The clock is now ticking on the proposed residential redevelopment of the former Alpenrose Dairy in outer Southwest Portland.
City planners are beginning to seek feedback on what would be the largest new neighborhood since Forest Heights in outer Northwest Portland. Bureaus involved in the permitting process and affected neighborhood organizations have been asked for responses to the recently-completed subdivision application. The Hayhurst Neighborhood Association has scheduled an online meeting to solicit comments for 7 p.m. on July 30. It will also conduct an online survey and compile the results.
Additional public comments will be accepted when a city Hearings Officer takes testimony on the proposal beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 25. Written responses will be accept until the end of that day.
After the Hearings Officer rules whether the proposal complies with all land use planning requirements, that decision can be appealed to the City Council, which will makes it own decision. That, in turn, can be appealed to the state Land Use Board of Appeals, the Oregon Court of Appeals, and, ultimately, the Oregon Supreme Court.
West Hills Land Development wants to build 263 new homes on the 51-acre property just east of Beaverton. The new subdivision will be called Raleigh Crest and include a new street grid, additional connections adjacent streets, new water and sewer system connections, new stormwater management facilities, a new public park, and more.
Area residents have already expressed concerns about increasing traffic on adjacent streets, especially two-lane Southwest Shattuck Road on the eastern edge of the property. Beaverton has also expressed concerns about increased traffic through a quiet neighborhood just to the west of the property if the project goes forward.
A standing-room-only community meeting was held about transportation issues on the evening of Monday, June 24. It was attended by over 160 neighbors, along with officials from Portland, Metro, TriMet, Washington County, Beaverton, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Because of the size and complexity of the proposed subdivision, the project is subject to a Type III Land Use review to ensure it complies with multiple infrastructure requirements and environmental regulations. Although the developer submitted a preliminary application to the Portland Bureau of Development Services on April 25, it was deemed complete until July 15, kicking off a 30-day comment period.
The approval process is being conducted by Portland Permitting & Development, the new agency created by the City Council to streamline the city’s notoriously complicated permitting system. It issued a Request for Responses on July 15 to the city development review groups assigned roles in reviewing the land use application: Site Development, Life Safety, Fire, Environmental Services Development Review, Transportation Development Review, Water, and Urban Forestry. Also solicited were the Hayhurst Neighborhood Association and the District 4 Neighborhood Coalition, previously called Neighbors West/Northwest, which serves the neighborhood association in council District 4, where the property is located.
Despite the transportation concerns, no organized opposition to the project has surfaced so far. The June 24 meeting was hosted by Friends of Alpenrose, a community organization dedicated to minimizing the negative impacts of the project.
Outside of the neighborhood, Alpenrose Dairy was probably best known for the stadium that hosted the Little League Softball World Series from 1994 to 2019, Oregon’s only velodrome (the closest is in the Seattle area), a cyclocross course, a midget racetrack, and a small rodeo arena. Until it closed in late 2019, the 600-seat Alpenrose Opera House was home to school activities, community theater and choirs.
The project application and more information about giving feedback is available on the city’s website at portland.gov/ppd/zoning-land-use/events.
Information and links to the Hayhurst Neighborhood Association meeting is available on its website at swni.org/hayhurst-neighborhood-association.
Additional information about the community response is available at friendsofalpenrose.wordpress.com.
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