Corvallis, Benton County approve preliminary comp plan amendment and county zone change for Highway 99 property

The Corvallis City Council and the Benton County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved tentative actions on a comprehensive plan map amendment and a county zoning map amendment affecting the former Lewisburg Auction parcel at Northwest Highway 99 and Lewisburg Road.

City senior planner Ryan Amminton told the joint hearing that the request, CPA-2023-2, would change approximately 2.78 acres of a 2.87-acre site from low-density residential on the Corvallis comprehensive plan map to mixed-use commercial and that Benton County’s concurrent request (LU-24-006) would change the county zoning from urban residential to urban commercial. "In summary, staff finds that the request complies with the applicable statewide planning goals, Corvallis comp plan policies and Benton County comp plan provisions," Amminton said, recommending tentative approval.

The staff reports said the site is about 1.7 miles north of Corvallis’ city limits, lies within a mapped major neighborhood center and fronts state Highway 99 West (an ODOT facility). The packet cites the city’s 2016 buildable lands inventory showing a deficit of about 54 acres of mixed‑use commercial land and a surplus of roughly 3,000 units worth of low‑density residential land within the urban growth boundary; staff said the amendment would address the commercial deficit without creating a shortfall in residential land.

County senior planner Toby Lewis told the board the property has a long history of commercial use (the Lewisburg auction and later arbor care operations), that the county had no record of residential uses on the parcel, and that a 2020 county land‑use interpretation found the arbor‑care operation inconsistent with urban residential zoning but consistent with urban commercial zoning. Lewis said a small riparian overlay (about 0.02 acres) and a flood hazard area (under half an acre) lie in the parcel’s northeast corner.

Applicant representative David Dodson and property owners Vernon and Priscilla Esplin told the hearing the existing tree‑care business intends to continue operating and that ODOT recently required consolidation of multiple driveways into a single access serving the properties. Dodson said the requested county zoning would align the official zone with the long‑standing commercial use.

A councilor raised a question about potential contamination from historic vehicle and equipment storage and the presence of two wells on the property, noting proximity to Mountain View Creek. Amminton replied that environmental issues are addressed at the development stage and that comprehensive plan map amendments are not conditioned for site cleanup; any future development would be reviewed under county regulations or, if annexed, under city standards.

No members of the public testified in person or virtually during the hearing. Both the Corvallis and Benton County planning commissions had previously held a joint planning commission hearing on Dec. 3, 2024, and each recommended approval.

On the council floor, Councilor Schaeffer moved "to preliminarily approve the VP comprehensive plan map amendment case CPA-2023-2 subject to adoption of findings and conclusions and an implementing ordinance to be prepared by staff and presented at a future council meeting." The motion passed unanimously (7–0). The county chair moved to direct staff to prepare an ordinance approving LU-24-006; that motion also passed unanimously (2–0). County staff noted the first reading of the implementing ordinance is scheduled for April 15, 2025, at the Benton County Kalapuya Meeting Room.

Next steps outlined at the hearing include preparation of findings and an implementing ordinance by staff and future public hearings tied to annexation and any prospective city zoning if the property is later annexed into Corvallis. Staff and commissioners emphasized that practical changes on the ground — such as utility extensions and specific development plans — would require separate applications and reviews. The joint hearing was then adjourned.