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Council advances waterfront vision plan; advocates press to remove development shading near wetlands
Summary
Staff presented map and text edits for the waterfront vision plan and council signaled support for language encouraging adaptive reuse while public commenters pressed to remove a developable-area shading near wetlands and highlighted remediation concerns and a petition of more than 3,850 signatures.
Council and staff moved the waterfront vision plan toward adoption while addressing public concerns about wetlands, preservation and contamination.
Nicole Jackson, speaking for Friends of Willamette Wetlands, urged the council to preserve the wetlands and remove a potential development shading south of 5th Avenue, saying the change would reflect strong public feedback: "we have over 3,850 signatures from community members who really wanna see that area preserved." Staff and council clarified that the yellow map shading indicates areas that are technically outside the floodplain and is not an endorsement of development; council removed specific "medium density residential" language in earlier edits.
Consultant Adrian Witte summarized map edits (flood-boundary adjustments to reflect a historic 1996 contour in one area, addition of ecological corridors, and removal of a planning-stage medium-density label in the Pond District) and presented optional preservation and affordable-housing bullets for council direction. Advocates Dan Butler and Aurelia Rebecker and Historic Review Board member Kirsten Solberg urged stronger preservation and adaptive reuse language and asked staff to consider remediation and floodplain design standards; Solberg recommended referencing FEMA base flood documents for design requirements.
Councilors debated precise wording and coalesced around a hybrid bullet that "encourages rehabilitation and reuse of key historic structures where economically feasible" and asked staff to draft language that reflects partnership with private property owners and economic realities. The council set the adoption target for Nov. 18 and asked staff to circulate the recommended language options to the council in advance of the business meeting.
