By Greg Hartung
Land Use Co-Chair
Hello members of our Wilkes East Neighborhood Association.
The Wilkes East Neighborhood Association board regularly receives land use plans from the City of Gresham to notify us of land use projects within or proximity to the Wilkes East neighborhood boundaries.
Pre-Application PRE 23-00498: Early Neighborhood Notification of 2751 NE 181st Avenue & 2777-2789 NE 181st Avenue, Gresham, Oregon 97230. The owner is proposing to develop two (2) parcels with a new 7-Eleven 4-pump commercial truck commercial fueling station with a 30-foot by 68-foot canopy (approximately 18 feet tall). Also included is a small, 13'x11'/135 square foot compressor shed. A pedestrian pathway is proposed from the new fueling island to the existing 7-Eleven store. Access to the site will be via the existing driveway off NE 181st Avenue which will be widened to the south to accommodate larger trucks. The northern approach will also be widened to allow for larger turning movements.
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An exit-only will be constructed providing access for fueled trucks direct access onto NE 181st Avenue southbound (which has already been discussed and approved by City of Gresham transportation staff). The two existing lots may also be combined.
An Early Neighborhood Notification meeting will be tentatively scheduled for the week of July 29, 2024.
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Design review DR-23-00600, Location 17311 NE Halsey St, Portland Or 97230, proposal: Retroactive review of previous tree removal and approximately 25,000 square feet of outdoor storage area and conversion of parking to outdoor storage, plus new outdoor storage are of approximately 38,000 square feet. Applicant proposed a minor variance to exceed the maximum standard for outdoor storage by 20%. The proposed includes past and future removal of 111 regulated trees.
Wilkes East Neighborhood Association submitted public comments regarding the tree removal. They acknowledged the need for some tree removal to allow for business expansion but described the requested amount of tree removal as “excessive.” They described several benefits which mature trees provide to the urban landscape and noted their importance as a fixture of the Wilkes East Neighborhood.
Staff response Staff agree with the many benefits provided by mature trees as described by the Neighborhood Association. Preservation of mature trees is a goal of the City of Gresham. The City is presently revising the Tree Regulations in the Community Development Code to better reflect community values. While the tree removal associated with this application is significant, the applicant proposes to retain and protect 142 mature trees on site. The applicant does not propose removing more than the necessary number of trees to accommodate the proposed expansion of their outdoor storage area.
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Staff find that reasonable efforts have been made to retain mature trees where possible and that the applicant’s proposal meets the standards for Type II Tree Removal in Section 9.1000
All documents are also available online [link: https://greshamor-energovweb.tylerhost.net/apps/SelfService#/home].
If you have any questions about the decision, please contact Emily Langston at Emily.Langston@GreshamOregon.gov.
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Permit number BLDC-21-05690 Taco Bell New Build 181St. Location 2309 NE 181st Ave, Gresham, Or 97230. Land clearing and construction is underway for a new Taco Bell with drive through. The developer had disputed the Pedestrian ADA access ramp to 181st citing that the property does not have 181st frontage and pedestrian traffic is negligible.
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Landscaping requirement exceptions for 6 new trees that conflicted with overhead utilities was considered in lieu of a Tree Fund Contribution of $600 per tree. ODOT would not allow trees to be planted on the adjacent ODOT owned property.
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For these and other public records, you can visit the City of Gresham, OR
website: https://greshamor-energovweb.tylerhost.net. You do not need to create or register an account with online services to access project files.
To search for project files and public records: Click on the search icon.
In the screen that loads, type in the Plan case number in the search field and click on the search button. The page will reload with the results of the search, including highlighted direct links to cases. Click on the highlighted link for the Plan case. In the page that loads, click on the Attachments tab to view project files.
You can also view detailed instructions on how to search for public records at: https://greshamoregon.gov/workarea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=13448M.
If you have any questions about accessing the files online or any projects, please contact PlanningTech@GreshamOregon.gov
