Members of a Troutdale committee on Tuesday elected Aaron as chair and Leanne Stefan as vice chair and then spent the bulk of the meeting outlining next steps to prepare an application for a proposed local historic district.

The committee voted by voice on the officer nominations without recorded roll-call tallies. After the brief elections, planning staff described the required application materials and timelines, and committee members divided up blocks for photo documentation and narrative write-ups that the group will assemble after a planned city code amendment clears city council.

Nick, a planning staff member, told the group that “one of the approval criteria of our district application … is survey documentation, typologic and describing all buildings and related features in the district, improving their basic characteristics, and assessing whether or not they contribute to the historic character of the district.” He said much of that work exists in committee files but that members would need to fill gaps, take new photos and produce short narratives on individual properties.

Planning staff reported that the planning commission had approved a recommendation to send the code amendment to city council. Staff said council would hold a first reading on October 14 and a second reading — the council vote — on October 28; staff noted that if both readings pass, the committee can submit its district application under the new code language. Committee members agreed the application itself would follow the code change and that the group would work through the fall to compile photos and narratives.

Committee members discussed logistics for conducting a survey: splitting the district into blocks so volunteers could photograph properties on dry days; capturing an address or written note with each photo so images can be reliably matched to addresses; and using existing sources such as a previously compiled list of historic properties, city GIS exports and current Google Street View imagery as starting points. Several members volunteered to be primary photographers for defined color-coded blocks; others agreed to help with research and writeups.

Members agreed on a practical standard for the survey’s age criterion: properties built about 50 years old or earlier (roughly 1975 and older) would be prioritized as likely candidates to be considered contributing resources, while the group would still document all buildings within the proposed boundaries.

Committee participants flagged other items tied to the district effort: confirming an agreed boundary (committee materials contained a 2021-generated boundary that staff said was not the final boundary to be used), creating a single shared folder and spreadsheet for photos and metadata, and public outreach (newsletter, Facebook, flyers and in-person notices at local businesses) to let property owners know they may be photographed for the inventory. Staff said materials intended for the city newsletter must be ready by October 6 for the November/December issue editing schedule.

The discussion also touched on related local items: the Sharon Nesbitt Heritage Park ribbon-cutting scheduled for October 29 at 1:30 p.m. and a pending Certified Local Government (CLG) notification expected next week. Staff introduced the city’s new manager, Mike Weston.

The meeting closed after members confirmed who would take individual blocks for photography and when narratives would be drafted so the group could “workshop” them at the next meeting.