Taming the final 'urban frontier'
Residents want more say over issues like light rail, development and police staffing
With little local control over development codes, no direct vote on the Portland-to-Milwaukie light rail line and with police staffing left to the needs of the sheriff’s office, a group of citizen leaders are pushing for the Oak Grove area to incorporate into a new city that would rival Oregon City in terms of population.
“This area’s referred to as the last urban frontier in the metro area,” said Hank Schmidt, an Oak Grove resident and one of the plan’s proponents. Since Schmidt moved into his home, Clackamas County changed its zoning designation to allow for more housing units per acre in the area, he said.
With those sorts of challenges looming, about 10 residents, calling themselves “conveners,” have begun looking at what incorporation would take, going so far as to present a draft budget. The area includes 28,000 people and could mirror the coverage area of the Oak Lodge Water District, from roughly the Willamette River to the top of Oatfield Ridge and from Milwaukie to Gladstone
North Clackamas’ unincorporated populations are known for their independence. While the different areas vary in character, their general opposition to outside influence was exemplified by the outcry when Milwaukie informed some unincorporated residents northeast of the city they would have to annex to get sewer service.
“This is the ultimate don’t-tread-on-me community," said Joe Krumm, who moderated a meeting last week to discuss the proposal.
“Some people are going to see (incorporation) as losing their independence,” Jeanne Garst pointed out.
Krumm said it’s the opposite.
“I think what it comes down to is do we want to keep our independence, do we want to have a say,” he said.
Local control needed
Meeting attendees expressed concern that the county and Metro would seek dense infill development and extend light rail down McLoughlin Boulevard. Residents are not necessarily opposed to such measures, but want local control over development and a more direct say in future light rail proceedings.
More than that, though, Dick Jones, another convener, said it’s about the day-to-day maintenance of the area, now affectionately referred to as the generic New City.
He said the sheriff’s office currently has eight officers patrolling Oak Grove. But if those officers are needed elsewhere, that number could dwindle.
In terms of code compliance, Jones said, “Today we only enforce a couple of things — life and safety issues — and I think there’s a real cry in the community for more code enforcement.”
And Jones thinks that by contracting out with the sheriff’s office for 14 New City-dedicated officers, with the fire district and with the county for road maintenance, the area can maintain its independent water and sewer districts and run functions such as planning on a minimal budget. Jones has gone so far as to say it can be done without raising taxes.
“That money is being raised today in theory to take care of Oak Grove — the only difference is we’re going to take care of Oak Grove,” he said. “Planning, code enforcement, roads, police are going to be done by people in your neighborhood.”
A rough budget draft without a tax increase would total about $4 million per year, allowing New City to hire a city manager, an administrative coordinator, a recorder, a planner and two support staff, plus a city attorney on an hourly basis.
Jones said the idea was to have a very conservative, limited government on par with Gladstone’s.
Skepticism remains
There was a fair amount of skepticism of the ability to incorporate without raising taxes, and half a dozen similar efforts have failed in the last 20 years. But most of the 30 or so non-conveners at the meeting to discuss the proposal were optimistic and in favor of it.
“When I first heard about this I thought, oh no, they’re not going to do this to us,” resident Irene Tegeler said. “When I came to the first meeting and TriMet was there and I heard what they were going to do, I said, ‘we’ve got to (incorporate).’”
Thelma Haggenmiller, another resident, said this attempt could succeed where others have failed because of the way it’s being done.
“It’s always been voted down by us because it’s come from up here,” she said, motioning over her head. “This time is different because it’s coming from these folks … this community is working from the bottom up.”
Aside from convincing neighbors of the economics of the plan, one of the biggest challenges may be in defining and selling what makes Oak Grove a cohesive and unique place.
The conveners’ next goals are to get answers to questions raised at last week’s meeting and simply to spread the word and get people involved.
“What I’m trying to do is cultivate the next layer of people that can be our team,” Jones said.
There will be another meeting to discuss the proposal at 7 p.m. on June 1 at Rose Villa.