Milwaukie planning panel approves charter school at industrial site with safety conditions

The Milwaukie Planning Commission on July 14 approved a Type 3 conditional use permit (CSU-2026-001) to allow a K–12 public charter school at 5000 Southeast International Way in the Business Industrial Zone, voting 5–0 after deliberations about traffic, child safety and zoning compatibility.

Senior Planner Ryan Dyer summarized the record and post-hearing comments, telling the commission that "the city did receive 3 additional comments: 2 of those were in support of the application, and 1 was in opposition," and that no new evidence had been submitted during the reopened record. Commissioners emphasized the limited scope of the review: the applicant bears the burden of showing the proposal meets the Milwaukie Municipal Code's Type 3 criteria.

Chair Greatrick framed the debate around safety and compatibility, saying, "The primary reason being that we are here to talk about ... the safety of children," and urged that parental guidance and school materials make safety expectations clear because a crosswalk in front of the facility will be closed. Commissioner Sherman and other members said opposition raised largely philosophical concerns about placing schools in industrial zones but agreed that the site's record, conditions and applicable criteria supported approval. "I think I'm ready to kind of move forward on this," Sherman said during deliberations.

Commissioner Hess, who participated remotely, noted the student catchment: "20% of the student base is about a 100 kids," and said that factored into transportation and connectivity considerations. Commissioners discussed transportation analyses presented to the record and whether truck traffic or pedestrian connectivity would create unmitigable safety risks; most members said the evidence and proposed conditions addressed the commission's statutory criteria.

As part of the approval, commissioners added one code-based requirement and two formal recommendations. The requirement specifies maintaining clear-vision lines at the east entrance (in practice meaning regular trimming of ivy and foliage so sightlines meet code). The recommendations ask the school to include cautionary language in its student handbook about limited bike-lane access and to coordinate messaging for after-hours facility users (via the North Clackamas School District or facility reservation processes) so occasional users understand biking risks.

The conditions also require the applicant to submit a traffic-monitoring plan one year after operations begin as a one-time proof-of-concept; staff explained that the plan functions alongside complaint-driven enforcement. Planning staff described the operational approach to traffic impacts: complaints or city staff observations would trigger discussions with the applicant and, if necessary, proposed mitigations.

Commissioner Sherman moved to approve CSU-2026-001 "with the updated findings and the updated conditions of approval as edited by the planning commission tonight on 07/14/2026." A second commissioner supported the motion, and the commission conducted a roll-call vote that recorded aye votes from Commissioners Steer, Sherman, Lauther, Hess and Chair Greatrick. Chair Greatrick announced, "Application CSU-2026-001 is approved." The chair also noted that appeals to the city council must be filed within 15 days of the mailing of the notice of decision.

The commission briefly acted as the Community Involvement Advisory Committee for non-agenda items, with members reporting on local events such as Milwaukie Fest and upcoming Porchfest activities. The meeting concluded after a short discussion about downtown height standards and scheduling of future hearings.