Title
Presentation to Inform City Commission about Proposed Redevelopment of the Lower Campus of the Forest Edge Apartments Complex
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
There is no recommended City Commission action at this time. Our objective is to inform the City Commission and the public of an application to re-occupy the lower campus of the Forest Edge Apartments. We foresee this proposal to be a community interest item. In addition, given the challenges of this project we underscore the expectation that the application and all subsequent submittal information receive the highest regard of review and scrutiny. The City’s review includes many technical criteria including Natural Resource Overlay District Code, Geologic Hazard Code, Site Plan and Design Review Code, including Stormwater and Grading Design Standards, and Building Code.
BACKGROUND:
The Forest Edge Apartments are located at 14155 Beavercreek Road, Oregon City, Oregon. The apartments consist of an Upper Campus and Lower Campus connected by a paved roadway that traverses an incised drainage way which separates the two campuses. The apartment buildings on the Lower Campus were evacuated in the winter of 2015 following emergency declarations by the City Commission (Resolution 15-39 and 15-40) due to significant rainfall that saturated the soil and created a dangerous situation for the residents. With renewed significant landslide activity, the Building Official deemed the lower campus builds to be “Dangerous Buildings” and the Lower Campus was closed for occupancy, and it has been vacant since 2015.
This presentation will summarize the current state of the proposed redevelopment efforts for the Lower Campus of the Forest Edge Apartments. The property was purchased by RJL Holdings, LLC in 2016 with the purpose of stabilizing and rehabilitating the lower campus. In July 2018, GeoDesign, Inc. provided the City with a comprehensive geotechnical report summarizing the geologic characterization of the site, subsurface exploration program, slope stability analysis, preliminary geotechnical recommendations, and installation and performance of a preliminary subsurface dewatering system installed at the Lower Campus. Since preparation of the comprehensive report, PACE Engineers, Inc. has prepared preliminary plans for reconstructing the Lower Campus. Plans include reconstruction of roads and utilities to restore the complex to a habitable condition. A new stormwater management system is proposed to manage stormwater from both the Lower and Upper Campuses to a discharge point at an established natural drainage downstream of the built area. Surface water from the Berryhill slope will also be collected and diverted as part of this new stormwater system to mitigate the slope stability hazards.
The applicant is applying for a combined Geologic Hazards Overlay District, Natural Resources Overlay District, and Site Plan and Design Review application (GLUA 19-0001: SP-19-00127, NROD-19-00012, GEO 19-00012). The applications are generally for the existing drywells and proposed driveway connection onsite. Type II decisions involve the exercise of limited interpretation and discretion in evaluating approval criteria, and does not include a public hearing. The public is invited to submit written comments to the Planning Division while the public comment period is open from December 5, 2019 through December 19, 2019. Any written public comment received at the December 4th presentation will be added to the record during the comment period. The Community Development Director's decision is based on the applicable approval criteria and is appealable to the City Commission by any party who submitted comments in writing before the expiration of the comment period. Review by the City Commission is on the record. The City Commission decision is the City's final decision and may be appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) within twenty-one days.
Link to land use project page: https://www.orcity.org/planning/project/glua-19-0001-sp-19-00127-nrod-19-00012-geo-19-00012
BUDGET IMPACT:
Amount: N/A
FY(s): N/A
Funding Source: N/A