The Sweet Home Planning Commission last week approved a request to partition 980 Mountain View Road into three lots.
In October, the commission continued the hearing to its regular meeting on Nov. 5 to allow the property owner, Mark C. Rose of Corvallis, to redraw the proposed property lines. Based on a misunderstanding of property width requirements, Rose requested that the commission continue the hearing.
Commissioners were concerned about fitting in space for a fire engine to turn around on the property. The new plans include a space for firefighting vehicles and Rose must obtain approval from the fire chief to move forward with the project.
A single home already exists on the 38,000-square-foot property. Rose plans to construct houses on each lot.
The buildable area is constrained by steep hillsides sloping down from Mountain View.
Present and voting to approve the partition were Henry Wolthuis, Eva Jurney, Greg Stephens, Thomas Herb and Chairman Lance Gatchell. Edie Wilcox was absent.
In other business, the commission:
– Approved a variance 3-2 to allow the construction of a 1,728-square-foot shop building at 203 5th Ave., which is owned by James Pickett. The property is located south of Oak Heights Ele-mentary, between 5th and 7th avenues.
Voting to approve were Wolthuis, Stephens and Herb. Voting against approval were Jurney and Gatchell.
City code normally allows for an maximum size of 864 square feet for an accessory structure in a low-density residential zone.
– Approved a variance to the 75-foot natural resource corridor requirement to allow construction of a single-family dwelling on a pre-existing concrete slab located within 75 feet of the South Santiam River at 1720 9th Ave., owned by Richard and Sandra Williams.
The applicant was Patsy A. Rice.
The approval changes the requirement from 75 feet to 50 feet from the river.
The applicant requested the variance due to the constraints of the property, including topography and the shape of the parcel.
One neighbor, James Risinger, told the commission by written comment that he preferred not to have the small riverfront lot developed because it contains a lot of wildlife. Clearing it would remove cover the animals regularly use. He also was concerned that development would probably result in erosion because it is steep.
The applicant does not plan to disturb any new ground or remove any native vegetation below the minimum proposed setback of 52 feet, according to the city’s staff report on the application. Staff members found that to be an adequate buffer to prevent erosion.
As a condition of approval, the development must comply with Endangered Species Act regulations.
– Approved an extension of a conditional use permit for the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was approved on Dec. 18, 2017 and was set to expire on Dec. 18, 2018.
The 10.5-acre property is located at 1357 to 1359 Pleasant Valley Road, adjacent to Pleasant Valley Boat Ramp.
The city requested a four-year extension, requiring the proposed use to be substantially established by Dec. 18, 2022.
The conditional use permit allows the city to expand and improve the facilities at the plant in order to comply with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality requirements.