Oregon City homeowners plead for relief as complaint-driven sidewalk notices threaten McLaughlin Historic District

Homeowners in Oregon City’s McLaughlin Historic District urged the City Commission on June 4 for immediate relief after dozens of property owners received city notices requiring complete sidewalk panel replacement.

Residents said the notices follow an unusually large number of complaints submitted about sidewalks in the neighborhood and that the required full-panel replacements — not limited repairs or grinding — could force some longtime owners to sell. “Some people literally said this is going to bankrupt me if I do this,” resident Scott Dunphy told the commission.

The city manager, responding during the meeting’s public-comment segment, said Oregon City’s code places liability for sidewalks with property owners and that the city’s sidewalk program was designed to address lifted or cracked sidewalks, particularly those caused by street trees. The manager said staff would review the sidewalk replacement and reimbursement program and explore options to help affected homeowners, including the available grant funds and possible consolidation of work to reduce contractor costs.

Code Enforcement Manager Ryan Kersey explained the process for complaints and inspections: “All the complaints we receive go to the public works engineering department first,” he said, and public-works staff walk the site with owners to determine what repairs are allowed under current programs. Kersey confirmed some homeowners do qualify for the city’s existing reimbursement program but said others do not because the current rules require the damage to be caused by city trees to get reimbursement.

Residents told commissioners the impact extends beyond repair bills. Christina Hart (who uses Georgie), a homeowner, said many neighbors face compounding repairs — old sewer and water lines, retaining walls and other deferred maintenance — and replacing sidewalks now could trigger much larger renovation costs: “It ends up being something much bigger than the $7,000 sidewalk repair … and balloons very quickly into something that’s $45,000 to $50,000.”

Police and city staff also addressed complaints of intimidation tied to enforcement. The city’s police chief said officers investigate calls and that residents should contact the department so incidents are documented, adding that documentation helps determine when conduct rises to stalking or harassment and to enable appropriate referrals to prosecutors. City staff said some residents reported contractors being confronted and that restraining orders have been filed in some cases.

Commissioners acknowledged the hardship described by residents and agreed to return the issue to a work session. Mayor Denise McGriff said staff should put the topic near the top of the agenda for the commission’s upcoming work session; commissioners and staff discussed options including extending repair deadlines, consolidating multiple jobs under one contractor to reduce per-house costs, and reviewing the reimbursement eligibility standards.

The commission and staff stopped short of changing code at the meeting; instead commissioners asked staff to prepare options for the work session, and the city manager said staff would bring back information about grinding versus full replacement standards, timing extensions, and how the city’s pavement/ADA programs and available funds could be applied to reduce the burden on historic-home owners.

The commission’s request for a work session and staff follow-up was the only formal direction taken at the meeting; no ordinance or emergency rule change was adopted that night.