Redevelopment Projects

Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Parish Expansion at 630 A Avenue

March 2009

Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Parish proposes expanding the parish center and school buildings, reviewed as a conditional use application in the R-7.5 zone. Current code does not accommodate their proposal; the City appears interested in accommodating them.

City staff notes dated 1/6/2009 identify three primary code hurdles for Our Lady of the Lake:

  1. Lot coverage
  2. Evergreen overlay front setback plane
  3. R7.5 zone front setback plane (if Evergreen overlay modified)

City staff is proposing changes to be enacted in a rewriting of the Citywide Code:

  • LOC 50.08.040 Lot Coverage - allow increase from 25% coverage to 35% coverage for K-12 private schools
  • LOC 50.08.045(1) Front Setback Plane - eliminate on arterials in low density residential zones for allowed structures under conditional use

For more details, see Lake Oswego Planning Commission memo dated March 2, 2009 regarding Institutional Use Code Amendments.

Update December 2009

  • Our Lady of the Lake has decided to meet the 25% lot coverage limit; came to an agreement with the Evergreen neighborhood.
  • December 21, 2009 the Development Review Commission approved application for conditional use permit for a K-8 school with 320 students, a development review permit for 56,249 square-foot Parish Center (including parish offices and the school), a new parking lot, associated playfield and play structures, site improvements, and the removal of 30 trees to accomodate the project.

Institutional Code Update May 2010

In 2009, the City decided to review the code relating to lot coverage for schools and church/school mixed-use facilities. Over the past 12 months, our neighborhood association actively participated in a City-led process that examined this issue. Of major concern to us was that the code definition of "school" included in-home daycare; if not handled properly, a code change would allow massive homes to be built under the heading of a mixed-use home/daycare structure, next door to a normal-sized residence. The City Council did amend code Sections 50.08.040 and 50.13A.025 (see Community Development Code), creating parity in code between public and private school lot coverage; we are please to say they also included language that defines the applicable schools as having at least two grades of K-12 and be of a size that would accommodate a minimum of 100 students. This prevents the change from impacting the lot coverage for a single family home. Maintaining the livability of our neighborhood is a dynamic and on-going process.

[ Last updated 4 May 2010 ]