The Planning Commission at its Nov. 7 meeting held a public hearing for and approved a conditional use permit to the City of Sweet Home which allows Community Services Consortium to lease space at City Hall.
While CSC would provide needed resources for East Linn County, a nearby homeowner raised the question about the impact the organization would ultimately have in the area, and whether homeless or transitional residential services might grow out of CSC in the future.
CSC will lease approximately 3,200 square feet of the east side of City Hall, in addition to parking and storage space. Assistant City Manager Cecily Pretty said the lease is for a five-year term.
The portion of the building to be leased had not been renovated when the city moved in in 2019, and it has since been used for storage. The application indicates CSC intends to assist the city with renovations to the office space, which would include a separate front entrance, two bathrooms with showers, a washer and dryer, and general office space construction.
Pretty explained the showers are intended for the work crew that encounters a lot of poison oak while clearing vegetation.
City Hall is located in the Public Facility Zone. If the city leases any of its property, then the portion of leased property becomes taxable per ORS 307.110. Reading from the staff report, Planning & Building Manager Angela Clegg noted the bus stop at City Hall provides convenient access to CSC, and the organization is also offering in-kind services to the city, specifically fuel reduction work.
CSC’s Workforce Development crews would provide fuel reduction services 10 days a year (a $20,000 value) on public and private land by felling and bucking hazard trees; thinning trees in crowded stands; brushing, trimming, pruning surface and ladder fuels; chipping and hauling away debris; and delivering firewood for low income households. Additionally, they could write fuels reduction prescriptions based on Oregon State Fire Marshal standards.
The application states, “Their work is oriented toward wildfire prevention through the creation of defensible space, and/or the reduction of surface, ground, ladder and aerial fuels in areas within the Wildland Urban Interface. Fuels reduction on property within a WUI is especially important because of its proximity to timberlands.”
CSC provides services such as: supportive services and case management for veterans and families, SNAP training and employment program, community career coaching, job search assistance, resource navigation, work experience programs, WIOA youth programs (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), seasonal utility assistance, and forest fuels reduction/defensible space crews.
The Duck Hollow Homeowners Association submitted a letter indicating concerns from the neighborhood that abuts City Hall. Their concerns centered around potential impacts CSC’s services could have in the area, including “increased foot traffic, transient activity, loitering and access to our subdivision while people await services, the potential for increased criminal activity, unauthorized access to our wetland areas, increased noise pollution for adjacent properties, and the potential for future undisclosed services to impact the safety and standard of living for our association members.”
The HOA president, Eric Stutzer, spoke during the public hearing. While clarifying that he wasn’t exactly objecting to the proposal, he emphasized his concerns, more specifically the potential for a residential service, which the neighborhood opposes.
“We really don’t want to have a residential service right next door,” Stutzer said. “I know in the past CSC has tried to put the homeless shelter here, as well, and that was something that our subdivision was very, very concerned about… If their scope in the future is going to be residential and expansion, then it definitely would have some form of impact on our homeowners.”
Pretty explained to the commission that in her conversations with CSC, the subject of residential services has never come up. She added that, if that use were ever to be proposed, she believes it would require a change in the permit, and they would have to go through the permitting process again.
In other business, resident Michael Fulton asked the Planning Commission to reconsider codes regarding fencing and screening. He said that while he was a contractor, he’s built fencing using corrugated metal across the state, including here in Sweet Home, but he didn’t realize it was against Sweet Home’s code.
“I’m just hoping you guys will look at that, maybe look at some of the pictures, and maybe make change to that code,” he said.
Fulton noted the material is more affordable and more durable than wood.