Listen to us, the people

The 5th meeting of the DRC public hearing regarding the controversial Wizer Block development permit application will be held tonight.  The testimony portion of the hearing is closed, and the Commissioners will now begin deliberations over the approval or denial of the application.

I was going to write about parking, or maybe the private rather than public nature of the buildings, perhaps the huge mass of the buildings with the pretty faces, or any number of ways the developers have flaunted or disabused our codes to meet their needs.  They did not succeed in meeting the most important one - that is to blend any new development into the fabric of our village core to meet the goals of the Redevelopment Plan and the desire of the people for a small-scaled town.

Among the many, many letters in opposition to the Wizer Big Block development is one by a frequent commenter to this blog, Gerry Good (Exhibit G-469).  I believe that his letter to the DRC is better than anything I could write.  Since his is a three-page letter, I have printed only the last few paragraphs.

Villages usually have shops not large amounts of residences in their core. The center of the village is where people come to shop, eat, gather, talk, etc., not live. 

To me then the proposed project just does not fit with our “village character” no matter to architectural accommodations as required by the code. Therefore I urge you to not approve this project based on the “village character” factor alone. It does not fit our “village” as I have shown in this statement

But I want to also ask you to understand where I believe our planning staff is coming from and why they are encouraging you to “approve” this proposal. As a citizen, looking at the approval process for Lake View Village, I found that staff actively worked with citizens particularly the neighborhoods to make the project acceptable. There were only two people who testified at the Lake View Village review by your predecessor body – the Presidents of the two neighborhoods affected by the project, First Addition and Evergreen. Each testified in support of the project! Not so today. Those same two people will speak against this proposal I believe as will many others 

Why is this happening? I believe it is because city staff no longer sees itself as the citizens’ advocates, there to represent the will of the citizens. City staff apparently has its own agenda which closely represents the agenda of Metro for more dense population within the urban growth boundary. Therefore, city staff if they have not already, will tell you “village character” does not apply; it stands in the way of their agenda and they have recently tried to have the term removed from the code. Ignore them; if it is in the code it applies.

In closing, I implore you to listen to us, the people of Lake Oswego and not take “direction” from City staff. You represent us; you do not work for staff, and you have the right to refuse this project on a broad array of grounds as I am sure many who testify will tell you, on terms much more technical than those I have used.

However, I want to ask you in closing to not approve this project quite simply because it does not fit with “village character”.

Gerry Good