Clackamas County supports idea of ballot initiative regarding road work near Lake Oswego park

The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners sent a letter to the city of Lake Oswego last week stating that it supports the local government’s plan to prepare a ballot initiative that — if approved — would pave the way for a road improvement project to move forward despite park property restrictions.

The letter was penned in response to a message the city sent in May to the county indicating its intent to prepare a ballot initiative that would amend Chapter X, which was approved by Lake Oswego voters in 2021 and mandated that most forms of development not occur at city-owned parks, to allow for a road improvement project to impinge on a small portion of the Stevens Meadows property (which is 20.5 acres and located outside of city limits).

The county’s project would include adding a roundabout at Childs Road, realigning an intersection at Johnson Road and Stafford Road, adding a southbound left-turn lane at Johnson Road and adding bike lanes along Stafford Road. The City Council preferred the ballot initiative idea to risking the county nixing the project entirely or litigation over whether the county could acquire the property unilaterally through eminent domain. In meetings this year, Mayor Joe Buck expressed the city’s intent to protect its charter through litigation if necessary, but also said he sensed that the county would scrap the project instead of undergoing a legal battle.

In a letter signed by Vice Chair Ben West, the county board expressed support for the ballot idea and laid out the county’s options moving forward.

“The Board will reconsider its project options going forward once we know the results of the initiative. If the initiative is not approved, those options may include proceeding with condemnation of a portion of the Steven Meadows property or withdrawing from the project entirely and redirecting the funds to other important road projects in the county,” the letter reads.

City Manager Martha Bennett said during a May meeting that the next step following a positive response from the county would be to conduct polling to gauge community interest in the ballot initiative idea. The city will need to complete this ballot initiative process by July to place it on the November ballot.