Kelly Kenoyer
Of The New Era
A public hearing at Sweet Home City Council to consider a zoning change drew debate from the community and led to an evenly divided council with no decision.
At their July 28 meeting, councilors considered an order that would rezone a 26,552-square- foot section of land along Mountain View Road from a low-density residential zone to a medium-density residential zone.
This would allow an apartment building to be built there. The plots are close to where 23rd Avenue ends in a cul-de-sac next to Ironwood Street, and a neighbor who lives on Ironwood appeared at the meeting to oppose the development. The owner of the land showed up in support.
Mayor Greg Mahler, councilors Diane Gerson, Lisa Gourley, Cortney Nash, and Dave Trask attended the meeting, with James Goble calling in remotely. Councilor Susan Coleman was absent due to a family emergency, which left the council at an even number, primed for a deadlock vote.
According to Community and Economic Development Director Blair Larsen, that section of land was recommended for rezoning during the Planning Commission’s meeting on July 6, largely because the comprehensive plan already lists the property as medium density. There is also already an apartment complex nearby.
Vincent Adams, who lives on Mountain View, spoke in opposition to the rezoning.
“If it has to do with affordable housing, there’s property elsewhere,” Adams said. “Don’t do it in existing neighborhoods.”
Gourley pointed out that the property is in a gully, and asked whether an engineering review is required.
Larsen responded that the council hearing was solely related to a zoning change, so there isn’t a need for such a review until the building application materials come through.
“The property did recently change hands,” Larsen added. “They’ve made their intention, they’re doing the zone change because they want to do more than low density on that property.”
Nash said he wouldn’t want to live around affordable housing and expressed sympathy for the concerns of neighbors.
“Like this gentleman here said, there’s other property.”
Larsen then said there are no indications that this building would be affordable housing or subsidized in any way.
Gourley spoke in favor of the change.
“The housing market is so tight that we’re going to see more and more people trying to build housing. I just hope it’s tastefully done.”
Trask agreed that the market is tight.
“I don’t know how we deal with that if we turn all these people down.”
The council then took a vote. Mahler, Gourley and Trask voted in favor, while Gerson, Goble and Nash opposed the change. With Coleman absent from the meeting, the council was in a deadlock.
After the vote, the landowner, Jim Bradford, stepped forward after the vote to share his thoughts on the matter. He said he has no plans to build affordable housing units there, and instead wants to build “higher-end apartments, nicely landscaped.” All the traffic from the building would go through 23rd.
“There’s a huge need for housing in this area,” he said. “The goal is to take it to where the city wants it in the comprehensive plan.”
Bradford, who lives in Lebanon, said, “we want to add housing for the Sweet Home area as it’s badly needed right now.”
He said the building would provide tax revenue, and said he had already submitted a few building plans to the city, similar to what he’s been building in Lebanon.
Adams stepped up again after Bradford shared his piece, again voicing opposition.
“You’re squeezing a bunch of apartments in where there’s already established homes,” he said.
Nash then asked what it costs to rent an apartment in Sweet Home, and Bradford said apartments like those he’s building often cost $1,000 a month.
“That’s more than my house payment,” Nash responded.
Trask again voiced support for the zoning change.
“With the housing problems we have, I don’t understand why we wouldn’t want to build more.”
Gourley asked about the height of the building as planned, and Bradford again spoke up, saying he wants to build a three-story nine-plex with modern apartments. The hearing wasn’t to consider actual plans for a building, but Bradford said he has plans for a building that’s “nestled back in,” backing up to Mountain View.
“There’s room for yards, there’s room away from neighbors,” he said.
Trask said he’s seen many of those types of apartments in South Lebanon.
“They’re building them everywhere. Lebanon is building them absolutely everywhere.”
Gourley seemed to approve of the building as described.
“With your back to that hillside, that’s a more natural location.”
She said the purpose of the vote was to determine whether the owner has a right to build that kind of apartment, “and there’s already an apartment right there.”
Mahler then asked for a motion to reconsider. It again failed in a deadlock along the same lines: Mahler, Gourley and Trask in favor of a second vote, while Gerson, Goble and Nash opposed it.
“We’re still at a deadlock,” Mahler said. Larsen suggested the council wait until another meeting, when Coleman may be available to break the tie.
That motion, to continue the hearing to another meeting, narrowly passed, as Gerson joined the side in favor, with Goble and Nash opposed.
Council will reconsider the rezoning on Aug. 11.
In other action:
— The councilors opened their meeting with a moment of silence for the children lost in Sweet Home in the past year.
Mayor Greg Mahler fought back tears as he spoke about the losses. “Recently, as everyone is aware, we lost a young man just getting started in his life, Zachary Maynard. By all accounts he’s a hero, it should be noted. And this last week we lost an infant as well,” he said.
— Mayor Mahler was joined at the meeting by councilors Diane Gerson, Lisa Gourley, Cortney Nash and Dave Trask, with James Goble calling in remotely. Councilor Susan Coleman was absent due to a family emergency.
— Two neighbors who live on Ironwood, off 12th Avenue, gave public testimony about the poor quality of their street. Larry Angland said he hasn’t seen any work on the street since moving there 13 years ago. “It’s just become a pile of dirt out there,” here said. “I wanted to see if we could get some authority to do that work.”
Public Works Director Greg Springman said there’s little to be done until the city can get funds together for asphalt.
Another neighbor, Robert Cokley, suggested using a cheaper substitute to repair the street— “tar and pea gravel.” Springman said that kind of work is being done on 29th, but it can only be applied to streets that already have an asphalt base.
Community and Economic Development Director Blair Larsen suggested that the neighborhood could form an improvement district with the help of the city, which would allow them to set up taxes that would be used to fund the road repairs.
“If you’re looking at an improvement for just your neighborhood, you can petition to have a district. It’s just your neighbors paying for it, but the city can help with that,” Larsen said.
— Councilors held a public hearing to consider the annexation of a small plot of land into the city of Sweet Home. The land includes two tax lots located within the city’s urban growth boundary, a triangular section located between Elkhorn and Alder near Holley.
The applicant, Cindy Sieg, is the owner of the land and was present by conference call. Larsen said her motivation was to hook into the city’s wastewater system.
— Councilor Gerson asked for an update on the deferred water bills previously discussed by council previously. The city had adopted a policy in March to provide emergency relief for those struggling to pay bills by deferring the owed amounts on overdue accounts and ending water shut-offs.
At the last meeting, council discussed a plan to send warning letters on red paper to the remaining 131 accounts that were overdue. Finance Director Brandon Neish said over half the accounts have since paid their entire balance.
Of the remaining 60 or so, he said, “We’ve had two people set up a payment plan. Otherwise we haven’t heard from the others.”
— Gerson asked for an update from Police Chief Jeff Lynn on the community court project. He said numerous providers showed up to this month’s planning meeting, and there’s one more meeting scheduled for August to discuss the future of Sweet Home’s community court before the court gets “up and running in September.”