Planning commission approves reclassification of West Baseline lot from transit‑oriented business to industrial

Washington County Planning Commission on Sept. 17 approved a plan amendment to change the land‑use designation of a 0.36‑acre vacant lot on West Baseline Road from Transit Oriented Business to Industrial. The commission, acting as the decision maker for this quasi‑judicial case (25‑160‑PA), voted 5‑0 to adopt the change after staff recommended approval and no members of the public testified.

Staff said the site’s physical context — a wall and light‑rail tracks to the north, a five‑lane arterial to the south and industrial uses immediately to the east and west — makes it poorly suited to a transit‑oriented designation. Tricia Garisco, associate planner with the Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation, summarized the staff recommendation: “Staff recommends the Planning Commission approve the plan amendment.”

The staff report described the lot as undeveloped, about 0.36 acres with roughly 100 feet of frontage on West Baseline Road. Staff said the parcel is more than one‑half mile from the nearest light‑rail station and farther than one‑quarter mile from the nearest bus stop, with the nearest marked crosswalks about a half‑mile to the east and a quarter‑mile to the west. Those distances, plus the physical barrier of the rail and retaining wall, led staff to conclude the site is not transit‑supportive or pedestrian‑oriented — key locational expectations for the Transit Oriented Business district. The lots immediately to the east and west are designated and developed as industrial.

Garisco described the transportation analysis offered by county transportation staff when commissioners asked about vehicle trips. “They ran those numbers and they concluded that, if it were to change to industrial, that the site would actually have fewer trips generated,” she said. Commissioner Peterson had asked for that clarification after a slide in the staff presentation noted “reduced trips.”

The staff report evaluated the proposal against the County Comprehensive Framework Plan for the Urban Area, the Washington County Community Development Code (CDC), the Metro Urban Growth Management Functional Plan and state planning rules, and concluded the change would be consistent with applicable criteria. The report noted prior land‑use decisions: the lot had been assigned R‑6 historically, an Ordinance No. 485 (1997) applied the Transit Oriented Business district to the lot and its neighbors, and a 2002 amendment returned eight adjoining lots to industrial but left this parcel in Transit Oriented Business due to access uncertainties. The staff recommendation found that, given current conditions, industrial better matches the site and adjacent properties and would allow more coherent development of the block.

Several service providers — Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue; Tualatin Valley Water District; Clean Water Services; Washington County Sheriff’s Office; and Beaverton School District — confirmed adequate services could be provided if the designation changes, the staff report said. The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) indicated the area is below its service threshold and that THPRD does not plan to extend services to the site.

No applicant representative requested to present at the hearing and no members of the public signed up to testify. After staff presentation and no in‑person or virtual testimony, the chair closed the public hearing and commissioners moved to deliberate. A motion to approve the plan amendment was made and seconded (movers not specified on the record). The clerk recorded votes of aye from Commissioner Just; Commissioner Peterson; Commissioner Rosenberry; Vice Chair Montielanco; and Chair Rachel Mori Boudou, for a 5‑0 passage.

Because the Planning Commission served as the decision maker for this quasi‑judicial urban plan amendment, the decision is final at the county level unless appealed to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA); appeals must be filed within 21 days after the board decision is mailed. The record for this hearing will remain available per county procedures and the commission noted the standard rights and deadlines for parties wishing to seek judicial review.

The approved designation aligns the parcel with neighboring industrial properties along West Baseline Road and, according to staff, is intended to allow more flexible and feasible redevelopment consistent with the area’s existing industrial character.

(Reporting note: The planning commission meeting packet and staff report for case file 25‑160‑PA contain maps, the staff findings, and the record of agency responses referenced in this article.)