Coos Bay planning panel hears proposal for 30 workforce homes on former Inglewood School site

The Coos Bay Planning Commission on Dec. 9 heard a developer presentation and public testimony on a proposed 30‑unit planned unit development on the former Inglewood Elementary School site that would change the property from mixed‑use to small‑lot residential and amend the city’s comprehensive plan.

Developer Darren Nichols of Compass Communities said the 2.21‑acre project would produce 30 smaller, owner‑occupied homes intended for Coos Bay’s workforce, aimed at households earning about 80%–120% of area median income and priced in the developer’s target range of roughly $225,000 to $325,000. ‘‘There will be no rentals. None of these units are for rent. These are for sale only,’’ Nichols said.

Staff said the proposal includes a conditional use permit for zero‑lot‑line construction, a vacation of a portion of unimproved South 15th Street to gain two additional units, and a publicly accessible pedestrian trail built within a public‑access easement. City staff noted the property was remediated after a 2014 fire and that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a letter of no further action in 2023, clearing the site for redevelopment.

Neighbors raised repeated concerns about on‑street parking, stormwater drainage and slope stability. Sondra Sperling of Pennsylvania Place testified she was ‘‘horrified’’ by the amount of on‑street parking shown in the plans and said one‑car garages could be inadequate for working families with multiple vehicles. Alan Ellis, whose property abuts the site, said water has run into his backyard for years and asked whether the development would remedy existing drainage problems.

In response, the developer and staff said a 2022 traffic impact study prepared for a higher‑density proposal found surrounding roads operating at level‑of‑service A or B and that the project’s anticipated trips would be lower; staff said they will contact the original traffic engineer to confirm the study’s applicability. The developer said the team is working on stormwater and geotechnical analyses and intends to design a system that diverts runoff into the storm sewer and addresses legacy drainage issues.

City Manager Nicole Rutherford noted previous efforts by Coos County, the city and a local community action agency to develop the site as subsidized rental housing, and said the current proposal is an alternative that could put new homes on the tax rolls without state or federal subsidies. Several commenters urged sidewalks, street lighting and clearer parking layout on the steep stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Commissioners asked technical questions about parking counts, street naming for emergency access, and whether the city or homeowners would maintain the trail; staff and the developer said maintenance discussions are ongoing and that the city would likely maintain the trail under a public access easement.

The planning commission did not record a formal final vote on the land‑use application during the meeting; staff said the commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council, which is tentatively scheduled to hold a public hearing on the application on Jan. 20 at 6 p.m.