Property owners and business owners in downtown Beaverton told the City Council that a city code-compliance demand to eliminate storefront parking at 4925 Southwest Angel Avenue would harm small businesses, and the council asked staff to work with the parties for six months.

Business owners and tenants — including Jacqueline Lady, co-founder of MUTS Coffee; Mark Wilcox, co-founder of Muts Coffee Roasters; and property co-owner Guy Hamilton — told the council that the parking area in front of MUTS and Yubi Sushi has been used for years and is critical to customer access, especially for people with mobility needs and families with small children. "The change to our parking will reduce our available spots by two thirds and increase congestion on the street," Mark Wilcox said, describing the potential business impact.

Property owner Novella Hamilton said the parking enhancements were documented and approved as part of a tenant-improvement grant the city supported, and she asked the council to suspend compliance enforcement scheduled for January 13, 2025, allow time for review of submitted evidence, and create a collaborative review process. Resident Eleanor Garnett also appealed to the council, saying the parking increased safety and accessibility for neighbors and helped local businesses thrive.

Mayor Beatty told the speakers that staff had reviewed the submissions and that the council would give the parties "a 6 month time frame so that we have some time, that you guys have time to work with the staff on some of the ... code complaints issues," directing staff to schedule a meeting between the property owners and relevant city departments.

Owners and tenants stressed the potential economic harm of an abrupt change, with one business owner saying the loss of parking could force a small business to leave the neighborhood. Property owners said the city had previously invested in the building through multiple grants and that the sudden reversal of prior approvals was a "broken promise." The council asked staff to follow up and to try to find a mutually acceptable path forward; no formal vote was taken during public comment.

The city manager and code compliance staff were directed to meet with the property owners and report back; the council indicated that the compliance timeline would be adjusted to allow that process to proceed.