Hearings officer Joe Turner holds record open for Sanders Court gym after staff recommends denial

Hearings officer Joe Turner held a July 16, 2026 public hearing on application Z0144-26, a request to use an existing structure on a roughly 5.98-acre parcel near the Clackamas'Washington county line as a private recreational gym and related offices and storage. Staff recommended denial because the application did not demonstrate compliance with multiple conditional-use standards and lacked substantive supporting analyses.

"Staff do recommend denial based on the application that was reviewed," said Miss Fields, the county staff member who summarized the planning report. Fields told the hearing the proposal presented an existing building and a parking plan showing 20 spaces, but staff calculated the site would require about 41 parking spaces under the county's parking standard for recreational facilities. Fields also said the property sits in a groundwater-limited area and the record lacks a hydrogeologic review to show whether enough water is available to support the use.

Betsy Close, representing property owners Matt and Toby Sanders, said the Sanders view the project, "Sanders Court," as a community resource and that they will complete required inspections and improvements. "We're committed to completing all of those requirements," Close said, acknowledging they were surprised to learn a 2022 building permit had not received a final inspection and had expired.

Close asked for time to provide the missing analyses, including a hydrogeologic report, a parking redesign that addresses tree and slope impacts, and confirmation from Washington County that the road serving the site is safe and adequate. Turner and staff agreed that transportation confirmation must come from Washington County because the road is outside Clackamas County jurisdiction.

Andrea Hall, a senior code enforcement officer, told the hearing she has worked with the Sanders since December 2023 and stated that "the Sanders were found in violation of the building code and the zoning and development ordinance" and that the enforcement file has been referred to county counsel for circuit-court enforcement after the property owners did not comply with a prior hearings-officer order.

To allow the applicant time to assemble the required evidence, Turner said he would hold the record open for new submissions through Sept. 25, 2026 (materials due by 4 p.m.). The county and the public would then have until Oct. 15, 2026 at 4 p.m. to file responses; the applicant could file a final written argument by Oct. 22, 2026. Turner said he would attempt to issue a decision about two weeks after that (target Nov. 5) but asked the applicant to submit a written tolling of the county's 150-day decision clock that would extend the outer decision deadline to Nov. 20. Close agreed and said the applicants would provide the tolling statement within a week.

Turner asked the applicant to be specific about what must be resolved prior to approval. Staff listed the hydrogeologic report, Washington County's transportation concurrence, a parking plan that meets the county standard and explains impacts on trees and slopes, and identification of which comprehensive-plan goals and policies the proposed use would satisfy.

The hearing closed after Turner confirmed the schedule and the outstanding items for the applicant to address. No formal decision was made at the hearing; the record will be reopened for the deadlines set by Turner to allow submittal of additional evidence and written argument.