Milwaukie planning commission keeps record open on Clackamas Web Academy’s proposal for former Bob’s Red Mill site

The Milwaukie Planning Commission on Tuesday continued consideration of a Type 3 conditional use application from Clackamas Web Academy (CWA) to operate a K–12 blended public charter school at the former Bob’s Red Mill site, 5000 Southeast International Way, and left the hearing record open for additional written materials.

Staff senior planner Ryan Dyer told the commission the city code allows community service uses in the Business Industrial (BI) zone but requires the applicant to meet five primary approval criteria, including compatibility with surrounding uses and adequate pedestrian/bicycle facilities. Dyer said staff has drafted findings that address most criteria but remains neutral overall because questions remain, particularly about off‑site pedestrian and bicycle connections; staff noted it would be disproportionate to require the applicant to build extensive sidewalks under the city’s public‑improvement rules (chapter 19700).

The applicant team — led by land use attorney Keenan Nordon Ballian and CWA principal Brad Lynn — presented site plans, an operations plan and a traffic analysis. Lynn said the school now enrolls about 560 students, with a blended model that keeps roughly 150 students on site during peak periods. “We are a blended charter school … about 560,” Lynn said, describing graduation and college‑credit outcomes he said support the school’s educational mission.

Applicant traffic and operations experts said the proposed use would generate fewer average daily trips than the building’s prior retail/restaurant use and proposed a queuing and on‑site staging plan, with CWA staff monitoring pickup and drop‑off during peak hours. Traffic engineer Nick Mesler said the analysis modeled peak on‑site cohorts and included future enrollment scenarios; he said worst‑case queuing in the study did not show expected spillover onto Southeast International Way.

Owners and supporters of the project argued the building’s footprint and interior layout suit classroom conversion and that the reuse would return an empty community building to active public use. Garrett Stevenson, speaking for the property owner, said the building’s limited truck access and loading configuration make it difficult to market for modern industrial users, bolstering the case for adaptive reuse as a school.

Opposition was led by counsel for nearby employer Dave’s Killer Bread and by the plant’s operations manager, who said the area is an active industrial corridor with round‑the‑clock heavy truck movements and limited pedestrian infrastructure on the east side of International Way. “We have concerns over the siting and … safety, compatibility,” attorney David Ber said, asking how the site would accommodate future growth in on‑site attendance and whether the long‑term mix of industrial operations and children at the site could create risks.

Supporters — including parents, staff and State Representative April Dobson — testified the school’s current operations are staggered, primarily drop‑off based, and that CWA provides an important public option for families. Several parents and school staff described modest on‑site cohorts and arrival/departure practices they said limit queuing and safety risks.

Facing those competing views, the commission did not deliberate Tuesday. Pursuant to a late request from Dave’s Killer Bread received at 4:00 p.m., the commission left the record open for a seven‑day period for additional evidence (until 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 16), another seven days for responses to that new evidence (until 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 23), allowed the applicant until June 30 to file final written argument, and continued the hearing to the commission’s regular meeting on Tuesday, July 14 at 5:00 p.m.

Staff emphasized the decision on whether to approve the conditional use will hinge on whether the application satisfies the city’s specific community service criteria — not on broader questions about what the BI zone was intended to be. The continued record will allow Dave’s Killer Bread and other parties to submit additional technical studies or legal analysis and the applicant and staff to respond before the commission resumes consideration on July 14.