LU 12-0002: Community Culture - Comprehensive Plan Text Amendments to Goals and Policies

February 28, 2012

On February 27, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on proposed Comprehensive Plan goals and policies for the Community Culture chapter of the Plan. The Commission heard public testimony from 60 citizens in addition to the written comments posted to this web page. The Commission then closed the public testimony and deliberated on the Recreation section of the proposed goals and policies. After concluding their deliberations on Recreation, they continued the hearing to March 12 to deliberate on the remaining topics in the Community Culture chapter of the Plan (Arts, Civic  Engagement, Education, Historic Preservation, and Library Facilities & Services).

The Commission directed staff, by majority vote, to include revised policies in the Recreation section, to be forwarded to the Council.  A formal vote on the full set of Community Culture goals and policies to be recommended to the City Council will take place at the conclusion of the March 12 hearing, once the remaining topics have been addressed. The City Council will consider the Commission’s recommendations for their preliminary adoption in May.

The Commission approved the following:

Lake Specific

• Additional policy (to be inserted between policy 6&7) : “Cooperate with  the Lake Oswego Corporation to protect the aesthetic and recreational qualities of Oswego Lake.”

(This language is pulled from Goal 5, Section 7, Policy 1 of the existing Comprehensive Plan.)

• Policy 10 (now 11) stays the same as proposed in the original staff report (not the supplemental memo). “Continue to provide swimming access on Oswego Lake through the City’s Swim Park and through coordination with the Lake Oswego School District to preserve the Lake Grove Swim Park.”


• (Preservation of the Lake Grove Swim Park is addressed in Goal 5, Section 7, Policy 8 of the existing Comprehensive Plan).

Not Lake Specific

• Revise Policy 8 (now 9) to include additional language about elderly, disable and disadvantaged: “Ensure the opportunity for Lake Oswego residents to have access to parks and recreation facilities and programs, including those who have special needs such as the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged, and regardless of income.”

(This additional language is pulled from Goal 8, Policy 15 of the existing Comprehensive Plan.)

• Additional policy 12: “Provide and enhance low-impact recreational access including swimming, canoeing, and kayaking from public waterfront properties at the Willamette and Tualatin Rivers.”

(This is a new policy.)

• Text amendments to Lake Oswego Comprehensive Plan goals and policies.  Amendments will include changes to existing goals and policies in Goal 1; Goal 5, Sections 7 and 8; Goal 8; Goal 11, Section 5 and Goal 15, and assembly of amended goals and policies into a new Community Culture chapter of the plan.