Beaverton council remands truck-parking decision after parents, businesses press safety concerns near Arco Iris school

Beaverton City Council on June 3 remanded Traffic Commission Order TC 8 61 back to the Traffic Commission after parents, school officials and a business property manager pressed for stronger limits on overnight semi-trailer parking around Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School.

Parents and school leaders said long-term trailer parking on Stratus Street, Nimbus Avenue and Cirrus Drive is creating safety and access problems for the school’s roughly 400 students and neighbors. Jesus Uriales, executive director and principal of Arco Iris, told the council the traffic commission approved only a limited 50-foot buffer after the February hearing and that the city’s traffic engineer had recommended stronger restrictions. “This is not simply a matter of convenience, it is a matter of student safety,” Uriales said.

Multiple speakers described trucks parked for days or weeks, trailers left on the street while truck cabs drove away, blocked sight lines at driveways, drivers maneuvering large vehicles near crosswalks, and people sleeping in cabs. Parent speakers Jessica Warner, Crystal Badillo, Adriana Kusaba and Lindsey Fowler asked the council to require an expanded overnight restriction or to reopen the appeal process so the community can be heard before the next school year.

Schnitzer Properties regional manager Emily Amatsu, who represents the Parkside Business Center, said the industrial park’s tenants supported no overnight parking and that overnight street parking is being used by drivers avoiding paid storage. Amatsu also raised process concerns, saying the decision mailed to stakeholders after the traffic commission’s May order arrived late and left only one day to file an appeal.

Council members asked staff and the city attorney about options. City attorney Jabra (last name not specified in record) recommended remanding the matter to the traffic commission. City staff said delay in mailing the final order (the mailing went out Monday, May 5, rather than the Friday after the commission decision) and the traffic commission’s scheduling affected the appeal window. The traffic commission’s next meeting able to act on a remand would be in August, staff said; commissioners do not meet in July because of holiday rules.

Council members expressed urgency about acting before the new school year but also noted limits on the council’s authority to overturn the commission without a new recommending-body decision. Several councilors asked staff to explore whether an interim administrative order (for example, a temporary no-overnight-parking directive) could be issued; the city attorney said she would research interim administrative authority and report back.

Councilor Hassan moved to remand TC 8 61 to the Traffic Commission; Councillor Teeter seconded. The recorder called the roll and the motion passed 7-0.

What happens next: staff said they would gather additional information for the traffic commission — including photos, updated data and business impacts — to inform reconsideration. If the traffic commission issues a new order, that decision would carry a new appeal period; if no appeal follows, the commission’s decision would come to council for approval on consent.

Votes and formal actions from the meeting related to this topic appear below.