Milwaukie NDA Friday Update – May 1, 2020

The Ardenwald-Johnson Creek Neighborhood Association will be relaying the City of Milwaukie NDA Friday Update on Ardenwald.org during the COVID-19 coranavirus pandemic.

From City of Milwaukie:

Hello neighborhood leaders and friends,

Welcome to May! The information highlighted in green below has been added or updated since last week’s Friday Update. The other items were included as they are last week, but remain relevant, so I have kept them on the update as a reminder.

Enjoy the weekend and take care! 

What is the NDA Friday Update? This update is meant to provide timely information one time per week to community leaders like you who can then share this information with fellow board members and neighbors. The updates are also a good place to share information with other NDA leaders, so please feel free to submit information to include on future Friday Updates. 

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  1. Meek Street Pipeline Installation Project Update – Road closures needed for the next three weeks – First closures begin on Monday (May 4) on Harrison during nighttime hours.  
  2. More Than $130,000 Awarded in Business Relief Grants – Donations are being accepted through May 15th if you would like to contribute to the fund
  3. Speed Zone Changes Coming to Linwood Ave. – You won’t see new signs for a few weeks, but please read about the changes below.
  4. Review and Comment on the Document that Helps Track and Manage Regional Transportation Investments Called MTIP – Comment period is open until May 18
  5. Milwaukie Farmers Market Opens This Sunday (May 3) – Be sure to review the COVID-9/Coronavirus Operations Plan before you go!
  6. Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of Updated Comprehensive Plan Tentatively Moved to June 2 – Public is invited to review the document and provide feedback in advance of the meeting.
  7. Upcoming City Meetings Online – Next week includes City Council Regular Session and Work Session (May 5) and Redevelopment Commission/Budget Committee Meeting (May 9)   
  8. City Elections 2020 Update – Candidate information packet now available online – Two positions on City Council including Positions 1 and 3

Ongoing Friday Update Topics:

  • Community Development Update – Update to be sent in a future edition of the Friday Update! Until then you can keep up with projects around town, the Comprehensive Plan Update, and more at the links below.
  • An Ongoing List of Upcoming Events, Meetings and Opportunities – List not included due to cancellations of most events, but check the city web calendar for the latest information.
  1. Meek Street Pipeline Installation Project Update – Road closures needed for the next three weeks – First closures begin on Monday (May 4) on Harrison during nighttime hours.  

The Meek Street Pipeline project was identified in the 2014 Stormwater Master Plans to alleviate flooding in the Harrison St. stormwater system. Due to the installation of the pipeline in the roadway, there will be impacts to traffic along the route, which will include periodic street closures.

The following street closures will take place for this project in the coming weeks:

  • Monday, May 4 through Thursday, May 7 (Nighttime work from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.)
    • Harrison St. will be closed between 32nd Ave. and highway 224 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.). TriMet is aware of the closure and will reroute busses as needed. For anyone that accesses TriMet busses in that area, please plan your trip at https://trimet.org/ to find the closest alternate bus stops due to the reroute.  
  • Monday, May 11 through Friday, May 15 (Daytime work)
    • Railroad Ave. will be closed from Harrison St. to Oak St. throughout the daytime hours. Access will be available to only the Fire Department and City Well Site.
  • Monday, May 18 through Friday, May 22 (Daytime work)
    • Monroe Ave. will be closed to through traffic from Oak St. to 37th Ave. Local access will be available.

To learn more about the Meek Street Pipeline project visit www.milwaukieoregon.gov/engineering/meek-street-pipe-installation

  • More Than $130,000 Awarded in Business Relief Grants – Donations are being accepted through May 15if you would like to contribute to the fund

The city recently awarded 47 grants to local businesses through its business relief fund, created by City Council in April. The goal of the grants is to help provide support for working capital expenses, such as payroll, lease or commercial mortgage payments, utilities, insurance and inventory, among others, for businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Small businesses in Milwaukie are doing what they can to survive in these challenging times,” said Mayor Mark Gamba. “Our hope is that these grants, in some small measure, will help ease their burden.”

Approved businesses were awarded grants ranging from $1,500 to $4,000. The total funding awarded was $132,000, which was allocated from the Construction Excise Tax program. Of the 47 grantees 45% are business owners of color, 79% are women-owned businesses, 6% are veteran-owned businesses, and 96% have ten employees or less.

“Receiving this grant means we can continue to care for families, and our amazing, patient staff can continue to work,” said Geneva Perez, director of Sugarplums Learning Center and grant recipient. “This experience has definitely been an eye opener for us, but through all the chaos we have learned we are stronger than we believed. Families and staff have come together to create a positive atmosphere for the children that we love and care for.”

The city received more than 100 relief fund applications from businesses requesting more than $500,000 in assistance, demonstrating the significant need for support in the Milwaukie community. More than half of the businesses receiving grants reported that the funding will go towards payroll and rent.

“While we’re happy we could find some funding to provide a bit of relief, we know the need for assistance far outweighs the resources available,” said Leila Aman, community development director. “The city focused grant awards on businesses with ten employees or less, owned by people of color, women and/or veterans—those that are statistically more at-risk economically—but we will continue to do our best to find resources and creative ways to support our small business community.”

The city is accepting donations to the business relief fund through May 15. If you are interested in supporting this program, please make a check payable to the City of Milwaukie. Checks can be mailed to or dropped off at City Hall, 10722 SE Main St., Milwaukie, OR 97222.

For more information, visit www.milwaukieoregon.gov/economicdevelopment/business-relief-fund or email econdev@milwaukieoregon.gov.

  • Speed Zone Changes Coming to Linwood Ave. – You won’t see news signs for a few weeks, but please read about the changes below.

A speed zone order for Linwood Ave. has been issued and is available on ODOT’s website. You should see new signs go up by the middle of May. For the first 30 days there will be flags above the signs to alert drivers about the change. 

You can find the order at the web site referenced above, but here is the speed change information summarized:  

  • SE Linwood Ave. from SE Railroad Ave./Se Harmony Rd. to SE Monroe St. – Designated Speed of 30
  • SE Linwood Ave. from SE Monroe St. to SE Johnson Creek Blvd. – Designated Speed of 30

If you would like to learn more about the Linwood Ave. SAFE Project visit https://www.milwaukieoregon.gov/engineering/linwood-avenue-safe-routes-school-srts.

  • Review and Comment on the Document that Helps Track and Manage Regional Transportation Investments Called MTIP – Comment period is open until May 18

Hello,

We hope this email finds you safe and well in this challenging time.

As you may know, many areas of Metro’s services and programs have been impacted and are evolving in response to our current conditions. However, we also continue to do the regional planning and coordination that supports our community and agency partners in their work. One of the important points of coordination is the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program, also known as the MTIP.

The MTIP is a federally required document that helps track and manage regionally significant transportation investments. The 2021-2024 MTIP includes 216 transportation projects and programs planned for greater Portland’s transportation system from 2021 to 2024.

We want to let you know that the draft 2021-2024 MTIP is available for public comment at: oregonmetro.gov/mtip2021-24. The public comment period will be open April 17 to May 18, 2020.

Take care,

Molly

Molly Cooney-Mesker
Senior community engagement specialist
Planning and Development

My gender pronouns: she, her, hers.

Why include this?

As a result of the temporary MRC closure to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, I am teleworking. I am available by email and phone.

Metro | oregonmetro.gov
600 NE Grand Ave.
Portland, OR 97232-2736

503-797-1906

  • Milwaukie Farmers Market Opens This Sunday (May 3) – Be sure to review the COVID-9/Coronavirus Operations Plan before you go!

Things will look a little different, but the Milwaukie Farmers Market will open as it normally does this Sunday (May 3) at Main and Harrison St. from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Before you head to the market please be sure to read the COVID-19/Coronavirus Operations Plan posted on the market’s web site at www.milwaukiefarmersmarket.com. There are a number of requirements that you will want to become familiar with before you go. 

  • Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of Updated Comprehensive Plan Tentatively Moved to June 2 – Public is invited to review the document and provide feedback in advance of the meeting.

Following over 2 years of work and public input, on March 10 the Milwaukie Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the city’s first major update to its Comprehensive Plan policy document in 30 years.

City Council will now consider the Commission’s recommendation at their June 2 public hearing. The Milwaukie community is now invited to provide comments on the policy document, which is available on the project website. The ordinance to amend the Comprehensive Plan will be available on the June 2 Council meeting page by May 26, and the staff report will be available by May 29. 

Note: June 2 has been identified by the city as the earliest potential meeting date to allow for in-person oral testimony, and is subject to change as well as social distancing and other public health measures. Any decision to hold an in-person City Council meeting will be based on guidance from Governor Brown and local and state health officials. The City Council believes that projects that have included as much public input and involvement as the Comprehensive Plan Update should ideally have an in-person public hearing. In the event that the current public health emergency extends into and beyond Summer 2020 and begins to hinder work to implement the Comprehensive Plan, the Council may elect to hold a virtual meeting (which it has done on March 17 and April 7).

How can I provide feedback?

The policy document is available for review here, and incorporates changes recommended by Planning Commission during their five public hearings in January-March 2020. Public comments are encouraged, including from those that submitted comments during the Planning Commissions public hearings. 

Comments may be provided any time prior to the public hearing via:

  • Email: Comments can be emailed to plan@milwaukieoregon.gov.
    • Note: the City will be preparing a matrix of public comments as an attachment in the June 2 meeting packet (similar to what was done during the Planning Commission public hearings), and City staff will provide responses to all comments that are received by midnight on Sunday, May 17. Comments submitted between May 18 and June 2 at noon will be forwarded to City Council, but will not be incorporated into the staff report. 
  • Mail: Mail comments to City of Milwaukie, Attn: Comprehensive Plan Update, 6101 SE Johnson Creek Blvd, Milwaukie, OR 97206 
  • Oral: There will be a public comment period during the June 2 public hearing, with individuals provided 3 minutes for oral testimony, either in-person or via an online portal. 

Have questions or want to submit comments? Contact David Levitan at plan@milwaukieoregon.gov.

Para más información en español, mande un email a espanol@milwaukieoregon.gov.

Want to learn more about the Comprehensive Plan Update? Visit the project website!

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

The Milwaukie Comprehensive Plan is the city’s primary land use planning document. It sets out a series of goals and policies that will guide growth and development in our community over the next 20 years. Oregon state law requires that all cities and counties adopt Comprehensive Plans that are consistent with the state’s 19 Statewide Planning Goals, which were established in 1973 by Oregon Senate Bill 100. The Comprehensive Plan is implemented through the Development Code, Land Division Code, and other city codes and ordinances.

Visit www.milwaukieplan.com for more information and the latest updates on the planning process.

  • Upcoming City Meetings Online – Next week includes City Council Regular Session and Work Session (May 5) and Redevelopment Commission/Budget Committee Meeting (May 9)   

Now that we are over a month into the inability to hold city meetings, events, or activities in person, some meetings and activities are continuing to take place using a variety of tools to keep you connected including the City’s YouTube Channel, Comcast Cable Channel 30, an online video conferencing tool called Zoom and using email to submit comments. I will try to highlight those meetings and activities for you each week as they come online so that you can stay connected virtually if you would like to.

The meetings next week that will take place are listed below. Please click on them to learn more about how to watch or engage with each meeting.

  • City Elections 2020 Update – Candidate information packet now available online – Two positions on City Council including Positions 1 and 3

The candidate information packet for the 2020 general election is now available online, see link below. The November 3, 2020, general election will feature two positions on the Milwaukie City Council – Positions 1 and 3. The candidate filing window is July 27 through August 25.

If you have any questions, please contact the City Elections Officer at ocr@milwaukieoregon.gov or at 503-786-7502.

www.milwaukieoregon.gov/elections

Ongoing Friday Update Topics:

  • Community Development Update – Update to be sent in a future edition. 

Keep up with projects around town, the Comprehensive Plan Update, and more at the links below.

Community Development:

Projects:

Planning:

  • Visit the Planning homepage at www.milwaukieoregon.gov/planning to find links to the Community Vision, Comprehensive Plan Update, Preapplication Conference Reports, Submitted Applications and Public Notices, Planning Department FAQs, Resources for Development Review, and What’s My Zoning?

Engineering:

  • Visit the Engineering homepage at www.milwaukieoregon.gov/engineering to find links to Safe Access For Everyone (SAFE), Street Surface Maintenance Program (SSMP), Asphalt Pavement Overlay, South Downtown Improvements, and more.
  1. Upcoming Events, Meetings and Other Opportunities – List not included due to cancellations of most events, but check the city web calendar for the latest information.

Please refer to the City Calendar for the most up to date and complete list of upcoming City/Library events, meetings, and other opportunities.

Note for reader: This is an informational email that is sent to Milwaukie’s Neighborhood District Association (NDA) leaders and other interested parties each Friday.  The content of this email is prepared by the Community Programs Coordinator at the City of Milwaukie and is meant to inform NDA leaders who can then share this information with their neighborhood.  Some information contained within may not be sponsored or supported by the City of Milwaukie, but may impact the city’s neighborhoods and residents, which is the reason it is included in this update.

JASON WACHS
Community Engagement Coordinator
o: 503.786.7568
City of Milwaukie
10722 SE Main St • Milwaukie, OR 97222