Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Planning Commission delayed action on the Santiam River Club proposal Monday night when Jim Just, representing Friends of Linn County, requested the record be held open another seven days so he could comment further on connectivity issues related to the project.
Development by Design partners and consultants presented the master plan for the development Monday night.
The proposal details plans for more than 1,500 new homes, hotels, a private club, a commons area open to the public, retail elements and more on approximately 752 acres along the south bank of the South Santiam River. The project runs roughly from 18th Avenue to Wiley Creek and is bordered by the railroad to the south.
After receiving approval of its planned development application, Development by Design would be able to present specific plans for 18 different areas in the project. Once underway, the developer plans eight years to “build out.”
Al Grove and other neighbors living along Green River Drive, off 47th Avenue, supported the plan following changes Development by Design implemented after meeting with them.
With all of the tough times that Sweet Home has faced with the timber industry, Dan McCubbins of Sweet Home said, “this is a ray of hope for Sweet Home.”
He has been involved with developers who do not care about anything but their own wallets and ideas, he told the commission. This group of developers seem to have looked beyond that, soliciting public input and meeting with those potentially affected by their plans.
Friends of Linn County presented the only opposition to the planned development application.
“It is with some reluctance we speak in opposition to this application,” Just said. With a couple of tweaks, the application is something Friends of Linn County could support, including the narrow streets and clustering of some of various features.
The Friends of Linn County do not like the lack of connectivity, Just said.
The project is served by one main road running from 47th Avenue to 18th Avenue, with gates to prevent general public access. Smaller roads would branch off of the main road into the various development areas and include some cul de sacs.
The gates and lack of connectivity create neighborhoods that are “seemingly unconcerned with what goes on with the rest of the city,” Just told the commission. He has heard that improved connectivity is not feasible, but “a lack of feasibility isn’t in the (Transportation System Plan) as a reason for waiving it or ignoring it.
“I’m not saying it’s harmful. I’m pointing out what your Transportation System Plan says?. Whether I like it or not is really not relevant to this body. What’s relevant is how it complies with your Comprehensive Plan.”
After questioning from Commissioner Rich Rowley, Just explained that the Friends “think a lack of (connectivity) drives people to use the automobile for everything.” Connectivity is the ability of people to get from one place to another easily with multiple options for travel. Smaller block sizes encourage foot traffic over driving.
Presumably, those were the types of ideas that went into the creation of the Transportation System Plan, Just said. Beliefs one way or the other about the issue are not relevant.
“They’re in the Transportation System Plan, and you’re obligated to follow it,” Just said.
The plan’s level of detail was insufficient to determine the adequacy of the proposed network of trails and bicycle paths, Just said.
Commissioner Henry Wolthuis echoed Just’s concern about connectivity, with more than 4,000 persons being added to the city’s population but served by only two access points. He also expected the bulk of those persons would use the 18th Avenue access. He added concerns about the lack of sidewalks along some of the roads with children walking to and from school and wondered what people would do when they were visiting friends past the gates.
Chairman Dick Meyers said he viewed connectivity differently. He sees connectivity centered around collectors, which move traffic to arterials or to residential streets, connecting different areas with others.
He asked Just what he would suggest Development by Design should do. Just told Meyers to give him the seven days and he would return with options.
The gate on the west end of the road would be more of a welcoming area rather than a security point, consultant David Dodson told the commision. Delivery trucks, friends and school buses will be able to pass it easily.
The gates will limit general casual use by the public, Dodson said. To do less would take away the advantage of the development over its competitors.
It is more like a resort than a typical subdivision, such as Black Butte and Sun River, which have one and two access points respectively, Dodson said. “The intent is to create a different feel.”
While the road will be gated, “the majority of the trail system in this project will be available to the public,” Dodson said. If the project were urban with businesses located along the main road, it might be appropriate to build sidewalks.
Children will use the trail system, partner Phil Ordway said. Where they don’t and sidewalks are necessary, they will be constructed, along with a number of areas off site.
As the project develops, a traffic study shows improvements will be needed on 18th Avenue and the intersection with Main Street, Dodson said.
During construction, Hobson Real Estate Advisors, consulting for Development by Design, predicts creation of 809 jobs directly and 554 jobs indirectly with a total payroll of some $51 million, with ongoing operational payroll continuing afterward at about $15 million per year.
Development by Design representatives said they would do everything they could to ensure they used local labor.
The consultant anticipated $3.1 million in additional costs to the City of Sweet Home and School District 55 but provide revenues of $10.6 million.
The application is on hold until July 26, allowing Just seven days to prepare additional information for the commission and another seven days for Development by Design and anyone else to respond to the new information. The meeting will begin at 7:30 at the City Hall Annex.
The project includes a conditional use application for the City of Sweet Home to build a new water treatment facility on about five acres of the project.