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LORAC-Community Meeting 2 Summary-20211102 Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – Community Meeting 2 Summary Page 1 LAKE OSWEGO RECREATION AND AQUATIC CENTER COMMUNITY MEETING 2 SUMMARY Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2021 Time: 6:00 – 7:30 pm Location: Zoom Purpose: Provide project update and details on the Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center, including site plans, building designs and traffic and parking considerations. Outcomes: Build understanding on where the project is currently, solicit feedback on neighborhood priorities, concerns and interests. Panelists • Jan Wirtz, City of Lake Oswego • Jennifer Marsicek, Scott Edwards Architecture • Sid Scott, Scott Edwards Architecture • Erica Baggen, Scott Edwards Architecture • Ken Rehms, PBS Engineering and Environmental • Ivan Anderholm, City of Lake Oswego • Megan BigJohn, City of Lake Oswego • Allison Brown, JLA Public Involvement, facilitator • Ariella Frishberg, JLA Public Involvement There were around 20 members of the public participating as attendees throughout the meeting. Welcome Allison Brown, JLA Public Involvement, welcomed attendees to the webinar and explained Zoom logistics and etiquette. She reviewed the agenda for the evening and explained to attendees how to use the Q&A function on Zoom. She then invited each of the panelists to introduce themselves. Presentation Jennifer Marsicek, Scott Edwards Architecture, reviewed the progress on the Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatic Center (LORAC) project since the last neighborhood meeting in February of 2021. In June, the City Council agreed to move forward with the largest of the three designs that had been presented to them. The proposed design is about 63,000 square feet with 184 parking spaces. The project is now in a design development. Using input from the PAC, the past neighborhood and community meetings, and input from community surveys, the project team has been developing the interior and exterior designs for the site. In addition, the second pre-application meeting helped establish the exterior building designs. She finished this introduction by showing the updated site analysis and conceptual site plan. Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – Community Meeting 2 Summary 2 She continued by presenting on the site plan improvements. These improvements include multiple access points along the perimeter of the area, an 8-foot landscape buffer along Stafford Road connecting to a 12-foot- wide multi-use path, and landscaping and a utility easement adjacent to the parking lot. The driveway has been realigned to be perpendicular with the road and a left-turn lane was added to ease traffic turning into and out of the center. There will be two lanes to exit the site, one to enter, and several multi-use pathways entering into the site in addition to the one from Stafford Road. There will also be a large, vegetated stormwater facility, which will be dry most of the time but will retain water during large storm events. This will collect water runoff from the parking area and is connected to the city stormwater system. The golf maintenance building has a connection to the roadway and drive aisle system, and golf course plans will be discussed at a separate meeting. The clubhouse will be maintained but repurposed for more event spaces and rentals. These will connect to patio spaces in front of the club house and larger patio spaces near the main entrance. There may be some additional patio spaces along the pool area as well as along the front of the building near event rental spaces. This project will require a significant amount of earth work to accommodate the new elements. Existing trees are being preserved whenever possible, but removal of 120 trees will be necessary. Currently, 20% of those are considered dead, hazardous, or invasive and others are ranging in condition from good to poor. The City will require a mitigation of these trees with a two-to-one replacement ratio and the planting plan exceeds that requirement. The team will prioritize preserving a healthy canopy on the site as the design moves forward. Jennifer then presented on the conceptual building design for the center. These plans can be viewed online on the project website. Group members had clarifying questions about the pool, and it was stated that the Competition pool is mostly 9.5 feet deep, 25 yards, and will use chlorine, though a chlorine generating system will convert salt tablets into chlorine, making it safer. Erica Baggen, Scott Edwards Architecture, presented on the conceptual elevations and three-dimensional renderings of the facility, which can be found on the project website. The landscaping in the images was intended for the discussion of the building and will not necessarily be what is implemented in final plans. Ken Rehms, PBS, finished the presentation section by reviewing traffic and parking for the project. The traffic study determined potential impacts of traffic generated by the new center and golf course. The study also looked at nine nearby intersections and proposed park. Traffic accounts from 2018-19 were used as a baseline with a conservative population growth rate, and Covid-19 effects were factored into the study. Traffic patterns were above the average rate and will increase over the years. The Recreation Center will generate approximately 1,200 new vehicle trips during a typical weekday, especially near Stafford Road. Traffic would increase despite the Recreation Center project. The intersections will still operate at an acceptable level of service except for the roundabout during evening peak hours. In 2018, recommendations for improvements on Stafford Rd. included adding another lane to the roundabout, but these improvements are not a part of this project. Highlights from traffic distribution patterns in the study included: • 70% of transportation trips would be going to and from the north area of the site. • 50% will be going to and from McVeigh, which is NE of the area. • 30% of trips will be to the south of the facility. Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – Community Meeting 2 Summary 3 A proposed new driveway on Stafford and Overlook will permit all vehicle movements. This includes a new 100-foot northbound turn lane. There will also be pedestrian and bike facility improvements along the facility area. During his presentation, Ken answered a few questions from the Q&A, which are included in the Questions and Answers section below. He finished by discussing the traffic study for the Recreation Center and golf course. Covid was also taken into account during these studies. The Recreation Center has a set ratio of parking per square footage of the facility. The site was compared to similar facilities in the area and a higher ratio of parking facilities was used to determine parking spaces. The golf course was compared against national standards and will have an additional 75 parking spaces for use. There will be a total of 184 parking spaces and 20 bike parking spaces. City code requires that the City look over the plans and they will have the ability to make changes or recommendations. Questions and Answers After the presentations, Allison Brown brought forward questions sent in by attendees at the meeting. Questions and answers have been grouped and summarized in this document. A full list of the questions from the Zoom Q&A can be found in Appendix 1. Traffic and Parking • Q: Has the impact of tolling on I-205 been factored into the traffic analysis? o No. • Q: Can we push for more electric vehicle spaces and charging stations, e-scooter availability, and campaigning for more bike transit to the center due to the increase in emissions and how traffic and parking will impact the neighborhood? Parking seems excessive. o We have talked about electric vehicle spaces, and this is something we will discuss more with the sustainability group. We are sizing the lot for day-to-day use and not large events. There may be some overflow at the high school and church for larger events. The new City Hall design will influence how low-emission vehicle spaces are implemented in the design, and they may get prime parking spaces to encourage use. The parking onsite should reduce parking in surrounding neighborhood areas. • Q: Has public transit been considered now that traffic will increase and potentially cause safety issues? How will new traffic in the problematic roundabout be handled? o TriMet has a matrix that they use when opening up new routes. With the Stafford triangle and potential tolling, we have talked to TriMet about different routes that extend beyond Southshore. They put information into their matrix and that is how they develop their routes. The City participates in decisions in enhanced public transit around Lake Oswego. Clackamas County has jurisdiction and makes decisions about traffic improvements. Try to avoid the roundabout during peak hours. • Q: Did the traffic study consult with Lake Oswego School District on their bus routes. The left hand turn off Burgess is difficult with the current bus routes. o The school routes are considered in the traffic data that comes from the area. Burgess was one of the areas in the study, but at this point a traffic signal is not warranted in this area. There can Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – Community Meeting 2 Summary 4 be recommendations for the intersection in the future, but they would be centered on bike and pedestrian use. • Q: Is there evidence to support that Stafford Rd. will be able to sustain additional traffic from the Recreation Center? Has new development been factored in? o Conditions from the study showed that Stafford Rd. can accommodate traffic from the improvements, and recommendations for future improvements can be made to other agencies. Codes require us to study impacts from new developments. There were no city approved development projects in the area at the time of the study. • Q: What considerations have been given to new neighborhood traffic impacts and parking? o Parking will be contained onsite, and it is less likely people will park in surrounding neighborhoods. High volume events can have overflow at the high school or nearby church. Pedestrian access is being implemented to reduce vehicle travel. Aquatic Center • Q: How can we integrate more natural light in the pool area? It feels like a basement when teaching in there right now. o Glare is a safety issue. Its reflection on water can conflict with athletes’ ability to compete and cause lifeguards to be unable to see someone struggling under the surface. We did some preliminary daylighting studies and found that eliminating glare would require sun shading or overhangs, which would be more expensive. There is a lighting designer on the team and the interior of the pool will be well lit. • Q: Will there be enough space for a crow’s nest for electronic timing, and where will the scoreboard be located? o We have options for where the scoreboard and seating can be. We looked at how to have flexibility with seating and all of that is in development. We also talked about where meet management would be located, and there are areas along the deck depending on the meet configuration. We are unsure about the crow’s nest but are looking at areas along the deck for that as well. • Q: What are the plans for the current pool once the new one is built? o The pool will no longer be a pool, and there is more information on their project’s page at www.losdschools.org. Recreation and Community Center • Q: Is there a reason the team is not pursuing LEED (Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design) certification? o There is more of a focus of doing the work that LEED has influenced, and less on the certification process. The certification takes time and money, and we started this project by prioritizing sustainability and used the LEED checklist to guide goals in the design. This project would most likely be a LEED project, but we didn’t feel the need to go through the certification process. We are fully applying the standards adopted by City Council and used LEED to make decisions moving forward. We will convene in a group with the local sustainability groups and Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – Community Meeting 2 Summary 5 will go through our project sustainability goals and ask for feedback. That meeting should happen in the next couple of weeks. • Q: Can consideration been given to a pathway along the perimeter of the area to connect with the Sunny Hill neighborhood? Is it possible to extend the pathway to give more access to the students at the high school? o There are some considerations, but there are limited areas in which we can do so. It would also increase cost and there may be some environmental impacts. There is also a safety issue with keeping students and other pedestrians away from the golf course. Land Use has control over what is required for this. There will be a chain link fence around the golf course, but the recreation side will be open. We are working on strategies on how to keep vehicles from the parking lot from driving out onto the golf course. The fence is to keep people from walking onto the golf course and into a potentially unsafe area. • Q: Is there a space outside for athletes to have dry land exercise or running? o There is patio space near the pool, and those areas may be used for dry land activities. The deck spacing may have flexibility for some of this as well. • Q: Is there space inside the recreation area for yoga and dance classes? o Yes, we will have an approximately 2,000 square foot multi-use group activity room which will include storage. Golf Course and Clubhouse There were no questions about the golf course and club house, but there will be a separate meeting to discuss new developments. Other Questions • Q: Have you thought about bird strikes with large windows? o We are looking at window treatment and etching to reduce bird strikes. • Q: Have you made decisions regarding whether trees will be native species, mature trees, etc. on the property? o Trees will be native, and we will incorporate different sizes, caliper trees for the project. We will have more targeted meetings about landscaping next week. • Q: Will non-Lake Oswego residents have access to the facility, and if so, would their access be considered a revenue source for the city? o Yes, non-residents will have access, but Lake Oswego residents will receive priority when enrolling in programming, and non-residents will be charged a premium. • Q: Will the new facility be built in the “life safety” level or the “immediate occupancy” level of seismic resiliency? o The dry level will be structured in the level 4 “immediate occupancy” building code standards, and the rest of the building will be constructed at a level 3. Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – Community Meeting 2 Summary 6 Next Steps and Closing Allison Brown wrapped up the Q&A portion of the meeting and asked the project team to share what is happening next. • The summaries and recordings from previous meetings will be available on the website. Design renderings will also be updated as they become available. • Next steps include a cost assessment through the project development and submitting a Land Use application. • A schedule will be available on the website as soon as it is available. • Anyone is welcome to get in touch with Bruce Powers with any additional questions or concerns and he will make sure they get addressed. Phone: (503) 697-6575. Email: bpowers@ci.oswego.or.us Allison Brown thanked everyone for attending once more and ended the meeting. Appendix 1: Zoom Q&A Question Answer(s) Please give more location info for those of us who did not attend previous meetings. Stafford Rd…but where? live answered How deep are the two competition pools? live answered 25 yard or meter pool? live answered saline or chlorine water? live answered Have you thought about bird strikes with large windows? Also, with tree mitigation, have you made decisions regarding whether they will be native species, mature trees, etc.? We are looking at window treatment and etching to reduce bird strikes. Mitigation trees will be native and we will incorporate different sizes, caliper trees for the project. -Ivan would love to have more natural light coming into the pool area live answered teaching in the current pool is like working in a basement. live answered I just arrived to the meeting, sorry I'm late. Is there an agenda? I have questions about safe pathways to school (via the rec center location which is adjacent to the high school) We're finishing up the presentation, but you can add in your questions here and we'll start moderating Q&A shortly! Thank you. Were pathways already covered in the presentation? live answered Has the impact of tolling on I-205 and the diversion of traffic to Stafford been factored in the traffic analysis. live answered Will you be working towards LEED certification criteria for a sustainable building. live answered I have a comment and a question. I live in the sunny hill neighborhood and I'm seeking safer pathways for Sunny Hill neighborhood to both the Rec center and then Lakeridge high school. The golf course and future rec center is directly between my neighborhood and the future rec center/ Lakeridge High School. Our children have to walk around the entire golf course in order to get to school. Unlike most rec centers in our region, the municipal golf course is surrounded by a live answered Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – Community Meeting 2 Summary 7 chain link fence and is not accessible with any walking trails around the perimeter. Has consideration been given to have a pathway around the perimeter of the golf course to connect the Sunny Hill neighborhood? My house is at the end of Clara Ct, and I have offered our property to extend a neighborhood pathway from the street to the golf course to give all the Sunny Hill students easier pedestrian access to the high school. Our neighbors brought this issue to the team last Spring and did not get any follow up. Is this possible? Will non-LO residents have access to the facility, and if so would their access be considered a revenue source for the city? live answered Here for same thing! Thanks! There is already a neighborhood trail on my property live answered which is at the end of the street live answered Will there be a chain link fence surrounding the new golf course? live answered I would be glad to give anyone a tour live answered Thanks. I believe tolling will happen based on the Oregon 2017 transportation act. All the discussions over the past few years since the passage of the act has been what kind of tolling - not about if. An I-205 tolling project would require a large metro traffic study for this project. I am here also for Sunny Hill Pathway. Thank you- Thanks! If the school district could come up with safe path to schools funds to support a pathway, could we talk more? We would be happy to discuss, Tony and Beth are part of our team so we could discuss with them.-Ivan Hi. Have we also looked at how emissions will increase in our community as a result of increased traffic and vehicle parking? I’d love to see more of a push for electric vehicle spaces, e-scooter availability for local users and a campaign for community to bike to the site vs drive. With the high school, church and Hazelia nearby, parking seems excessive, but I wasn’t on early enough to hear how the site will be used for large sporting events. live answered There is an effort underway now to assess the impact of diversion on all the highways impacted by tolling. I believe the intersections impacted were above 100. Great to know. The number is not surprising. Thanks for sharing. Did the traffic study consult with LOSD on their bus routes? Historical difficulties exiting the buses going to LRH making the left hand turn off of Bergis live answered Perhaps I heard this incorrectly, but I thought somebody mentioned public transportation along Stafford Road (where there is none right now). Any thought about this since traffic is bound to increase and exacerbate a bad situation (especially if Stafford Triangle happens, etc). live answered To what level of earthquake preparedness is the new space being built? Will it be at least at the Life Safety live answered Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – Community Meeting 2 Summary 8 level? Might it be done at the better Immediate Occupancy level? I, currently run the HS Swim meets. Will there be enough space to have a crow’s nest for electronic timing and where will the scoreboard will be located? There needs to be space for the starter and for athletes to pass by during a swim meet on the deck. The Chehalem pool in Newberg has a spot at the top of the bleachers but is slightly small. live answered Is there a space outside for athletes to have dryland exercise or a place to run? live answered Glad to help. I think logic means including the impact of diversion in the traffic study. Diversion is going to happen. Just a question of how much it will increase the number of hours where the level of service is at level F. Absolutely agree, diversion will happen along the entire I-205 corridor. Would the dry land facility include space for yoga classes, dance classes? live answered Apologies if this was addressed, but what are the plans with the current pool once the new one is built? live answered Really great job facilitating the discussion! Appreciate you taking all the questions. Will there be a FAQ that will be on the website to reference? Amen. Will your traffic study be updated to reflect diversion before ground is broken? No. Thank you! Appendix 2: Zoom Chat Bruce Powers: Hello its Megan, for some reason I showed up as Bruce:) Going to log out Allison Brown: All good Megan! Thanks for joining us, and I can always change your name as needed Kathleen Wiens: Why are you not trying for LEED certified standards? Ariella Frishberg: Hi Kathleen, thank you so much for your question! Can you please use the Q&A function so we can make sure to document your question? Ariella Frishberg: thank you! Allison Brown: Here's the website: https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/parksrec/recreation-and-aquatics-center Allison Brown: Get in touch: Bruce Powers Park Analyst & Project Manager Phone: (503) 697-6575 Email: bpowers@ci.oswego.or.us Allison Brown: https://www.losdschools.org/