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Residents urge removal of proposed housing from Ponds District and faster wetlands protections
Summary
Multiple public commenters told the council the draft Waterfront Vision Plan misrepresents planning commission recommendations and that maps should be corrected to remove dense housing overlays from floodplain wetlands south of 5th Avenue; they urged expedited environmental review and DEQ engagement.
Four members of the public spoke during the work session to press the council for clearer protections for wetlands and to correct plan maps that, they said, still depict housing in sensitive areas.
Sandy Carter of Advocates for Willamette Falls Heritage praised the plan’s vision but asked the council to "specifically encourag[e] the preservation of some of the built industrial structures currently on Moores Island for repurposing and interpretation." Russ Sacks told council he remains concerned the packet "misrepresents" the planning commission’s September 17 action and that maps on pages 17 and 36 still show the Ponds District area south of 5th Avenue as a potential development area despite the planning commission’s recommendation to remove that depiction.
Terrence Shoemaker urged the council to acknowledge that the planning commission amended the draft plan to remove references to housing development in the Ponds District and requested that the council update the records and maps accordingly. Jim Edwards, while complimentary of staff and consultants, asked that plan language be as clear as possible while leaving room for necessary technical study.
Councilors responded by directing staff to update the maps to use the 1996 flood-elevation boundary and to remove the planning-stage medium-density shading for the Ponds District; staff said they would return with language options that aim to encourage preservation where feasible and clarify how development opportunity areas relate to floodplain mapping.
