City of Gresham approves Wal-Mart application

From the city of Gresham:

On July 27, a decision regarding Wal-Mart’s application to build a store at 182nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard was issued. The decision is approval with conditions.

The applicant demonstrated its compliance with the City’s standards for building placement, building orientation, building height, off-street parking, landscaping and buffering. In addition, the applicant must meet standards for public facilities, including stormwater, water, wastewater and transportation.

The main issues surrounding transportation and traffic were deemed to be resolved. An outside consultant reviewed the applicant’s estimated trip generation and found that what is proposed is an appropriate estimate for the proposed store size. Prior to occupancy, the applicant will be required to perform "before" and "post" development traffic studies. Traffic calming devices will be installed depending on the results of the post-development study. Other conditions regarding transportation include:

• installing additional traffic signals, coordinating and modifying existing signals to assist in traffic control at critical intersections
• restriping lanes at significant intersections
• constructing medians and other traffic calming devices
• placement of "No Parking" signage
• installing curb returns to accommodate truck traffic

Additional conditions include tree protection measures, installing fencing or thorny bushes to protect access to the Springwater Trail, implementing recommendations from TriMet regarding bus stops and shelters, and installing parking lot lights with shields to mitigate the impact on surrounding residents.

The decision may be appealed by citizens or neighborhood associations that supplied comments during the designated comment period (May 11-25, 2006) and/or by the applicant. The appeal period is 12 days beginning with the issuance of the decision on July 27 and running through August 8, 2006.

Appeals must be filed by 5 p.m., August 8, 2006. Decisions by the Hearings Officer may be appealed to the state's Land Use Board of Appeals, by applicants or by citizens with standing. There is a 21-day appeal period following the issuance of a decision by the Hearings Officer.

The full report and its findings are available at www.ci.gresham.or.us.