Resident warns new seven‑unit development will overload parking, parkways and drains on Southeast 20th

Renell Coburn, a Milwaukie resident, told the Milwaukie City Council that a proposed seven‑unit multiplex on Southeast 20th Avenue and the city’s Greenway will add cars to parkways that are currently unimproved gravel and soil and risk inundating nearby drains. The comments were made during the council’s community‑comment portion of the March 29 council meeting at Milwaukie City Hall.

Coburn said the parkway strips on parts of Southeast 20th are effectively unpaved and hold water; she said similar nearby developments with on‑site parking still generate additional overnight street parking. “The cars are gonna come on to the street. They’re gonna start parking in these areas that are muddy, and the drains… Drain 2 is a mess already, and it’s very inundated,” she said.

The nut graf: Coburn urged the council to consider low‑cost, practical remedies — such as scraping and re‑graveling parkways, installing low rock berms, or using development fees in lieu — before new units come online so the public right‑of‑way, storm drains and pedestrian access are not damaged or made unsafe.

In a 10‑minute presentation illustrated with site photos, Coburn described three issues she said would worsen when new residents begin parking on the street: parkway failure and washout into storm drains; blocked sight lines and safety hazards from trailers and clustered parking; and blocked mailboxes and walkways that could prevent residents or delivery drivers from reaching homes. She said earlier repairs to her frontage required excavation and fresh rock because the existing surface became “a stinking mud swamp” in winter when cars parked on it.

Coburn suggested potential responses: re‑graveling or adding rock berms in parkways, using fees in lieu of construction (FILOC) or developer contributions to underwrite basic street and drainage work, and reviewing whether code should restrict permanent utility trailers parked on the street. She noted that current city code does not prohibit parking that blocks mailboxes or walkways and that signage in the right‑of‑way is constrained by municipal rules.

Council members thanked Coburn and said staff would follow up at the next meeting. Mayor Lisa Beatty briefly acknowledged the presentation and noted staff follow‑up would be appropriate to clarify process and funding questions.

Ending: Coburn said she will follow up with staff and the council and help coordinate neighbors; she told the council she hopes proactive work will avoid future disputes as housing increases in the neighborhood.