The City of Lake Oswego has placed Measure 3-618 on the ballot asking voters to sacrifice a portion of the hard fought charter-protected Stevens Meadow Nature Preserve for a road improvement project that failed to consider design options that would have avoided destruction of this natural area. The LoveLOParks Steering Committee is voting ‘NO’ on Measure 3-618.
At the City Council Meeting on April 16, 2024, 13 citizens submitted written comments and 2 gave public comments in front of Council reminding the Council that Stevens Meadow is a charter-protected Nature Preserve, as well as deed and conservation easement protections from development, including road development.
Watch
- Susan Stevens Humel’s Public Comment at City Council (YouTube)
- Randall Yamada’s Public Comment at City Council (YouTube)
- Agenda Item 6.2 – Stafford Childs Intersection Improvements (1h 8m, YouTube)
Read
- Approved Meeting Minutes, Lake Oswego City Council 4/16/2024 (See section 6.2)
- Written comments below were duplicated from the City’s records archive for your convenience.
City Council: A Matter of Trust
Clackamas County has proposed some traffic improvements on Stafford Road. One item the troubles me is the proposal of a roundabout at the intersection of Childs and Stafford. The problem is that it requires taking some land on the north side of Childs, and this runs afoul of a Lake Oswego charter provision. Your solution is to refer this to the voters in the fall. The county seems to think they have us over a barrel– either do it our way, or we might just not make these needed improvements.
My inclination is to vote NO on this ballot referral, because there is a solution that does not require a challenge to the Charter. Did any of the council members or staff press the County officials on the alternatives to a roundabout?
If you look at the intersection on a satellite map, this intersection is nearly identical to that of McVey and South Shore, where a traffic light works well. It seems to me that a traffic light at Childs and Stafford could be installed without widening Childs Road. Stafford would need a left turn lane for northbound traffic at that intersection, but Childs could remain a two lane road, and no need to go through the convoluted process of needing additional property or asking voters to approve an exception to the City Charter. Please explore this option. Thank you.
I urge the City Council to support the intentions of the voters by doing whatever possible to stop any development or encroachment of our natural areas. There is pitifully little left and we cant keep chipping away at them. I have seen this process of gradual destruction for the 48 years I have lived here and enough is enough. Actually, we passed enough long ago. I live in a suburb because I want to be in a suburban environment. If one wants to live in a fully developed urban environment, there are plenty of other places to suit you. It is time for the city council to support the suburb of Lake Oswego instead of supporting urbanizing development.
To the LO City Council for April 16th meeting.
To say, I am completely stunned that any even thoughts of constructing a portion of Child’s Road on the Stevens Meadow Nature Preserve is an understatement. How can any discussion even occur when we Lake Oswego voters voted to codify into Law, Chapter X. That Land Use Law dictates to comply with those stated constraints. As a long time citizen, tax payer, volunteer, employee, etc etc. I stand with all my fellow voters to save and preserve our natural areas as we voted for and with LOVE LO PARKS.
To state that safety there is important is true; however, to state that pedestrians and, or bicycles need to be “protected there” is a gross over stretch. I am on Stafford almost daily…and in 365 days a year maybe you will see a dozen bikes and rarely a pedestrian. Crazy to bring in that statistic to play on safety concerns…really the problem is speeding, so lower the speed limit.
This statement is to vote to follow what we voters asked the Council and staff of Lake Oswego to enforce.
Continually to do “pet projects” without following the letter of the law continues to concern we citizens who thought we could trust our elected officials. Not too sure any more.
Please do what is the LAW!
Thank you, and Respectfully submitted
Dear City Councilors:
Please do not construct a road within Stevens Meadow Nature Preserve or instruct or assist Clackamas County in doing the same, as to do so without voters’ approval would violate the letter and spirit of chapter X of the City Charter.
Again, I would remind the City Council of the intent behind the passage of the Comprehensive Plan in 1973 under Gov. McCall which was to require citizen input (goal 1) and natural resources (goal 5) to be prominent considerations in civic decision-making. Gov. McCall foresaw that development interests would or may play an outsized influence in policy and practice. That is because he knew that “developers” often place their own members or those who benefit financially from them onto local city commissions and boards. Those boards and commissions advise City Councils and City Councils
as a body generally are often too timid to express their own opinions because collectively they don’t feel qualified enough relative to those advising them. So they defer to their paid professional staff and boards and commissions, many of whom, individually and collectively, have pro development and status quo biases. This is the danger and this is why citizen input and the state and local comprehensive plan provisions addressing natural resources are critically important
and necessary in our civic process.
Here, citizen input was clearly expressed with the passage of Measure 3-568.
Please ask and encourage Clackamas County and work with them to figure out a solution to safety concerns at this intersection that leaves Stevens Meadows unharmed. It could be something as simple as speed bumps, signs, lowering the speed limit, or a combination. Engineers love problems; I am sure they would be happy to figure something out.
Dear City Council,
One of the reasons I moved to Lake Oswego because the City was a Tree City of the US. I say ‘was’ because I have systematically seen the City cut down huge trees, beautiful trees. Please do not think that a new tree alleviates them from the responsibility for destroying a huge overstory. Secondary growth or understory trees and landscaped areas for parks are not all that we, as a city want, and certainly not the woodsy natural areas that many of us want. The birds and animals you displace are specific to the trees you cut down.
When I see tens of trees cut down it is time to speak up. I supported the Waluga Park protest against cutting down old trees in a charter protected park. I supported and voted for measure Measure 3-568 and added my name to the legal filing that to fight the flagrant abuse for Chapter X. The voters spoke when they ratified Measure 3-568.
Now the abuse fo Chapter 10 preservation of Nature Preserves continues with the encroachment of Stevens Meadows for the Stafford Road Improvements Project. Preservation and safety can simultaneously co-exist. That is what voters’ intended when they codified into law Chapter Xs’ significant land use regulations that directs the City to protect 15 Nature Preserves, a mere 290 acres combined, from all development inconsistent with preserving them as natural areas. I am wholeheartedly against destruction of a portion of Stevens Meadow and believe the City has other alternatives to choose from.
Choose another alternative please. Stop deceiving voters and hoping that they will not speak up. I will continue to speak out and hope for Lake Oswegos’ Council to understand that landscaped gardens are not all we want in Lake Oswego but also natural areas! Keep Stevens Meadow intact.
Dear Council,
The County’s proposal is unacceptable. When traffic safety was discussed, we were given two options: traffic signal vs. roundabout. There was no discussion of violating Chapter X.
Developer influence on the City created this mess in our town, and now the City is trying to work backwards.
Unless the proposed Stafford corridor improvements can be cancelled, it should be put to a vote by the people.
Dear Honorable Mayor Buck and City Council of Lake Oswego,
I am finding the City’s blatant disregard for the intent of Chapter X, to preserve natural areas in entirety, without development, improvements or ROADS, rather disturbing.
That citizens of LO must resort to legal measures against their own city to ensure what was approved by voters is ridiculous.
Just say no ot our Planning Dept?,
preserve Steven’s Meadow (Stafford Road Improvement Project) and Waluga Park. Take a page from Mountain Park’s Charter (a neglected quarter of LO population might be noted,) residents utilize urban forest trails daily. Nature requires undisturbed areas without
human interference to survive/thrive.
Thank you for your time in this matter.
To City County Members:
I understand that the County is considering a project in which there would be a negative impact to Stevens Meadow due to road construction. Please, please, please preserve our natural spaces and do not vote for this!
I feel betrayed by the City Council. You do not know what’s best for me. You certainly do not care what’s best for me. Were you to ask me, I would tell you maintaining the natural environment around me is pretty important. I voted for it.
FIRST YOU LOST MY RESPECT. Now you’ve lost my trust.
I beg you, do better.
I simply don’t understand why the City Council and City Staff chose to ignore the fact that 62% of the residents who voted in the 2019 election voted in support of Measure 3-568, which we hoped would protect 15 natural areas in Lake Oswego.
Was the proposal worded so precisely that there was no way to wiggle around it? Probably not, but clearly the intent was there. We were serious about our efforts to protect these natural areas. We were serious then, and we are serious now. We don’t want to see any intrusion, any destruction of these areas.
Council Members,
I am writing to express my severe disappointment regarding city staff and the Council’s continued attempts to circumvent the voters’ will with what appears to be a concerted effort to thwart the parameters of Chapter X. I ask that you correct your path and adhere to what your citizens have entrusted you to do. As civil servants, it is your duty to conduct yourselves in an ethical and moral manner as you represent the people of Lake Oswego. We need to trust our elected officials. Having the disturbing realization that your conduct is counter to creating an atmosphere of collaborative planning within the boundaries of our city charter is disingenuous at best and dishonest and manipulative in light of council’s current behavior and continued behavior when it comes to violating Chapter X. Please “reroute” your intentions and plans in relation to our land usage, specifically, in this case the Stafford-Child Intersection impingement on Steven’s Meadow Nature Preserve. Your citizens look forward to your ability and duty to correct this error. Please carry out the will of the people of Lake Oswego.
Council: I believe that dealing with Stevens Meadow in any other way than what is prescribed by Chapter X of our Charter is prohibited. Chapter X came about as a Citizen’s Initiative wherein 62% of the certified voters in Lake Oswego saw their benefit to be in preservation and in having rigid guardrails on development in the Nature Preserves. Stevens Meadow is a designated Nature Preserve. Chapter X prohibits all development within the Nature Preserve. Chapter X prohibits any roads for motorized vehicles. The status of Stevens Meadow and all of these Charter protected parks has been fixed since November 2, 2021 so none of this should come as a surprise to anyone.
Last week was the first I have heard about the County needing Stevens Meadows Property to build the Stafford Road Improvements Project. We completely support of the Title X protection of the Stevens Meadows property but need more information and time to develop recommendations for a path forward on the roadway construction project.
We know Stevens Park comes under Title X of the Lake Oswego Zoning Ordinance however, what other funding and Natural Area certification programs are associated with Stevens Meadows Natural Area?
What was the timing sequence of acquisition and of the Natural Area and the request by the by the County for Project use?
Are acquisition agreements with the County in place for the Metro Pecan Creek Natural Area and can they be modified.
Are modifications to the acquisition agreements for adjacent properties going to be necessary.
Does the County intend to acquire the entire Stevens Meadows property or is it only the 16,000 square feet along the roadway?
When was the County first aware the Stafford Road Improvement Project was going to impact the Natural Area.
It seems that the initial surveying for the project done prior to the initiation of the design work would have shown early on that acquisition of Stevens Meadow Natural Area Property was needed. There was no mention of the need to acquire the property in the Land Use Application for the Stafford Road Improvement Project.
Childs Road, the fronting street has a 60 foot right of way. More than enough for a two-way road. It is straight along Stevens Meadows and the Area of Work matches laterally into the existing street alignment on the far side of the easement. The Stafford Road Project Plans only show standard erosion control slope protection matting and a sediment protection berm 15 feet into the property. Why does additional property need to be taken?
A number of people in the Stafford area CPO are concerned about traffic flow problems developing as a result of the backup from the left hand turn into Johnson from Stafford and backup from the Rosemont roundabout. fI traffic backs up into the roundabout there will be no flow through. Another concern was placing the Roundabout over the Pecan Creek wetlands and Natural Area. Everyone is concerned about the extended closure of Stafford and Childs Roads during the construction process.
We are also concerned that by the time the project is complete, additional traffic from new development along Stafford Road will invalidate the improvements to flow and safety this
project was intended to solve. Others along the route are concerned about the loss of their property to roadway construction. Everyone wants safer streets but these are only short-term
solutions considering the growth being planned and already under construction.
With information about site conditions, surveying, land acquisition, and Natural Areas the Department of Transportation now has, they can revise the design to create an even safer, longer lasting, more environmentally sound solution to the traffic problems along Stafford Road.
From a cost analysis viewpoint, the elimination of the acquisition cost of Stevens Meadows as well as other properties around this location will equalize the cost of revising design layout of the project.