Council hears detailed Foothills District analysis; access, floodplain and wastewater facility top concerns

City staff and the First 40 Feet consultant team presented the results of an inventory and analysis phase for the Foothills District master‑planning effort. Consultants Jason Graff and Will Grama summarized technical findings—topography, floodplain and wetland limits, rail corridor constraints, and access impediments—and said the wastewater treatment facility relocation creates both opportunities for redevelopment (fill credits) and complexities in sequencing infrastructure.

Councillors and consultants focused on three interdependent issues: (1) access—currently the district has effectively one vehicular access point and council emphasized the need for a secondary access for safety and to unlock redevelopment (options discussed included acquiring property through the public storage site or rebuilding the Terwilliger intersection); (2) floodplain and cut‑and‑fill strategy—consultants proposed balancing fill and cuts (potentially using soil from the wastewater facility site) to create contiguous developable areas while preserving Foothills Park and sensitive riparian zones; and (3) fish passage and culvert work—staff explained that the Bureau of Environmental Services’ prior role in the culvert project is changing as Lake Oswego assumes control of the wastewater facility, leaving the culvert’s lead agency and funding path uncertain and raising the need for new agency partnerships.

Council broadly endorsed continued emphasis on access, environmental protection (riparian setbacks and tree canopy), and a mixed‑use concept that includes workforce and market‑rate housing, but members stressed that actual intensity and phasing will hinge on financing (urban renewal or other public investment). Staff said scenario alternatives and visual 3‑D tests of height/blocks will return to council in March for further guidance.