system to new floors (concrete), new walls,  new restrooms and a completely new layout.  He also plans to add some new twists….like a Skee-ball machine!  It’s possible that this new restaurant may be open before the end of the year. Watch this space.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance:
  • AntFarm Downtown Maintenance contract: The next area we have asked Cara Seipel’s crew to focus on is the Bignall Pool – the crew will focus on weed mitigation throughout the parking lot, adding ground cover to the east side of the pool exit for erosion (and skateboarder) control and cleaning up the landscaped area at the corner of the pool exit. We are also asking them to clean up the area in the planter strip outside of the building formerly known as the Elusive Trout Pub as a “business-friendly” courtesy as the building owner works on remodeling the restaurant with the help of a TI grant.  As always, if there are areas of downtown that you would like to see them focus on next, let me know.
  • Sandy Community Campus: Now that the small structures have been removed, we are starting to look at the front middle school building and what it might take to get this structure demolished and removed. The first step towards that end has been completed – Certified Environmental Consulting LLC completed a hazardous materials report for the building for us on September
• Clackamas County Tourism’s Community Partnership Program grant projects:
  • Jonsrud Viewpoint: I met with Blake Turin from N8 Construction on October 5^th to discuss turning the results of the auto turn report and what the next steps are to get this project going. They will begin shaving back the curbs, adding some new county signage and possibly replace some sections with low profile curbs shortly.
  • Meinig Park Entry Arch: I met with Neilson Construction on October 5^th to give them engineering and design materials and request a quote for construction. Quote pending.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Oregon Main Street – Main Street on the Move (Albany, OR) – October 3, 2018: This one day conference was attended by the Economic Development Manager and both staff planners.  The event highlighted recent businesses that have moved to or taken over new space in downtown Albany, OR, and what the City of Albany has been doing to actively convert some of their older, underutilized buildings into usable commercial (and residential) space.

Planning items: 

Bloom Annexation:  At the August 27 Planning Commission meeting, it was voted to grant a continuance for Case No. 18-026 ANN, Bloom Annexation. Per code and ODOT requirements, any territory proposed to be added to the City limits must provide Transportation Planning Rule (TPR) findings prior to approval.  Therefore, after discussion with City attorney, it was recommended that a continuance be approved to allow the applicant time to obtain the required analysis. The applicants have submitted a request to waive the 120-day rule in order to provide additional time to conduct the necessary assessment to be submitted to the City of Sandy for review.

Sandy Community Campus Street Vacation: At the August 27, 2018 Planning Commission meeting it was voted to forward Case No. 18-029 VAR, Sandy Community Campus Street Vacation, to the September 17, 2018 City Council hearing with a recommendation of approval.

Zion Meadows:  We have received another retention tree removal request for Zion Meadows (Lot 8). There are many issues in Zion Meadows related to tree protection and mitigation due to a flawed subdivision approval and inconsistencies in our code.  We are learning from our mistakes and working on solutions to better meet the intent of the tree retention standards.

Sandyplace Apartments:  Final order on the east retaining wall for this project has been completed and was issued on September 5^th.

Schilling property:  A special variance request to not connect to public utilities for development of this recently annexed property on Orient Drive has been submitted (utility lines currently end approx. 2400 feet east of the property)

O’Reilly Auto Parts:  Final order for design review for the interior facelift was completed and issued on August 24th.

Jiffy Lube:  Final order was issued regarding their new trash/recycling enclosure was issued on August 9th.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• US Metal Works: The new site just SW of the existing US Metal Works facility has begun construction on their PC approved (18-005) building plans which include three separate structures. Two of the structures (to be located within the northern part of the property) will be used as internal storage for their existing facility and a third building (located within the southern portion of the site) be associated with the school bus parking fronting facility
• TSC, Inc.: This project on the Benson property was brought before Planning Commission at meeting on July 30.  Final order completed and issued to TSC on August 15.

Internal projects:

• Pleasant Street Master Plan: Staff has received an updated Alt Avenue redesign from AECOM based on Council’s suggestions and will be soliciting feedback from Alt Avenue stakeholders (CCB and Leathers) soon.  The completion date of the master plan is unknown at this time due to department workload.  To recap – the goals of the realignment are:
  • Improve the safety of Alt Ave./Proctor Blvd. intersection
  • Improve pedestrian accessibility along Alt Ave
  • Create a visually appealing entryway to Pleasant Street.
• PetSafe Dog Park Grant: Sadly, the City of Sandy was not one of the 5 communities awarded the PetSafe Bark for Your Park  There were a total of 120 applicants this time around, but there will be more opportunities in the future.
• Code updates: We are doing some light housekeeping – modifications to five development code chapters will go to Planning Commission at their September 24^th

Economic Development items:

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• Promotional City images, Round 2: This photo shoot is complete, and the images are being processed and uploaded to our contractor’s server as I type this.  We did about the same amount of shooting this time around and got another great round of promotional images for the City, including Sandy River Park, the interior of the Museum, the exterior of the PD, several different businesses around town and some great shots of our city buses.  We also captured most of the City parks system (stellar pics from the Sandy Bluff Dog Park – you’re welcome Sarah Richardson!) and we were even able to get some portraits of the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce staff as a courtesy to that fine organization.We also got some fantastic portraits of our Transit Department staff.  Bonus points to Ms. Howell for using this resource to its absolute fullest!  Nicely done, ma’am, and you should see these posted to the website very soon.
• Joe’s Donuts: We have a request for bids going out shortly for Stage 2 of this project – a small bit of new concrete and street furniture being funded entirely by the Urban Renewal Agency.
• Next Adventure: Construction continues….

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance:
  • AntFarm Downtown Maintenance contract: If there are areas of downtown that you would like to see them focus on, shoot me an email and let me know.
  • Sandy Community Campus demolitions: …are complete.  The pool annex building and that horrid play structure behind the pool are gone.  Repair work to the boiler stack is also complete.  Next steps will be to have our AntFarm crew do a little weeding, add some ground cover is spots and start talking about how to set up the new picnic area where the annex used to be.Next step at SCC: We have scheduled environmental testing at the front building of Cedar Ridge for the third week of September.  This is the first step towards the demolition of this building, which should happen towards the end of the year.
• Clackamas County Tourism’s Community Partnership Program grant projects:
  • Jonsrud Viewpoint: Auto-turn report is complete.  N8 Excavation has agreed to do the curb shaving portion of this project.  We will meet with them within the next couple of weeks to discuss the suggested changes.  We will also be adding some signage from ClackCo Tourism and directional signage.
  • Meinig Park Entry Arch: On hold for now.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Nothing this month.

Quarterly Building Department Report – Summer 2018: 

Summer 2018 finally arrived in Sandy after back-and-forth spring weather between wet and cold to sunshine and heat.  So far, this year’s building season has been very good for excavation and building.  At the end of July, Sandy’s Building Department has 73 Active Residential Dwelling Permits.  And 13 permits were issued for commercial work in July that valued at total $2.7M.  At the end of July, the total construction value of permitted work for the first half of 2018 is nearly $16M.

Multi-family projects include the following:

• Sandy Heights Apartments has poured foundations for the first 4 apartment buildings. Framing has begun on Apartment Buildings 1 and 2.
• Ron Hughes completed framing and siding of the garages for his new 9 unit complex on Tupper Hill.
• Vista Loop Apartments has been laying underground utilities and excavating in preparation for foundation work.

Other projects include:

• Palladian’s CHAMPION VILLAGE Townhomes are moving forward again with newly revised building plans and engineering to match. Palladian currently has 33 active townhouse permits.
• The SANDY HEIGHTS APARTMENTS project started off at a quick pace with site work and underground utilities. The plans submitted by the contractor for the first 5 of 13 building plans were in need of revisions to which has slowed the permitting and building a bit.  But IE Construction is working to provide plans must match the actual buildings they are constructing.
• NEXT ADVENTURE has submitted plans to building a 2-story storage building behind their store.
• And finally, the handsome, newly remodeled, SANDY FIRE STATION has been approved for occupancy! Occupancy is conditional that final reports and other non-safety items be completed by the end of August.

Now for a topic that is rarely mentioned, but is a common problem that all Building Departments deal with every year – HOME OWNERS DOING CONSTRUCTION WORK WITHOUT PERMITS.   As our City continues to grow, we are seeing a proportional number of these problems.   Planning and Building department staff have been looking at solutions.   We welcome input from our community and stakeholders.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Building Department,

Terrence Gift, Building Official

Planning items: 

Jacoby Heights Subdivision:  Review for this 31 lot subdivision at 19124 Jacoby is finished and was deemed incomplete.

Bloom Annexation:  A Type A Annexation for a parcel totaling approximately 12.84 acres has been applied for. The proposal is set to go to the August 27 Planning Commission and the September 17 City Council hearings for consideration.  The applicant proposes to zone the property to Single Family Residential (SFR) and Low Density Residential (LDR) within the Sandy Comprehensive Plan Map.

Sandlandia Food Cart Pod:  We are processing the application for a new cart called Teresa’s Home Cooking – currently waiting for information from Clackamas County Health Department.

Pioneer Meadows:  The first six townhouses are almost complete. This subdivision will include a total of 27 townhouses when complete. No more houses can be constructed until the second lift of asphalt is installed on the streets inside the subdivision (University Avenue and College Street).

Thomsen property (Hwy 211 btwn Bornstedt Village and Snowberry):  The owners of this property met with Planning in a pre-application meeting to change the zoning of the C-3 Village Commercial section of their property to R-2.  Pre-application meeting is complete.

Sandy Community Campus Street Vacation: The city of sandy has petitioned to vacate portions of Alt Avenue, Smith Avenue, Hood Street and Park Street.  The total area proposed to be vacated is 72,085 square feet.  Should the proposal be approved, OTSD and Sandy will both be re-plated to make clear the different parcels.  The case is scheduled for the August 27 Planning Commission and the September 17 City Council hearings for consideration.

Sandyplace Apartments:  The second retaining wall for this project was deemed incomplete.  Waiting on mailing labels to do required notification.

Mountain View Ridge (formerly Birdsong Subdivision):  Grading in process.  See below.

Sandy Bluff Annex 6 (a.k.a. Sandy Woods):  The approved subdivision renamed Sandy Woods from Sandy Bluff 6 has broken ground by clearing the approved right-of-ways and easement land. Staff completed a site visit with developers to discuss additional tree retention and expect to hear back from them soon to determine additional trees to be retained.

O’Reilly Auto Parts:  Working on final order for design review.  Should be complete sometime within the next couple of weeks.

Jiffy Lube:  Final order was issued with regard to their new trash/recycling enclosure was issued on August 9th.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• Jewelberry Ridge: Planning Commission approved this 9 unit subdivision at their June 25^th  Final order was issued on July 12.
• US Metal Works: This project is approved.  Staff is working with owners on getting SDCs paid and completing paperwork.
• TSC, Inc.: This project on the Benson property was brought before Planning Commission at meeting on July 30.  Final order is in progress.

Other large reviews being submitted soon:

• Regional coffee retailer: We had another pre-application meeting with a potential franchisee that seemed to go well, but we have not heard back from them since the pre-app on May 31.  This property has a challenging footprint for development, especially considering that their business model calls for locating a drive-thru on this irregular shaped lot.

Internal projects:

• Pleasant Street Master Plan: Staff has reentered into our contract with AECOM to work on a new design for Alt Avenue that does not include the concept to realign the road.  Staff will engage important stakeholders during the design process. We will be working within the existing Alt Avenue right-of-way to accomplish the original goals of the realignment – to recap:
  • Improve the safety of Alt Ave./Proctor Blvd. intersection
  • Improve pedestrian accessibility along Alt Ave
  • Create a visually appealing entryway to Pleasant Street.

Emily will be the new point of contact for the Pleasant Street Master Plan.  Since Planning Staff is already very busy, the completion date for the master plan is unknown at this time.

• Downtown Walkability Assessment: The Downtown Walkability Assessment is in its final stages – staff is currently drafting the final report.  Kelly will be the new project lead for the Downtown Walkability Assessment.   Since Development Services staff are extremely busy right now, the completion date for this assessment is unknown at this time.
• PetSafe Dog Park Grant: Announcements of grant recipients are scheduled for August 2018 so we should hear soon whether we received the $5,000 grant Planning applied for.
• Sadly, Ms. Porricolo is leaving the City of Sandy to pursue a job as an Assistant Planner at Angelo Planning Group, a small planning firm in downtown Portland. She will be working on current planning, entitlements, housing needs assessments, and more.  She tells us she has loved working at the City of Sandy, and that it has been a great community to work for and be member of.  We will miss her dearly, and hope she considers pursuing a career on the public side of the planning world in the future.

Economic Development items:

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• Promotional City images, Round 2: A couple of years ago, I hired a professional photographer out of Sandy (UT) to do some photography around downtown Sandy and some of our more photogenic sites (SHS, Tickle Creek Trail, Meinig Park) for use with the City’s website and other promotional forums (social media, brochures, public reports, etc.)  This photographer is coming back in August for another round of promo shots.  This time we will focus more on public facilities and tourist attractions like Sandy Ridge, but we can take shots of anything we need images of.  Send me an email if you have suggestions.  [PS: this photo shoot provided all of the background images currently showing on cityofsandy.com]
• Joe’s Donuts: We have a reimbursement check ready to go and the Vargos have been contacted.  By the time you read this, we will have completed a small ceremony here at City Hall to allow Mayor King present them with the check and to have some photos taken (and hopefully a story written) for the Post.  Stage two of this project will begin shortly…
• Next Adventure: Construction has begun on the two-story Sandy Style storage building behind the current retailer.  When complete, this will be their rental equipment facility and will expand store capabilities by orders of magnitude.
• Regional coffee chain: We have a regional coffee chain that has been interested in Sandy for years that has taken concrete steps toward developing one of our downtown infill lots.  The plan is still evolving, but the prospects for development look pretty good right now.  Watch this space.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance:
  • Defunct paper boxes: Found another one at the Sandy Post Office. Casey from the Parks Department is going to remove it in the next few weeks and send it to recycling with all of the others.  If you know of any others within city limits, please send an email to me with the location and I will make it disappear.

• The new AntFarm downtown maintenance contract is in effect. You should begin to see a noticeable difference in the condition of the public rights-of-way in the couplet.  If there are particular areas of downtown that you would like to see them focus on, shoot me an email and let me know.
• By the time most of you read this, the small pool annex building and that horrid play structure behind Bignall Pool will be torn down and removed by our friends at Konell Construction and Demolition. We are also planning to take the back building of Cedar Ridge (where SandyNet is currently located) off of the boiler system altogether and look at other options for heating and cooling that building.  The sidewalks around the pool parking lot will be touched up by our new maintenance crew shortly as well.

• Clackamas County Tourism’s Community Partnership Program grant:
  • Jonsrud Viewpoint: Auto-turn report is currently being worked on.  “Curb-shaving” will be the final step in the project, but N8 Excavation cannot start on that phase until the auto-turn report is complete and shows the pinch points.  We will also be adding some signage from ClackCo Tourism and our own signage (right out only for busses – we used to have some “R out only for buses) signs up at the exit that got removed at some point that we will need to recreate)
  • Meinig Park Entry Arch: This project has stalled out a little bit due to that fact that we are really busy right now.  Will probably schedule this for autumn when Meinig Park is being used a little bit less than it is now.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Nothing this month.

Planning items: 

Jacoby Heights Subdivision:  We received an application for a 31 lot subdivision at 19124 Jacoby and are in the process of reviewing it for completeness.

Sandlandia Food Cart Pod:  We received a request for a second tent to provide covered seating area, and the request was approved.  Final order issued July 10^th.

Pioneer Meadows:  The first six townhouses are being constructed to the east of the Fir Hill Cemetery and south of the Sandy High School athletic fields. This subdivision will include a total of 27 townhouses when complete. No more houses can be constructed until the second lift of asphalt is installed on the streets inside the subdivision (University Avenue and College Street).

Mountain View Ridge (formerly Birdsong Subdivision):  This subdivision to the west of Bornstedt Park and towards the end of Arletha Court is currently being graded.  There was a delay in development due to some unforeseen medical issues with one of the developer’s family members, but it looks like the development is back on track.  This will add to the population in the Bornstedt neighborhood and intensify the need to connect Village Blvd. to HWY 211

Sandy Bluff Annex 6 (a.k.a. Sandy Woods):  This project was approved to subdivide an 11.2 acre property into 43 single family dwelling lots. The development will include public alleyways, 3 pedestrian tracts for additional connection/circulation and was granted three block length variance in order to create a logical right-of-way for vehicular traffic.

Next Adventure:  If you look behind the Next Adventure building you will notice some new concrete. This concrete is the foundation for the next Adventure rental storage facility that has been approved for construction. It will be one of the nicest two-story Sandy Style storage buildings around.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• Jewelberry Ridge: Planning Commission approved this 9 unit subdivision at their June 25^th  Final order is pending.
• US Metal Works: Approved to construct three new buildings east of 362^nd  These buildings are to be used for school bus maintenance and administrative purposes as well as facilities storage.
• Tractor Supply Company:
  • Partition final order completed on June 25.
  • Scheduled to go before Planning Commission on July 30^th – for design review, a conditional use permit and requested variances.

Other large reviews being submitted soon:

• McDonald’s: Pre-application meeting is complete.  We expect this $250K exterior remodel to go forward soon.  Nothing from them this month, however.
• Regional coffee retailer: We have yet another pre-application meeting with another franchisee for the same retailer that is interested in developing the lot next to 7-Eleven.  We are hopeful that the prospective developers can meet City code and ODOT standards.  However, the property has a challenging footprint for development, especially considering that their business model calls for locating a drive-thru on this irregular shaped lot.  Developer does seem to be working through the issues, and we anticipate that there will be more to report on this project soon.

Internal projects:

• Pleasant Street Master Plan: Based on direction staff received from Council at the June 12^th workshop, staff is postponing the completion of the Pleasant Street Master Plan. Staff is currently working on re-contracting with AECOM (the engineering firm for the project) to develop a new design for the Alt Avenue area, with design work beginning in August. The new design will not include a realignment of Alt Avenue.  Instead, staff is creating a design that addresses the original realignment objectives:
  • to improve safety at the Alt Avenue/Shelley Avenue/Proctor Boulevard intersection.
  • to improve the pedestrian connection between Pleasant Street and Proctor Boulevard via Alt Avenue within the existing Alt Avenue right-of-way.
• Downtown Walkability Assessment: A full report will be presented to City Council at the August 6^th regular City Council meeting by our RARE.
• Fantasy Forest Murals: A local artist named Karin Hoffman (Bliss Brush Studios) recently contacted us about putting a series of murals on the inverse side of the Fantasy Forest structure of where we installed murals several years ago.  We paid for the materials and Ms. Hoffman donated the artistry and her time.  The murals were installed on June 29^th, and depict a nature scene inspired by Mount Hood and native plantings.  They are an absolutely beautiful permanent addition to our park and play structure, and we are looking forward to working with Ms. Hoffman and other area artists to do similar art installations around the City in the future.

• Longest Day Parkway: at the Longest Day Parkway event, planning staff held children’s and adult’s activities to gather information and desires of Sandy community members.  Surveys were taken to determine if the results from the 2013 Parks Survey are still applicable to the community’s vision for the City’s parks, and staff focused specifically on getting input directly from our school-aged community members to see what they wanted to see in our parks system.
• PetSafe Dog Park grant: Planning staff has applied for a $5K PetSafe “Bark For Your Park” grant to make improvements to the Sandy Bluff Dog Park.

Economic Development items:
 

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• Sandlandia: A second covered tent for outdoor dining has been submitted for and approved by Planning.  Also, one of the carts is departing at the end of July.
• Joe’s Donuts: The roof of the building is now painted, and this completes the work for this project with one minor electrical issue still outstanding.  We are currently calculating the reimbursement amount due to the Vargos and will pay them shortly.  They are very happy with the results, and they recently thanked the City for “all of your support, because without it, we would not have done it.”  Our investment in this project will be in the neighborhood of $__K, and this allowed us to leverage almost $40K worth of repair work to this building that badly needed it and make a local institution very, very happy.
• Sandy restaurants: I have spoken with several of Sandy’s restaurant owners in the last month, and the overall consensus seems to be that business is pretty good right now.  Probably a combination of Sandy’s rapid growth, a booming economy….and considering the time of year it is, commercial air conditioning!  Bonus points to the ownership group of the Tollgate Inn for adding the covered wagon and upgrades to the lounge – a very nice touch!
• Regional coffee chain: We have a regional coffee chain that has been interested in Sandy for years that has taken concrete steps toward developing one of our downtown infill lots.  The plan is still evolving, but the prospects for development look pretty good right now.  Watch this space.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance:
  • We went ahead and removed ALL (8) defunct paper boxes from around the commercial areas of the entire City. These are all going to recycling shortly.

• Motivated by the Mountain Festival’s arrival, we moved forward with the AntFarm contract for general downtown maintenance. There is a crew of 2-3 kids out working daily for now to do the following:
  • Remove weeds/grass from sidewalks, curbs, pedestrian rights-of-way
  • Remove new growth shoots from street tree wells and street trees
  • General cleanup

• Moving forward with prep for small building demolitions over at Sandy Community Campus. The small annex building in front of the pool and the old patchwork brown play structure in the back of the pool are going away.  Asbestos reports complete, utilities currently being disconnected from the buildings.  We anticipate demolition sometime in late July or early August.

• Clackamas County Tourism’s Community Partnership Program grant: Moving forward on all fronts…
  • Jonsrud Viewpoint: surveying work is complete and being processed now.  An auto-turn report will be the next step, and “curb-shaving” will be engaged as recommended by that report.
  • Meinig Park Entry Arch: We received final design work and engineering on the arch from Tahran Architects this week.  Will move forward with a scope of work and requests for bid soon.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• Nothing this month.

Planning issues: 

Marshall Ridge Subdivision:  We have issued a final order for this 37 lot single family dwelling subdivision located at 19525 and 19545 Bornstedt Road.

Sandy Bluff Annex 6:  This was heard and approved by Planning Commission on May 29^th, but the final order is not complete at this time.

Sandy Bluff Community Campus Parkland Annexation: Presented to City Council on May 21st.  Council approved to go forward to November ballot.

Ten Eyck Rim: minor revised plat was approved, and approved a variance to not require a bike/ped access on the property between Hood and Pleasant.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• Jewelberry Ridge: Will go to Planning Commission on June 25^th.
• US Metal Works: Went to Planning Commission June 14^th; both deviations and variances were approved.  We anticipate them moving forward with building permits soon.
• Tractor Supply Company:
  • Partition almost finished
  • Design review submittal was deemed complete and currently under review
  • Tentatively scheduled to go before Planning Commission on July 30^th.

Other large reviews being submitted soon:

• McDonald’s: pre-application meeting is complete; we expect this $250K exterior remodel to go forward soon.
• Knapp property annexation; 130 lot subdivision: came in for a pre-application for this development; have not heard back from them since.
• Regional coffee retailer: Pre-application meeting complete – we have yet to receive a formal application.

Internal projects:

• Pleasant Street Master Plan: A progress report on this master plan to date was delivered to the City Council at the June 12 work session.  While some contention over the plans for the plaza space section of the master plan was expressed, we are confident that this point of contention can be worked through to most people’s satisfaction.  Public hearing delayed until Fall 2018.
• Downtown Walkability Assessment: An assessment report will be presented to City Council at the July 2^nd regular Council meeting by our RARE.  Porricolo’s term of service will end next month, at which point the project will be handed off to staff to continue project work.

Economic Development issues:

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• Mount Hood Cigar Co.: So far so good.  This business seems to be hitting their stride quite nicely according to the Sandy Area Chamber.
• Sandy Fire #72: The Fire Department will be holding the official ribbon cutting for their brand new firehouse on Saturday, June 23 from 1 to 3 PM.  If Chief Schneider (no relation) hasn’t given you a tour of the facilities yet, you should really plan to attend.  It is….impressive.
• Joe’s Donuts: The final touches of Phase 1 of the Joe’s rehab will be complete this week as the weather is finally allowing the general contractor to schedule the painting of the roof.  Phase 2 (West Streetscape public infrastructure project) will involve concrete infill, a concrete pad with railings and a weatherproof table installed on the west side of their building, and a standard street bench, in Joe’s Donuts red, centered in front of their new front window.
• Regional coffee chain: We have a regional coffee chain that has been interested in Sandy for years that has taken concrete steps toward developing one of our downtown infill lots.  The plan is still evolving, but the prospects for development look pretty good right now.  Watch this space.
• Joy Teriyaki: Justin Hwang, owner of the franchise, is a very tired man.  He tells me he’s never had a store opening quite like what they’ve experienced here in Sandy.  During their “soft open” week prior to the official ribbon cutting, they ran out of things like chicken breast, gyoza, beef, etc. every evening due to the overwhelming traffic.  It has slowed down to what should be normal for them recently, but still one of their busier stores.

Econ Devl – Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance:
  • The remaining East County Gazette paper boxes lingering in our downtown (the paper is no longer being published)….are now gone.
  • We are discussing the possibilities of expanding AntFarm’s maintenance contract for the flower baskets to include basic maintenance of planter strips, sidewalks (remove weeds and grasses) and other public right-of-way maintenance issues. Shouldn’t be a very costly endeavor overall, and should also be more effective and “business friendly” than nagging downtown commercial property owners to do it.
  • We are beginning a number of façade projects in the next month or so, including some demolitions over at the Sandy Community Campus within the next few weeks.
  • We are also preparing to address the derelict building issue that Development Services brought to Council earlier in May. We’re not exactly sure what to expect regarding the responses to our initial letters requiring action on the part of the property owners, but we intend to update Council with regard to our progress as we proceed.
• Community Partnership Program grant: We got some fantastic news this week.  Due to a lack of requests for CPP funding, ClackCo Tourism had funding left over in this program.  Their policy is to look at the projects they feel would best benefit the County that didn’t get funded by their local constituencies, and the Tourism Development Council awards funding for those projects.  They also let us know that they had talked to a lot of tour operators, and found that tour buses don’t really go to Jonsrud Viewpoint anymore because it’s just too difficult to get a bus through the park.

  Jim Austin at CC Tourism said that this placed Jonsrud at the top of their list of projects they’d like to see, but we could never provide matching funds because a) the park is outside of the urban renewal district, and b) we can’t use Parks SDC funding because we have to use that to build local capacity, and adding tour buses would build non-local (i.e. tourists that don’t pay into our tax base) capacity.

  Yesterday, Jim called me and told me they feel it’s so important to them to get this done that they are going to provide us with full funding for the project.  So if you run across our County Tourism folks while you’re out and about, please thank them on behalf of our taxpayers for this.  We are preparing a nice “thank you” card and attaching it to a box of Joe’s Donuts to send over to them to recognize their generosity.  That’s $16,500 in funding that we definitely weren’t expecting to have…In other CPP news, AntFarm is moving forward with their fully funded study for the farmer’s market, and revised plans for the Meinig Gateway Arch should be here literally any day.

Econ Devl – Conferences/training:

• LOC Public Contracting Basics course (June 5 – Sherwood): Kelly and I went to a course in basic government contracting as a way to start diving into developing a better set of contracting documents to improve protections for the City.  Time well spent.  Very good course.
• OEDA Summer Conference (June 7, 8 – Corvallis): This is the smaller of the two OEDA conferences held every year, but a very informative conference.  The highlight for me was listening to a presentation by one of the mucky-mucks from Hewlett Packard give a presentation on the future of 3-D printing and how this is the next great technological advance for humankind.  They can now print things using different mediums including metal rather than just plastic, showed us what kinds of things that they can make with 3-D printers (metal: gears and sprockets, small metal parts; plastic: car parts with no assembly!) and talked about how 3-D printing will be way cheaper, faster and will produce better quality parts than injection molding or manufacturing metal parts.  3-D printing will ultimately bring a lot of offshore manufacturing not only back to the United States, but into local communities where some of these companies are headquartered.  It is truly an amazing technology.

Planning issues:

Current projects:

Sandyplace Apartments:  Foundation permits have been issued for the buildings, but this project has otherwise not seen any changes since last month.  Vertical construction of some of the structures could begin as early as June.

Pioneer Meadows Subdivision:  Directly to the east of Firhill Memorial Cemetery on Hwy 26 next to Safeway.  Has received approval to build six attached houses prior to second lift of asphalt on the roads.  Foundations are currently in the process of being poured, with two units already at the framing stage.

Marshall Ridge Subdivision:  The Planning Commission approved a 37 lot single family dwelling subdivision located at 19525 and 19545 Bornstedt Road. The proposed lots range in size from 7,500 square feet to 9,172 square feet with a Single Family Residential (SFR) zoning designation. In addition to the 37 lots, the subdivision includes two public storm water detention ponds, two tree preservation tracts, and one pedestrian access tract as well as extensions of Aspen Avenue and Oak Avenue to the south and Maple Street as a future street that intersects with Bornstedt Road.

Sandy Bluff Annex 6:  This will be heard by Planning Commission on May 29th. The applicant proposes a 43 lot subdivision of the property between the BPA easement and Olson Street (N-S) and between Jefferson Avenue and the existing Sandy Bluff development (W-E).

Property east of 362nd and south of Industrial Way:  Requests to build three new industrial buildings (10,000; 12,000; 19,250 SF) on the US Metal Works site. Additionally, they seek to obtain the following four variances: 1) eliminate a varied façade, 2) eliminate an entrance connecting directly between the right-of-way and the building interior, 3) eliminate the required 10% relief of the facade facing, 4) to have a roof pitch of 1:12 (3:12 required).

Sandy Bluff Community Campus Parkland Annexation: Presented to City Council on May 21st.  Should they approve the petition, it will go forth to a vote of the people on the November ballot and be passed via resolution should it be passed.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• Sandy Bluff Annex 6: Going to Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 29^th.
• Jewelberry Ridge: in process
• US Metal Works: in process – will end up going to Planning Commission.
• Tractor Supply Company: in process (about to issue a completeness report for the partition piece)

Other large reviews being submitted soon:

• Brittsview Heights: 23 lot single family home subdivision west of Village Blvd. and south of the Snowberry subdivision
• McDonald’s: Recently submitted for an exterior remodel
• Knapp property annexation and subdivision: 130 lot SFR homes immediately south of Dubarko Road at Antler Avenue between Langensand Road and HWY 26.
• Regional coffee retailer: Pre-application scheduled for May 31 for the commercial lot next to 7-Eleven.

Internal projects:

• Mount Hood Cigar Co.: This business has applied to do a monthly auto show in the parking lot outside of their store and the local O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store.  This application is in process, but should be complete by the time of the next show in June – they plan to do the show between
• Pleasant Street Master Plan: All public engagement activities for the PSMP are complete, there were over 280 participants across the three public engagement activities. There is a revised design for the proposed Alt Ave. realignment based on concerns of the original design from the community. The new design will be publicly released this week. Emma has been drafting the final report. Council can expect a work session, following a work session before Planning Commission and the PSMP Advisory Committee at the end of May.
• Downtown Walkability Assessment: All public engagement for the Downtown Walkability Assessment are complete. The May 16^th Community Walking Audit was a success! The audit had over 20 participants, including city staff, elected officials, and community members.  Emma is currently drafting the assessment report which will be presented at City Council on July 2^nd.

Economic Development issues:

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

• Mount Hood Cigar Co.: The Mount Hood Cigar Company had their Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony over the weekend and is officially open to the public. Chris Bailey, store owner and patriarch, brought his family here all the way from South Carolina with a brief stop in Lake Oswego.They did a fantastic job of building out the store (they did the work themselves – Mr. Bailey is also a licensed contractor) and are very happy with the end result. They had a wide variety of quality cigars from around the world on display, and really seem to know their stuff. Curious to see if this store brings in enough weekend mountain traffic to really take off…
• Sandlandia: Both new carts (Swine Dining, Mountain View Café) are now operational. It also appears that the Captain’s Galley is no longer at the site. It also appears that the Captain’s Galley is no longer located at the site, so we are net +2 for carts at Sandlandia in 2018.
• Trout Pub space: I am currently working with Chris Corbin (building owner) to put together the first City of Sandy Tenant Improvement grant to help create a new restaurant here. At the time of this writing, Mr. Corbin intends to open his own restaurant at the site featuring quality burgers and sausages made on site.
• Joy Teriyaki: After a very long wait, Joy Teriyaki will be opening their new restaurant with a soft open on May 21. Their grand opening/ribbon cutting will take place on Saturday, May 26 and will feature several prominent local politicians including our current state senator, Chuck Thomsen. (Justin Hwang, owner of the franchise, is running for office in a neighboring district.)

Internal Projects:

• Downtown maintenance: We are beginning to focus our efforts on the downtown a bit more as spring kicks into gear. Flower baskets are up, and AntFarm’s watering contract is in effect. We are going to be collecting the remaining East County Gazette paper boxes lingering in our downtown (the paper is no longer being published) shortly, and beginning a number of façade projects that are currently in the works. We are also in the beginning stages of a push to clean up some of the derelict buildings downtown. Stay tuned…
• Community Partnership Program grant: Since we didn’t use all of the money allocated for our community due to the fact that we only had two valid applications, we requested that the AntFarm request for funding a farmer’s market study be fully funded (they had other funding from other grants listed in their original request) so the other sources of funding could be used elsewhere. Clackamas County Tourism was happy to grant that request, so AntFarm will be receiving $6,000 for this study instead of the $2,500 they originally requested.Also, I should receive plans this week for the new Meinig Park Gateway Arch. We hope to get this constructed as quickly as possible to have ready for the summer concert series and Mountain Festival if possible.
• CGI: I am currently beginning the process of updating our Welcome videos on the main page of our website with CGI Communications, the company that created them for us. More to come soon (Mr. Mayor – We will also be updating the short video introduction that you did for us. I will get in touch with you sometime in the coming month to schedule this.)

Conferences/training:

• Travel Oregon Listening Session (April 4): This is an ongoing discussion started by Travel Oregon last year as they witnessed record numbers of tourists in the Columbia River Gorge. The takeaway from this event was that, with gawkers out to look at the fire damage from last year, plus rapidly increasing tourism from places like China, the Gorge is now at capacity. This should result in a lot more local tourism on our side of the mountain as locals look to get away from the congestion and hike and mountain bike in peace.
• SACC Candidates Forum (April 9): This event represents the first efforts from the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce to provide infrastructure for local elections. We invited all of the primary candidates for local public office to state their case and take questions from Chamber members and the public. It went exceptionally well, and we were inundated with thanks from the locals that came for putting on this event. The SACC Public Affairs Committee is looking forward to doing this again for the general election.

Planning issues: 

Sandyplace Apartments:  The apartments are moving along at a crisp pace. The demolition of the old structures and some tree removal has occurred.  If you have driven on Sandy Heights Street lately, you will have noticed the installation of orange sediment fencing and a great deal of grading/excavation on the site. Staff anticipates issuing foundation permits for at least four of the buildings in the next few weeks and vertical construction of some of the structures occurring soon thereafter.

Pioneer Meadows Subdivision:  Edison Homes is moving forward with development of the 27 lot townhouse subdivision at the intersection of Meeker Street and University Avenue.  The subdivision has utilities, improved streets, and the parking court already constructed.  Staff anticipates that the subdivision plat will be recorded in the next few weeks and home construction will begin sometime towards the end of April or in early May. This subdivision will enable another 70+ people to move into Sandy.

Marshall Ridge Subdivision:  Planning Commission held a public hearing for the 39 lot single family home subdivision on March 26. After a lengthy meeting and some additional concepts presented by the applicant, the Planning Commission decided to continue the hearing to April 23. Planning staff is working hard to update the 70+ page staff report to give updated recommendations based on a revised layout of the subdivision which now contains 37 lots with more tree retention and street connectivity as recommended by staff.

Other large reviews being conducted:

• Sandy Bluff Annex 6: 43 lot single family home subdivision north of Olson Street
• Jewelberry Ridge: 10 lot single family home subdivision west of Jewelberry & north of Olson St.
• US Metal Works: Design review of three industrial buildings south of Industrial Way

Other large reviews being submitted soon:

• Tractor Supply Store – Design review for large building west of Champion Way
• Brittsview Heights – 23 lot single family home subdivision west of Village Blvd. and south of the Snowberry subdivision

Here is a comprehensive picture of residential development in Sandy in the midst of this period of intense growth.  Activity through March 31 of this year.

Internal projects:

Staffing:  Our webmaster in-training, Angie Robinson, is no longer with the City of Sandy.  The placement company that placed her with us felt that her training needs would be better served in an academic-only program and decided not to focus on direct job training for her at this time.

Pleasant St. Master Plan/Downtown Walkability Plan:

• Pleasant St. Master Plan: All public engagement activities for the PSMP are complete.  Over 100 surveys were completed, and we had approximately 90 people attend the open house on March 14^th.  Emma will begin drafting the final report shortly; Council can expect a first reading of this report in June.
• Downtown Walkability Plan: Surveys are complete – there were over 100 responses.  Pop up mapping will begin shortly with opportunities for the community to show where they walk will be placed at convenient local hot spots like AntFarm Café, Sandy Public Library and City Hall.  The community walking audit is in the planning process, tentatively scheduled for the beginning of May.  Council participation would be greatly appreciated – please contact Emma at eporricolo@cityofsandy.com or at 503-783-2586.
• Public input surveys are live until the beginning of March (116 received so far). In process of finalizing the analysis criteria; this will be complete by the end of February.  Pop up mapping (pre-determined location where interactive maps will be set up and user input encouraged.

Façade Program & Public Infrastructure (current projects): 

• Sandy City Hall – Admin: Work is 95% complete – contractor will be putting on the finishing touches this weekend.
• Sandy City Hall – Stairs:
• AntFarm Café back door: Scope of work and bid requests going out next week.
• Joe’s Donuts: Still waiting for clear weather to paint roof – otherwise complete.