Design review committee recommends approval of Clackamas County treatment and transitional housing project
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Summary
On March 31, 2026, the Clackamas County Design Review Committee voted to recommend approval of land use application Z0516-25, endorsing design changes including a widened walkway, relocated trash enclosure, landscaping meeting a 15% requirement, and acoustic buffering; the planning director will issue the final decision.
The Clackamas County Design Review Committee voted March 31 to recommend approval of land use application Z0516-25, a two-building project for substance use treatment services and transitional housing, after staff said the proposal can meet design standards with conditions.
Planning staff member Mel Lord told the committee that staff believes "the project can meet the design standards, as proposed with conditions," and summarized changes the applicant made since a March 10 meeting, including widening an on-site walkway to five feet and moving a trash enclosure so haulers can circulate entirely on-site.
Sarah Vaz, project designer with Holst Architecture, described the site plan and program. She said Building 1 — near the south property line — is roughly a 30,000-square-foot, two-story structure with withdrawal-management beds and residential treatment rooms, and Building 2 includes an outpatient clinic and 36 transitional housing beds plus a small number of manager studios. Vaz said the outpatient wing is sized for about 250 patients per quarter. "We actually have 15.61%" site landscaping, she added, describing a revised planting schedule with species, spacing and sizing to meet the zoning requirement.
Key design adjustments cited by staff and the applicant included: - Relocating the trash enclosures to the west/southwest side of the parking area so trucks can enter and exit without backing over the sidewalk; the county sustainability and engineering teams reviewed and cleared the change. - Widening the primary pedestrian walkway to the five-foot minimum and adding bench seating and a small plaza to provide an amenity for a side-facing primary entrance. - Revising stormwater swales to follow Clackamas County standards, using precast wheel stops and ensuring clear planting areas. - Retaining existing healthy trees along the southern property line with tree protection and installing a seven-foot fence to meet buffering requirements adjacent to the residential neighbor. - Employing a high-albedo TPO roof (initial SRI about 98) on flat roof areas to reduce solar heat gain.
The committee discussed generator noise and acoustic mitigation. Committee member Daryl Mulch questioned whether the applicant’s proposed plywood barrier would address low-frequency noise from a generator, saying that plywood may "knock out all the highs" while generators produce lows. Vaz said the project engaged an acoustic design studio that recommended a two-layer 3/4-inch plywood barrier on a wood frame with western red cedar slats over the plywood and no gaps to provide both the appearance and the acoustic barrier; staff added a condition to finalize the acoustic details. County staff also noted the project team is coordinating with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) on demolition and potential salvage opportunities for the existing school building, and that the structure contains asbestos and lead, limiting salvage options.
Committee member Todd Islan moved to approve Z0516-25 "with the conditions recommended by staff," and Chetamar Desik seconded. The present members — Rita Baker, Daryl Mulch, Todd Islan and Chetamar Desik — voted in the affirmative and the committee passed the motion to recommend approval. Chair Rita Baker reminded attendees that the committee’s vote is a recommendation and that the planning director (or designee) will make the final decision, which can be appealed to the land use hearings officer within 12 days of that decision.
Next steps: staff will finalize conditions (including required landscaping buffering, trash enclosure details, and acoustic mitigation specifics) for the planning director’s decision. The applicant said it will continue coordination with SHPO on salvage review and provide any additional documentation requested by county staff.
The committee also received a brief staffing update: recruitment for additional Design Review Committee members is open, but no applications had been received at the time of the meeting.
