Title
Public Work Operations Center (Goal 2)
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Staff recommends the City Commission review and provide recommendations concerning implementation of the Public Works Department's Operation Division, Engineering Division, and Community Services (Parks) Operations, long term needs at 13895 Fir Street. In addition, Staff would like to affirm City Commission agreement for the interim and medium-term use of the Mountain View Reservoir site(s) and Center Street Lower- and Upper-Yard site(s) for Public Works and Park Operations uses.
BACKGROUND:
Goal 2: Address Critical Facility Needs
Redevelopment of the Fir Street Property
* Complete the redevelopment of the Fir Street property to accommodate the needs of
Parks Maintenance and the Public Works Department.
Public Works Department
* Determine the future use of the Public Works Operation Center property that is located
on Center Street once the move to the Fir Street facility is completed.
In 2010, the Planning and City Commissions adopted a Public Works Center Master Plan at the current Center Street location. Shortly after adoption, changes to the City Commissioners resulted in a reconsideration of the plan and ultimately, the plan was unsupported by the then sitting City Commission because the proposal was to remain at the existing location. Over the last several years, the City Commission and City staff have considered over 50 different sites inside the city limits. For a variety of reasons, the next City Commission settled on a redevelopment plan that would occur on the existing Center Street site.
Also, over the last several years Staff and various City Commissions have considered a variety of planning efforts, land use decisions, legal challenges, development proposals, land use appeals, property acquisitions, Resolutions, and legal maneuvering all of which has affirmed the use of the site for Public Works. Despite the ongoing confirmation of the intent to use the existing site, on February 2, 2018, the Willamette Weekly published news that "The Portland brewing world is being rocked by the news that 97-year-old Oregon City beer distributor General Distributors has been sold to one of the biggest distributors in the country, Portland-based Columbia Distributing." The plan was to close down the Oregon City warehouse on Fir Street. In June 2018 the City closed on the Fir Street property for $7,113,100 with the intention of redeveloping the site for Public Works and Parks Operations long term needs.
Staff will provide an update on the preliminary efforts to evaluate the Fir Street property for the Public Works Department’s Operations and Engineering Divisional and Parks Operations long term needs. In addition, the Mountain View Reservoir(s) site and Center Street Lower- and Upper-Yard site(s) will be considered for interim and medium-term Public Works and Parks uses.