City moves to attach Parks Master Plan to Oregon City 2040; first reading approved with wording change for Buena Vista Club

The Oregon City Commission on June 4 approved the first reading of an ordinance to adopt the Parks Master Plan as an ancillary document to the Oregon City 2040 comprehensive plan, formalizing the city’s long-range parks strategy and positioning the city to pursue parks-related grants and system‑development fee updates.

Parks and Recreation Director Scott Archer summarized the public-engagement process and the plan’s highest priorities: multi‑use paved and unpaved trails, additional water access, an outdoor amphitheater, walking and jogging tracks, large community parks and conservation/open space. Archer said public input came from a statistically valid survey, open public surveys and multiple workshops.

The plan’s level‑of‑service analysis finds the city needs about 23 additional acres of neighborhood parkland now and projects about 29 acres by 2032. The plan catalogs existing parks (the staff report includes an Exhibit 1A map and park inventory) and proposes a capital improvement program. Estimated costs presented in the plan include roughly $53 million for new park development, about $32 million for trail needs and an overall program-level CIP of about $163 million when aspirational upgrades (about $52 million) are included.

Commissioner Mike Mitchell raised a policy concern over language in Exhibit 1A that said, in the Buena Vista Club entry, “if enough funding can be secured, the city reopening the building” (sic). Commissioners said reopening a city‑owned facility would be a policy decision for the commission and requested the text be softened. The commission amended the park summary so that the plan’s Buena Vista Club language reads that the city “could pursue” reopening the building if funding is secured.

Planning staff explained that an ancillary adoption is required so the plan can be used for grant applications and to inform future system‑development fee calculations; they noted the planning commission had recommended approval on May 12. Scott Archer said the city will now work through the plan’s prioritization and funding strategy in coming months and will bring the Parks Advisory Committee into the prioritization and outreach process.

Commissioners approved the ordinance’s first reading with the amendment. The amendment will be incorporated into the formal document before second reading.

The plan’s adoption as an attached ancillary document gives the parks plan formal status under the city’s comprehensive plan and will be used in grant applications and future capital‑funding discussions.