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The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals has upheld the conditional use approval issued by the city of Portland for a planned expansion of the Portland Japanese Garden farther into Washington Park, dismissing concerns raised by neighboring residents.

In a final opinion released this month, LUBA sided with the city in an appeal filed by Portland architect Hilary Mackenzie, who lives near the garden. The appeal, filed last fall, claimed that the city’s approval of the garden expansion violated state requirements for public feedback because park property is involved. In the same opinion, LUBA denied a similar appeal filed shortly thereafter by three other neighbors of the garden.

The Japanese Garden Society of Oregon, a private nonprofit, operates the 5.5-acre garden on 9.1 acres leased from the city. An expansion to accommodate a growing number of garden visitors would increase that acreage to 12.5. Plans filed with the city call for construction of 11,340 square feet of new buildings, including a ticketing pavilion, administrative offices, a garden house and a café.

Mackenzie has said she filed the LUBA appeal because she believes that more people than neighbors should have received notice about the project and the chance to offer feedback because Washington Park attracts visitors from throughout the city and region. The LUBA opinion rejected this assertion, stating that the city did not violate state public input requirements by notifying only nearby neighbors of a hearing.

LUBA also dismissed Mackenzie’s concerns about the garden expansion blocking access to a popular footpath that connects to Washington Park’s popular Wildwood Trail. In the opinion, the board ruled that the city hearings officer had adequately considered this impact and noted that an alternative route to the spur trail existed.

Portland Japanese Garden spokeswoman Lisa Christy said Monday that officials are moving ahead with plans to expand the garden, but haven’t set the date for ground to be broken.

Architects Tokyo-based Kengo Kuma and Associates and Portland-based THA Architecture, along with Portland-based landscape architects Sadafumi Uchiyama and Walker Macy are designing the project. General contractor Hoffman Construction and engineering firms PAE, KPFF Consulting Engineers and Geotechnical Resources Inc. have also been hired.