Title
Parks Ordinance Designating All Parks as Charter Parks
Body
BACKGROUND:
The Oregon City Charter recognizes the value of parks to the community. Chapter X of the Oregon City Charter details the purpose of maintaining parks for community enjoyment as well as protecting parks for future generations through limitations on park property uses.
Through the years, parks have been added to the Oregon City park system but not added to the Oregon City Charter. Oregon City Community Services Department currently operate 24 additional sites as public parks that are not listed as parks in the Oregon City Charter. Staff seek to add the additional park locations to the charter which will provide clarity for future planning and operations.
Oregon City Charter protects the following sites as Charter Parks: Atkinson Park, Barclay Park, Canemah Neighborhood Children's Park, Library Park, Clackamette Park, DC Latourette Park, End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, McLoughlin House, Rivercrest Park, Oregon City Pool and Waterboard Park.
At the direction of City Commission, staff have begun a process of researching City owned properties. This process includes reviewing property deeds, restrictions, tax lot details, legal descriptions and adjacent City owned tax lots. Through this research, staff are identifying non-charter park properties that can be most easily designated as charter parks. These parks will come forward in a future ordinance for charter protection. Other park properties will require additional research or further discussion and direction from Commission before moving forward with charter protection.
This presentation will include an update to Commission on the process to date and next steps.