Clackamas County hearings officer will rule on sheriff’s request to use Highway 99 warehouse; landscaping and parking flexibility remain open

A Clackamas County hearings officer said he will issue a written decision within about two weeks on a conditional use permit requested by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office to use an existing warehouse on two small tax lots along Highway 99 E.

Joy Fields, a county planner who summarized the staff report, told the panel that staff recommended approval with conditions after finding the site—a combined 0.37 acres between the railroad and Highway 99—suitable for a government (institutional) use in the RRFF-5 zone. "The staff report recommended approval with conditions," Fields said, noting the application was deemed complete on Nov. 17 and that the planning review period ends April 16, 2026.

The application would allow the sheriff’s marine unit to occupy an existing 5,543-square-foot warehouse at 21455 South Highway 99 E as a workshop and storage facility for marine equipment, without proposing exterior modifications. Applicant representative Cali Light of Relevant Building Company said the county use would not increase vehicle trips because the private storage use would cease. "The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office is requesting tenancy to use the warehouse as a workshop or storage facility for their marine equipment," Light said.

Staff flagged two technical issues that shaped condition language. First, staff did not find permits documenting plumbing or interior utilities and noted the applicant had not submitted preliminary feasibility statements for water, septic, or surface-water management; staff therefore treated certain utility-related criteria as not applicable but warned additional surface-water management may be required for a change-of-use permit. Second, a five-foot landscape strip and screening required by ZDO 1009.03(b) and ZDO 1009.04 would ordinarily apply to the parking area, but a drainage ditch and ODOT right-of-way between the highway and the property make it difficult to install new landscaping in that exact location.

Fields said ODOT was the only outside agency to comment and had no objection to the application, while flagging that coordination would be required for any changes to access or a railroad crossing. Turner, the hearings officer, asked pointed questions about which ZDO sections applied and whether the parking must lie on the same tax lot as the warehouse; planning staff confirmed parking standards are in ZDO 10-15 and said the proposed separate tax-lot parking raised no planning objection given the notice that was posted.

County staff and the applicant discussed options to meet the buffering and screening requirements. Fields noted that ZDO 1009.04(e) allows alternative buffering methods that provide an adequate buffer considering the nature of impacts, and that RRFF-5 setback language calls for sufficient setback to permit a landscape or natural buffer. Light said the applicant prefers to locate the two required parking spaces close to the building for operational convenience but could relocate parking to a landscaped portion of the site if necessary; the applicant asked the hearings officer to give flexibility in the conditions of approval to allow either location depending on what ultimately satisfies transportation, engineering and fire-code review.

After taking those issues under advisement, hearings officer Joe Turner closed the hearing. "Based on the findings in the staff report, this application does or will comply with the applicable approval criteria, subject to the conditions," Turner said, adding he would draft conditions that provide flexibility for the parking location and address the landscaping concern. He said he expects to issue a written decision within about two weeks and that the county will distribute the decision to parties of record.

The hearing record includes staff exhibits and the applicant’s PowerPoint; the applicant waived the right to submit a final written argument but asked that the PowerPoint be entered as an exhibit. The application now awaits Turner’s written decision, which will reflect the conditions of approval and the options for meeting landscaping and parking requirements.