Like viewpoints on Sweet Home’s identity and what direction it should take in the future, viewpoints on various land use issues were often balanced between opposing viewpoints in the survey completed over the summer by the City of Sweet Home.
The City of Sweet Home received 670 completed surveys of 4,159 sent to each household in the city and 806 of those sent to students in School District 55.
The survey results will be used to help update Sweet Home’s planning documents and ordinances. The information also will be shared with other groups in the community as they plan for the future including groups such as Sweet Home Economic Development Group, the school district and others.
The second part of the survey keyed in on commercial, industrial and residential areas.
Commercial Areas
A majority of those surveyed, 54.6 percent, thought that efforts should be made to make Sweet Home and Foster seem more like one city. Of those, a third thought that could be achieved by having similar landscaping from one end of tow to the other. A quarter thought Highway 20 should be referred to as Main Street throughout town. Overall, about 30 percent did not believe that the effort should be made.
Of those surveyed, 47 percent thought businesses should fill in and spread out all along Main Street, while 32 percent leaned toward keeping development limited to three areas, downtown, Midway and Foster.
Addressing the issue of residents shopping out of town, survey takers cited greater selection and competitive prices as the major ways to get them to stay in town. Numerous others suggested better quality, longer business hours and making businesses look better as ways to improve in-town shopping.
When new businesses come to town, about 40 percent thought the cost of extending infrastructure should be split between the developer and the city, while most others split about evenly between requiring the city or requiring the developer to pay the full cost.
On parking, 37.2 percent said there is no parking problem in Sweet Home while 37.5 percent said there is. Of those responding to the question, 58.1 percent said the city should not use tax dollars to expand parking, and 41.9 percent said taxes should be used.
About 48 percent of respondents said that the commercial areas do not need a Sisters-style theme to attract visitors to town while just more than 42 percent thought it should have a theme. Those advocating a theme suggested themes from western and timber to nature and rural.
With 1,120 answers to the question of what to do to encourage the economy of Sweet Home, 422 suggested recruiting new businesses, primarily clothing and variety stores with a large number also suggesting light industry. Also, 261 thought tourism should be encouraged, and 221 said that existing businesses should be improved.
Of 809 responses, 231 persons thought that city funds should be use to improve the appearance of the entryways into Sweet Home; 180 thought the Chamber of Commerce, along with 118 suggesting other economic development groups, should coordinate and implement improvements; 144 thought the entryways were fine they way they area; and 136 suggest a volunteer effort to improve them. Of 978 responses, 363 persons thought the entryways should be landscaped, and 300 suggested that area outside of the city limits be cleaned up.
Industrial Areas
The majority of respondents, 65 percent, thought that economic development groups, including the Sweet Home Economic Development Group, the Sweet Home Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce, should be responsible for recruiting new industry, while a fourth of the responses to the question suggested that the City of Sweet Home be responsible.
Of 663 responses, 277 indicated that there should be specific industrial zones for each type of industrial use, heavy, light and clean. By contrast, 129 responses indicated a preference for one industrial zone for all uses and 123 suggested only light or clean industry be allowed. A later question, with 908 responses, said that the industrial areas need to be cleaned up, 304, and clean industry should be encouraged over heavy industry, 259. On that question, 212 thought landscaping should be built around sites, and 134 suggested an industrial park be built.
Residential Areas
With regard to care and maintenance of homes in the city, the survey received 1,145 responses. Of those 299 thought there is a lack of pride in owning homes in Sweet Home, 231 thought renters do not take care of their homes, 211 thought landlords to do not take care of their properties while 123 thought most owners and renters take good care of their homes. Other responses suggested that it is no one’s business how an owner takes care of their property, 79. Sixty-nine said vehicles should be allowed to be stored in yards, and 63 thought there should be a volunteer group that deals with residential property cleanup.
A number of streets in Sweet Home do not have sidewalks, curbs and gutters, storm water drainage or hard-surfaced travel lanes. Of 428 responses to this question, 234 suggested it was fine the way it is and 194 thought property owners should be required to add infrastructure.
In paying for those improvements, 243 of 586 respondents thought the city should pay for the work with taxes, 214 thought local improvement districts should be used where property owners pay the cost through the city over time and 64 thought property owners should pay the full cost. Respondents thought that sidewalks need to be a top priority between Ninth Avenue and Clark Mill Road and between Wiley Creek and Foster Dam.
Regarding design standards on new homes, respondents were split, with 47.7 percent saying there should not be any and 253 saying there should be.
Respondents were more closely split on whether there should be multiple residential zones with different standards, 290 saying no and 281 saying yes. A majority, 366, thought that new developments should be required to add infrastructure as a prerequisite for building permits. Two hundred thirty-five disagreed. A similar majority also thought developers should be required to complete landscaping requirements.
City government has received a number of comments that suggest that the city should regulate trees on private property. Of 740 responses, 329 said trees should not be regulated, 227 said the city should require some trees to be saved when developing land, 139 suggested that there be a maintenance requirement on private trees with 45 comments suggesting that the city regulate private trees beyond the requirements of the state government.
The city has adopted standards set by the state for developing property in flood plains. Of 580 respondents on the question, 299 thought that the regulation was okay the way it is now; but 283 thought there should be less or no development at all in flood plains.
Most respondents thought that developers should dedicate a portion of their land to be used for parks or open and green areas. Of 648 responses, 303 said they should and 145 said they should not be required to make the dedication. One hundred eight suggested developers include shared common areas in new developments, and 92 suggested the creation of a systems development charge to collect money for future parks.
On drainage, the survey received 594 responses, with 293 suggesting that developers should be required to improve their drainage systems and on nearby properties sharing the drainage system. Two hundred seventeen suggested that developers only make the improvements on their own property while 84 said the city should not require drainage improvements.
City ordinance limits the amount of ground on a lot that can be covered by a structure. Three hundred twenty-one of 544 respondents said that limitation should be expanded to include any ground covered by a surface that will not allow the ground to absorb the water, driveways for example. Two hundred twenty-three said the limitation should not be expanded.
Multi-family Housing
Cities are required by the state to provide all types of housing from houses to apartments. Based on population estimated, the city will need to plan for 223 units of multi-family housing, which can be a number of different types, from apartments to condominiums and town houses. Of 1,153 responses, 234 preferred the development of townhouses; 207, condominiums; 176, apartments; 172, senior housing; 150, low-income housing; 139, assisted-living units; and 75, none.
In locating the housing, nearly 80 percent of those responding thought the new units should be located east of 18th Avenue.
According to the survey, persons have said that apartments and other multi-family housing should not be allowed in neighborhoods of single-family homes. State law requires a variety of compatible uses within zones. Sweet Home’s ordinance allows multi-family housing in high-density residential and both commercial zones as outright uses. Of 669 responses, 192 suggested that multi-family housing infill Long Street west of Mountain View; 121 suggested mixing it with single-family homes; 111 suggested east of 15th Avenue on Main Street; 107 said it should not be allowed anywhere; 78 said the downtown area; and 60 had other suggestions.
Not many of the viewpoints expressed in this area of the survey held a large majority, City Planner Carol Lewis said. Weighing the different viewpoints in the next step of the process is the job of consultants hired by the city to draft policies reflecting those viewpoints, state law and other requirements of Oregon’s land-use planning system.
The resulting policies will be reviewed and may be adopted by the City of Sweet Home as part of the periodic review process, which requires the city to update its planning codes and documents to reflect current state law.
Measure 7 adds new complications to the process, Lewis said.
The measure, passed on Nov. 7 by voters statewide, requires government agencies to pay property owners for regulations that reduce the market value of their property.
With that, existing high-density residential zones are unlikely to have density reduced or other restrictions imposed, Lewis said, and requiring dedications of land from new developments for parks, a popular position in the survey, is also unlikely because the city does not have that money it would take to pay for the regulation.
The final effect, just how restrictive Measure 7 will be on government agencies, depends on legislative and court interpretations, Lewis said. If cities implementing regulations is too expensive, that “de-empowers” the opposition to various developments in the land use process.
The next steps in the periodic review process will include public hearings and meetings on the ideas presented in the survey and finally by the adoption of new ordinances by the city council.
For more information about the survey or periodic review, persons may contact Lewis at 367-8113.