Friends of King City – Helping Keep King City Wonderful

Who Are We?

We are residents in the King City and Kingston Terrace area interested in helping move forward with a plan that protects current residents from the detrimental effects of growth, creates a livable and functional community for current and future residents, and protects the natural environment we are so fortunate to have in the city’s backyard. With proper planning the goals of the city and the concerns of the community can be achieved. The current plan is fundamentally flawed and we will continue our efforts until corrected.

What has happened?

For the past five years, the message from the community has been clear: plan the collector road away from the Tualatin River and minimize impacts on the established communities. King City could meet all of their stated goals by moving the planned collector North in place of a planned neighborhood route. Instead, the city is now threatening condemnation of the Bankston Nature Preserve to build a regional collector through it. This regional collector was once described as necessary for intra-city connectivity but now will serve the region with a city-estimated 40% being cut through traffic.

The King City Council voted 6-1 to approve the King City Transportation System Plan on June 14. The plan extends Fischer Road to create an East-West collector road from Roy Rodgers Road to Hwy 99. This East-West collector road is slated to be a significant regional minor arterial with a city estimated 8,600 average vehicle trips per day, with a city estimated 40% regional cut-through traffic from outside of our community and through our existing neighborhoods. City Councilor Shawna Thompson voted against approval citing the detrimental effects and negative financial impact the planned regional collector would have on the community.

The King City Council voted to approve the Kingston Terrace Master Plan on July 19th.

The process may seem like it’s over but it is not. There are still additional avenues available but will need the community’s support to put them into action. Contact us at us at: neighbors+2022@friendsofkingcity.com . We will keep you updated and answer any questions you may have.

We support the Kingston Terrace Master Plan’s concepts:

Roads and bicycle/pedestrian paths which are needed to support our residents
Protection of the Tualatin River and its watershed
Housing that is affordable

We disagree with the consultants’ choice of Alternative #2 as the road to provide the east-west connection of our community:

provides a more direct connection between Roy Rogers Road and 99W at Fischer Rd, inviting regional cut through traffic
the estimated average daily traffic is 8,600, of which 40% is expected to be regional through traffic
requires condemnation of the Bankston Nature Preserve which is protected by a Conservation Easement
is located as close as 450 feet from the Tualatin River, affecting valuable natural resources, wildlife habitat and the recreational experience

The King City Mayor and Council have failed the citizens they represent by:

Failing to utilize overwhelming community opposition to a Fischer Road extension to give the City Manager clearly defined objectives that included the interests and valid concerns of the community, which would recognize the financial liability and quality of life implications of a regional collector planned through the heart of the community. The City consultants Alternatives Analysis was flawed; City Council should have given them guidance that better reflected community input and values.
Failing to recognize the responsibility of protecting and preserving the natural environment of the Tualatin River and the Bankston Nature Preserve. Instead of recognizing the value of these community assets, the council chose condemnation for a regional collector.
Failing to abide by existing Oregon Comprehensive Plan Goal 14 and King City Municipal Code 16.212.050 that prevent a Fischer Road extension from becoming anything more than a local street instead of a regional collector supporting non-resident cut-through traffic.
Dismissing community members, who expressed concerns and raised questions about the Transportation System Plan or Master Plan and failing to recognize the good-faith interest community members had in advocating for a better option.
Failing to do their due diligence with respect to concerns raised by the planning commission.
Failing to fill required planning commission vacancies in a timely manner at a time when a full roster was most needed.

Environmental effect of the planned east-west collector road

The planned East-West collector road will require building expensive major bridges across four deep ravines. These ravines are Class 1 Riparian and Class A Upland Wildlife habitat that will be severely impacted by bridge construction and vehicle traffic. One of the widest and steepest ravines is in the Bankston Nature Preserve which is protected by a conservation easement held by Columbia Land Trust.

The Preserve forms a diverse wildlife corridor that is an important part of a larger effort to protect the Tualatin River and wildlife habitat. This wildlife corridor also includes Metro’s Heritage Pine Natural Area, Metro’s Beef Bend Natural Area and the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, all across the river from the Bankston Nature Preserve.

The Tualatin Riverkeepers, Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge , Treekeepers of Washington County, 1000 Friends of Oregon, the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Manager, and an ODFW biologist have all provided testimony opposing the threatened condemnation by King City of the Nature Preserve.

An excerpt from Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District:

Their property’s position along the river is adjacent to 1,500 acres of separate conservation areas. This location makes their land a vital, connective piece of natural space in a rapidly urbanizing landscape.
Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District

Read more about the Bankston Nature Preserve here.

There is a better viable route

In the July Tigard Life article, Mayor Jamie Fender was quoted:

“Other alternatives negatively affected our most vulnerable community members. Displacing our most marginalized community members has never been a good way to do land use and policy. Our most vulnerable community members live along Beef Bend in the mobile home park and in areas that would be very easy to push a road through and move them. I categorically reject displacing our most vulnerable to lessen the impact for a few people.”

This characterization of the community’s objection to Alternative #2 is offensive. The better viable option does not go through the mobile home park, and it does not require condemnation of homes on Beef Bend Road. It does not displace marginalized community members.

Mayor Fender appears to be interpreting the community’s objection to that road as “displacing our most vulnerable to lessen the impact for a few people”. Is that the message that over 600 letters of objection should have given to her?

A better viable option would use an existing neighborhood route plus extension of a planned pedestrian/bike path. Read more about this here.

Current King City Comprehensive Plan and Municipal codes stress local and not regional

The Comprehensive Plan and the Municipal codes are the rules that govern how King City functions. The current King City Comprehensive Plan and Municipal Code both address any future extension of Fisher Road to the West. The West King City Planning Area (Edgewater) was to remain local in character.

Planning Commission – not fully staffed

Your planning commission should have 7 members. Four months ago two positions became vacant. Those open positions were not posted. In addition, they allowed two more positions to lapse on 6/1 which left only 3 commissioners available for the last Planning Commission hearing on 6/28. Over the last few months the planning commission has held hearings on the Transportation System Plan, the King City Master Plan and Community Development Code amendments.

Why is the City Council not placing a higher priority on the planning commission being fully staffed? City Council reappointed Commissioner Paulsen at the July 19th City Council meeting and Gretchen Beuhner was appointed. These appointements were made without using the established city past practice of notifying residents of vacancies and accepting applicants city wide. How was Gretchen Buehner given the opportunity to apply when others in the community were not? Two Planning Commision positions are still unfilled.

The Amendments that were published for the June 28th Planning Commission hearing meeting included changing the quorum from 4 members to 3: Why does King City want to reduce the number of Commissioners that are required to make decisions?

How do King City residents feel about such important decisions being made without a full complement of Commissioners representing the city?

John Walter, Planning Commissioner, resigned in protest of the plan. Read his letter here.

Land Use Board of Appeals

In response to the action taken by the city council, Michael Meyer hired a land use attorney that is appealing the Transportation System Plan to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). The attorney has identified several areas that he believes the city has failed to address. The hope is LUBA will agree and the city will be required to alter course so we can collectively move forward with a community plan everyone can embrace.

Current status of the Planning Process

Transportation System Plan (TSP): approved by City Council in June

Kingston Terrace Master Plan (KTMP): City Council approved the KTMP July 19th.

Community Development Codes: Planning Commission held a public hearing July 26th.

Read more about the planning process here.

Questions, or want to be kept up to date?

Please provide your contact information and let us know how you feel. We need to stand together as a community so please join us as we continue the effort to change course.