Ever Green is Red Hot

The Evergreen Neighborhood Association meeting last night (Tue. 9/30) at the Catholic Church was hot.  Very hot!

Perhaps it was from the large number of bodies in the room, or maybe it was from the heat generated by the topic.  The developers for the Wizer Block (Block 137) attended the meeting at the request of the board of the NA to answer any questions the neighbors might have.

The audience was not shy about saying what was on their minds.  They fumed about the negative impacts to their area.  They steamed about the fact that the mixed-use development was too big:  Too many units (228), too many cars, too many dogs (50% to 70% for a whole complex is typical), too much congestion, too tall (code allows only 3 stories, a 4th story with exceptions), too dense - too massive, just too much of everything, except maybe parking (1.4 stalls / unit).

The air crackled with electricity while the audience fired questions at the developers, ENA and Brant Williams.  The participants barely got away unburned.   At times, the sizzling tempers flamed out of control to engulf the ENA board itself.  Ouch!

Cooler voices prevailed and at the close of the meeting it was agreed that the ENA would meet again without the developers or outsiders present so they could discuss, as a neighborhood, a recommendation for the Design Review Commission and City Council.

As a non-ENA member of the audience last night, I want to thank the board for organizing this meeting and the developers who graciously gave their time to listen to and answer questions from the neighbors.    The issues are serious and the end result (code changes) may possibly keep Lake Oswego from drifting too far towards a big city feel.  I don't think there was anyone last night who objects to change or growth, but it is the intensity and size of growth that is being challenged.

Citizens can let the Design Review Commission (DRC) know what they think about the design of the proposed development at the public hearing expected to be in December.  The Commission will hear testimony relating to design and code issues.  Some in the audience will be testifying that the city should not grant exceptions to this project and should stay within the stated 3-story limit as described in the Community Development Code (CDC).  Other objections may surface as well.

Points made during the meeting:

• The ENA has about 220 residences on record currently; the project, as planned, will double the number of dwellings in this neighborhood, overwhelming the existing neighborhood.
• Proposed 45% 1-bedroom, 45% 2-bedroom, 10% 3-bedroom
• Rent:  Approx. $2,200 per month for 1,000 sf.  
• Target market is 1) mature people moving from larger homes (2,500 - 3,500 sf) who don't want the upkeep of homeownership; 2) professional couples  with or without children - expect them to move to single family homes when children are about 2 years old; 3) young singles - emerging professionals.  
• Dogs:  The developer suggested a plan to have doggie bags and a waste bin available for pet owners. 
• Driveways to parking garages on 1st and parking on 2nd will create more congestion - especially  on 1st St. across from Lake View Village on weekends and sunny days when area streets are crowded with visitors to the park, Lake View Village and downtown.  
• The height of the buildings (60' max.) will shade some neighbors' back yards even in July.  
• Breaking the project into 3 buildings and creating a public alley from 1st to 2nd St. is being done at a sacrifice to the developer.  Some people fear that the alley's proportions (narrow width compared to its height) will leave it shaded and uninviting most of the day.  
• A Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon study calculated that the development would be short about 80 parking stalls necessary to accommodate the residential and retail/restaurant uses proposed.  The Chamber questions the city's parking study as seriously flawed in that it leans heavily on shared parking, and that it will be a disaster for downtown businesses if not enough parking is available.  Presumably the same would be true for Lake Grove and other commercial zones.
• The expected increase in property taxes will be about $630,000, with most of the increase going into the Redevelopment fund.  LORA (public) contributions are expected to be about $6 million.  
• The height of the buildings will be taller than any in the area.  Barry Cain, developer of Lake View Village, said that while he supported development, the project was just too big.  

The East End Redevelopment Plan calls for only 30-70 hotel or residential units total.  It begs the question, what do we have plans for if they are tossed aside when the wind blows in a different direction?  What is it the citizens can count on from their elected leaders who direct the city manager who supervises city staff?  Is this a bottom-up, top down, outside-in or inside-out operation?  How confident can residents be that what was agreed to in the past will be what is done in the future?  If changes are in order, shouldn't we know about it ahead of time and why change is necessary?  If there is question about why citizens do not trust government, then look no further than this controversy to see who will influence what Lake Oswego will become.      

See Project J Block 137, pg. 25 of the East End Redevelopment Plan.  Did you know that there were plans for a new library on the Wizer site overlooking Millennium Park?  Neither did I.

So, what do you think?  Is this a good project for Lake Oswego?  Should it be modified to fit the character of Lake Oswego and lessen impacts on the inhabitants?   Come prepared to the DRC hearing later this year.