Planning Commission recommends Campus Industrial zoning for Oregon City School District parcel

The Oregon City Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the city commission approve zone change ZC01-02, which would rezone an approximately 18-acre parcel owned by the Oregon City School District from Clackamas County "Future Urban, 10-acre minimum" to City of Oregon City "Campus Industrial" (CI).

Maggie Collins, filling in for Barbara Shields, presented the staff report and said the parcel is the remaining piece of a consolidated about-68-acre future high school campus. Staff concluded the request meets the applicable comprehensive plan and public facilities criteria, and noted that while school uses are not permitted outright in the CI zone, they can be authorized through a conditional use permit tied to future site-plan review. The staff report recommended the planning commission forward a recommendation of approval and adopt proposed ordinance 01-01023.

During deliberations commissioners confirmed the property had been annexed previously and that the zoning designation had not been changed at annexation. Staff clarified that future deviations from the approved site plan would require a conditional use permit review; routine site-plan actions would be handled administratively. Commissioners also discussed that the CI zone allows light manufacturing and industrial uses and that the choice followed prior city/county planning guidance; staff said the approach avoided a comprehensive plan map amendment.

With no public testimony, the commission closed the quasi-judicial hearing and adopted a motion to recommend the city commission approve the zone change and adopt proposed ordinance 01-01023. The motion passed unanimously.