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Officials, residents discuss closing Stayton-area park-and-ride after town hall on homelessness and wetlands concerns
Summary
County, city and state officials and residents met at a town hall to discuss persistent homelessness, environmental contamination and public-safety concerns at a park-and-ride owned by ODOT; officials said closure and concrete barricades are likely next steps while cities consider acquisition or redevelopment.
Marion County officials and nearby city representatives met with about two dozen community members Tuesday evening at a town hall to discuss homelessness, public-safety incidents and impacts to wetlands at an Oregon Department of Transportation-owned park-and-ride near Stayton and Sublimity.
The county’s board office convened the meeting with partners including Cherriots transit, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon State Police and local city staff. County officials and community members described repeated camping and related behavior near the wetland that neighbors say has caused environmental contamination and crime.
County officials said the group reached a consensus that closing the park-and-ride would likely be best for the neighboring community. Officials said Cherriots agreed the site was not substantially used for park-and-ride purposes and that buses could stop at a nearby street stop instead.
County staff asked the two cities to bring the matter to their respective city council agendas before ODOT pursues formal closure. Stayton City staff (referred to in the meeting as “Counselor Sims from Stayton”) suggested the city might explore acquiring the property from ODOT and pursue redevelopment, which staff said could provide a more active and welcoming use for the site.
Commander Bernards of the Oregon State Police (temporary assignment to the area, per the meeting) told attendees that closing a comparable park-and-ride on Golf Club Road previously had not produced continued issues and that physical barriers would make the site difficult to access.
Residents at the meeting described increased local crime and at least one resident said she had upgraded home security because of incidents. Attendees asked which agency would be responsible for addressing potential toxic contamination in the wetland; county staff said they would follow up with ODOT on mitigation responsibility and costs.
County staff reported they deterred several people from camping during the meeting and that an interaction between a person at the site and an Oregon State Police officer occurred near the end of the session. The board office said it expects the cities to complete council discussions and then coordinate with ODOT in early July on next steps.
No formal action or vote was taken by the commissioners at the end of the town‑hall update; the item was a report for the record and next steps will depend on conversations between the cities and ODOT.
