The cities of Sherwood and Beaverton are bolstering laws in response to actions taken by pro-animal activists outside the homes of Skanska executives.

The seven-member Sherwood City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed two laws – one beefing up the city’s noise ordinance, and the other cracking down on “targeted” residential picketing. And in two weeks Beaverton City Council will consider two similar ordinances, according to assistant city attorney Grace Wong.

Activists with the group No New Animal Lab have picketed at Skanska job sites and offices to protest construction of the $124 million University of Washington animal research lab. But those efforts have spread into neighborhoods too.

Officials say residents have registered their displeasure with the regular protests taking place outside the homes of Sherwood resident Tim Baugus and Beaverton resident David Schmidt; both work out of Skanska’s office in downtown Portland. That office is not involved with the University of Washington project, according to Skanska spokeswoman Dianne Danowski-Smith.

Upset Sherwood residents came to the Jan. 5 city council meeting to discuss the protests that had been taking place irregularly outside Baugus’ house since April 2015. The city attorney returned Feb. 2 with an update to an ordinance prohibiting “unreasonably loud or raucous” behavior, and an ordinance prohibiting protests “outside or about” a residence. The new rules contained emergency clauses; therefore they were effective immediately upon passage and did not require a second public hearing.

Beaverton City Council will hear proposed similar changes at its Feb. 16 meeting. Like Sherwood’s noise ordinance, Beaverton’s will be based on a model nuisance rule provided by the League of Oregon Cities. It specifies the “time, manner and place” that protests may occur, Wong said. The residential picketing ordinance will differ slightly from Sherwood’s in that it will allow picketing outside a 250-foot buffer.

“If your intent is to disrupt, you won’t be able to do that,” Wong said. “(The law) is focused not on what they say, but how they say it.”

Danowski-Smith called the residential protests “frightening and unprecedented.”

“The ordinances are trying to respect their First Amendment rights,” she said.

In a news release, the group took issue with the new laws, and notably, the emergency provision.

“It is a privileged view of the world to believe that a public protest outside of wealthy home to hold corporate executives accountable for their desire to profit off the suffering of animals constitutes a state of emergency,” the statement reads.

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Construction is scheduled to start this spring on a new 320-seat Italian restaurant in Sherwood.

The Old Spaghetti Factory, based in Portland, is in the pre-planning stage to open its fifth restaurant in Oregon at Parkway Village, a large retail development off of Southwest Langer Farms Parkway, said Ryan Durrett, a spokesman for OSF International Inc. The project is expected to create 50 construction jobs.

Old Spaghetti Factory officials have long sought to open a location in Sherwood because the city seems like a good fit for the family-friendly restaurant, Durrett said.

“The personality of the community is something we’ve always liked and been interested in,” he said.

The Sherwood restaurant will occupy 8,500 square feet in Parkway Village’s northeastern corner along Langer Farms Parkway, just east of Tualatin-Sherwood Road. Construction of the first 20 acres of the planned 45-acre Parkway Village development is nearly complete, said Dianne Danowaski Smith, spokeswoman for Tualatin-based Gramor Development.

The Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant, scheduled to open this fall, will join 13 tenants already operating at Parkway Village; they include restaurants, retailers and dental clinics.

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A long and tedious effort to redevelop a former cannery in Sherwood is likely to be delayed further.

Sherwood’s city manager last week announced that a former metal shop – targeted for renovation into a community center – should be demolished because of instable roof-supporting trusses.

Now, the city council is weighing whether to fix the trusses and move forward with the renovation, or tear down the shop and build a new facility. Both options would cost Sherwood time and money, according to Tom Pessemier, assistant city manager.

“They are repairable and fixable, and we could (get) a long life out of the roof structure, but it will cost money and be an effort,” he said. “If we go in that direction, that’s what we’ll do. … We know it’s going to be more expensive to do a new building, but we’re finding out it’s not tremendously more expensive.”

But that cost difference isn’t clear. The original estimated cost for the community center was $4 million. The council is contemplating a variety of factors, including energy efficiency and annual maintenance, before deciding how to proceed, Pessemier said.

The trusses’ damage likely is a result of aging; the former metal shop was first used as storage space for the cannery in the early 20th century. In the late 1970s, it was converted into shop space for companies such as an automobile parts supplier and an organ repair business.

Initially, the city believed that only one of the building’s six trusses was damaged. However, after a detailed inspection, it became clear that all had defects, Pessemier said.

“There are multiple damaged trusses in it, but there’s one that (has) pretty much bailed,” he said. “They’re big trusses – there are only six in the entire building that hold the roof up.”

The city manager recommended demolishing the building; however, the trusses are easily repairable, Pessemier said.

Building new would involve complete redesign and a restart of the permitting process. Pessemier believes it would extend the project by six months.

“That would be the only delay – going back and doing the design and getting new permits and constructing it,” he said, “but nothing too significant.”

The project’s developer, , has no preference in whether the building is renovated or replaced, according to Chris Nelson, co-founder of the company.

“What is most important is the programming that will go in inside the new community center and the positive impact it will have on the urban renewal within Old Town,” he said. “Whether it is a renovated building or new construction, the city is committed to a first-class facility that will integrate architecturally with the overall Cannery Square mixed-use project.”

Plans to redevelop the former cannery were proposed in 2004, when the city purchased the site with $4 million of urban renewal money. After three years of planning, the city in 2007 hired Capstone to develop the site with a mix of housing, retail space and public space.

Some efforts have come to fruition. This past winter, workers built a $1.7 million brick plaza where Sherwood’s Saturday Market operates. And last month, construction began on a 101-unit high-end apartment complex called the Residences at Cannery Square.

However, a complaint filed in 2010 by three citizens held up work. And before that, roads had to be redesigned to account for an unmitigated wetlands area and avoid a Clean Water Services buffer zone.

After the community center is built, three more construction phases – 21,000 square feet of commercial space – are planned.

The project is still moving forward and will eventually turn the square into a meaningful place for Sherwood citizens, Pessemier said.

“It kind of just focuses that community meeting space in our Old Town area, which is where a lot of people want to meet, but we just don’t have a good space (for that),” he said.

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Construction has begun on the next phase of the Cannery Square project in Sherwood.

This phase, which involves building a 101-unit, high-end apartment complex called the Residences at Cannery Square, is the first privately financed aspect of the project. The complex, to be comprised of two buildings, is a joint venture between Premium Property USA, Inc. and Capstone Partners LLC.

Both of the buildings will have a “boutique hotel” style design and will feature bike storage, a fitness center and a large entertainment room, said Chris Nelson, a principal at Capstone.

The Cannery Square project has been in the works since 2004, when the city of Sherwood purchased an old fruit cannery site downtown to develop into retail, housing and public space. Since then, a 12,000-square-foot plaza has been built.

The complex is expected to be completed in fall 2013 and has been designed to capitalize on the national trend toward town center mixed-use development, Nelson said.

After the complex is built, Capstone plans to develop around 21,000 square feet of commercial space on the site.

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Sherwood city planners are hoping to increase the financial boundaries of their urban renewal area by nearly $10 million.

Tom Nelson, economic development manager for the city of Sherwood, said that next week he will submit to City Council an ordinance that, if enacted, would increase the maximum indebtedness of the city’s URA by $9.7 million to $45.1 million over the next three years. The ordinance takes advantage of a 2009 legislative measure that allows URAs to use an indexing method for a one-time increase of maximum indebtedness.

Nelson said the increase is essential for the city to progress.

“It allows investment to take place that otherwise wouldn’t happen, and what’s really neat about here in Sherwood is the dramatic increase in the assessed value,” he said.

Nelson said that since the city created its URA in 2000, the assessed values of properties within the district have increased by $180 million.

“To get almost $10 million more in public development that will drive private development and have it pay for itself in three years is pretty dramatic,” he said.

That’s a big chunk of change for a city that had numerous blighted areas, Nelson said. But he noted that Sherwood once was a bustling city because it included the Portland Brick Company.

“Many of the buildings that you see in downtown Portland were built with brick from the Portland Brick Company,” he said.

When it went out of business, a canning company became the city’s primary employer. But in the mid-1960s it folded, and the property sat vacant.

When the city formed the URA, it purchased that property and several adjacent ones. Officials began working with Portland development company to redevelop Sherwood’s downtown core.

“A thriving downtown will be a thriving community, whereas communities that don’t have a thriving downtown don’t have as much of a community,” Nelson said.

Jeffrey Sackett, Capstone principal, said he sees a lot of potential and that the company plans to invest more than $30 million. Capstone will redevelop the 6.4-acre ex-cannery site, and build two 50-unit housing complexes as well as several surrounding retail and commercial buildings.

The city has already invested $33.1 million to build a new city hall and public library, purchase property and improve streetscapes. Capstone also is only weeks away from wrapping up construction of the $1.7 million Cannery Square public plaza in the heart of Sherwood.

Capstone and the city are now almost finished with design for a renovation of an abandoned machine shop, adjacent to the square, to become a 13,050-square-foot community center. Nelson said $1.9 million of the new URA money will go toward that project. Sackett said the project team has hired R&H Construction and that it hopes to seek subcontractor bids within the next month.

Sackett said the project sets the scene for future development.

“(The cannery property is) 100 years old and it always was the center of town and was the reason for Sherwood’s existence starting back in 1895,” Sackett said. “And it’s sort of fallen by the wayside because of the auto-oriented development that has happened along Highway 99 and Tualatin/Sherwood roads on the perimeter of town.”

Nelson acknowledged that some people have voiced concerns that the $9.7 million in added revenue will come at the expense of schools and similar districts.

According to minutes from a meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency’s board of directors last month, Elaine Howard of , which the city hired to help draft the URA amendment, addressed those concerns by stating that “schools need growth in the community. And to create growth in the community, incentives need to be provided.”

Sherwood has experienced substantial growth.

Nelson said that in 1990, Sherwood had approximately 3,080 people and the median household income was 95 percent of the state average. Today, the city has approximately 18,205 people and the median household income is 160 percent of the state average, or about $80,000.

“Seventy percent of our workforce that lives in Sherwood leaves town everyday to go to work,” he said. “So trying to correct that is important to us.”

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General contractor LMC Construction is performing a full remodel of the Stewart Terrace Apartments, a 29-unit senior living community in Sherwood.

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The road to transform an old fruit cannery into a downtown public square in Sherwood hasn’t always been a smooth ride.

After three years of process and unexpected hang-ups, the city of Sherwood and private developer Capstone Partners are poised to start work on the long anticipated Sherwood Cannery project.

The developer and the city in March received preliminary approval from Sherwood City Council for the concept plan. The public-private team is expecting the city’s planning commission to approve the first phase of the project before the end of the month, and is planning for work related to public utilities to start in mid-October.

Once the sewer and storm-water systems are in place and road work is performed for site accessibility, the city will transform 12,000 square feet in the center of the site into an open, public plaza. That project is expected to start in spring 2011.

“The plaza is the heart of this project,” said Jeff Sackett, a principal with Capstone who is heading the project. “It’s going to be Sherwood’s living room, much like Pioneer (Courthouse) Square in Portland.”

The city in 2004 used $4 million of urban renewal money to purchase the 6.4-acre former cannery site. Capstone Partners was selected in 2007 to develop the site with a mix of retail, housing and public space.

The public portion of the project is estimated to cost approximately $2 million, while the plaza is estimated to cost $1.7 million. The city will cover most of the cost because the development will be used by the public.

The team hasn’t always been optimistic about the project. Sackett remembers when Capstone signed its contract with the city in September 2008.

“Do you remember what happened in September of 2008?” he asked. “September 15th was the day that Lehman Brothers failed and everything collapsed.”

The team moved forward with the project anyway, only to find out that property owners of an adjacent lot had not mitigated its wetlands, which had doubled in size over the previous five years.

The team had to go back and redesign roads into the project to avoid a Clean Water Services’ buffer zone.

More recently, the blanket approval of the concept plan has been held up because of an appeal made by three Sherwood citizens – Susan Claus, Jim Claus and Sanford Rome – to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.

The appeal cited allegations of failure for an impartial hearing, use of police to curb citizen testimony, financial self-dealing by the city, ex-parte contract and conflicts of interest.

But the city and Capstone aren’t overly concerned by the appeal, which is expected to be decided next week.

“Like any project there’s going to be objections, but there is no rhyme or reason for concern,” said Tom Nelson, economic development manager for the city of Sherwood. “But like any of these, we have to deal with it in a serious, legal and professional manner.”

Once the LUBA appeal is settled, and work begins, the development team plans to start the next phase of the project, a renovation of the 13,000-square-foot Machine Works building. It will be repurposed into community and retail space, which will be leased by the city; rent revenues will be used to support the project.

Once these three public projects are done, Capstone will focus on purchasing the surrounding lots from the city and developing them. The team is proposing construction of four buildings: a 101-unit apartment complex and three buildings with nearly 35,000 square feet of retail space.

“The project has always been moving forward; it’s just now starting to get to the fun part,” Sackett said. “These types of projects aren’t easy, especially in today’s economic environment. I’ve been in this industry for 30 years and have been a part of one, maybe two, projects I would consider easy.”

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Construction bidding will soon open for preliminary work on the Sherwood Cannery Square development in Sherwood.

The work on public amenities includes mass grading of the 6.4-acre site; utility installation including storm sewer, sanitary sewer and water; public street improvements including specialty paving; franchise utility improvements; landscaping improvements; and vegetated corridor improvements.  The estimated bid range for the public amenities work is between $1.74 million and $2.25 million.

A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held Aug. 10 at 1:30 p.m. in the Community Room located at City Hall, 22560 S.W. Pine St. in Sherwood. Preliminary construction is scheduled to begin Sept. 15. Construction of the development is scheduled for January 2011.

The Sherwood Cannery project is a public/private mixed-use project that will consist of 101 apartments and about 35,000 square feet of commercial and community space. One of the major aspects of the project will be the renovation of the 13,000-square-foot machine works building, located in the middle of the site, into a cultural center and commercial space.

Interested contractors should look for the bid information through the in the coming days.

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An open house will be held April 5 for the recommended design for a public plaza related to the Sherwood Cannery development, which is scheduled to begin construction later this year.

Sherwood City Council in March approved the project, which will be partially paid for by urban renewal funds. The development would include a public plaza, commercial space and 101 apartments.

Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects is currently working on an alternative design for Sherwood’s machine works building, which will house a community center. The new design will be shown to Sherwood’s Cultural Arts Community Center Steering Committee at the end of the month. Engineering company Harper Houf Peterson Righellis is also working on the design of streets for the project.

“The streets and plaza will be the first to start construction later this year,” said Tom Nelson, economic development manager for the city of Sherwood. “There will be a few new streets constructed and a portion of Pine Street will be rehabbed to match the streetscape we have in Old Town.”

The cannery project was first announced by Capstone Partners LLC in 2007, though the city has been trying to redevelop the 6.5-acre former cannery site for years.

The open house will be held at 6 p.m. at Sherwood City Hall, 22560 S.W. Pine St., in Sherwood.

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Washington and Clackamas county leaders both point to Sherwood as an example of the compromises required in a regional planning process. But the mayor of Sherwood said he feels his city’s future vitality is being compromised.

The three Portland-area counties and the Metro Council are set to approve agreements this week over which land may enter the urban growth boundary and which must remain undeveloped over the next 50 years. A representative from each county and Metro, called the Core 4, had sought a consensus on reserves for the entire area.

They got close, but had several areas of disagreement. The Core 4 then tasked the counties with designating areas within their own territory in individual agreements with Metro.

Sherwood, which is mostly in Washington County, had identified more than 500 acres along its southern edge for future development. That land is in Clackamas County, however, so that county had to decide on its designation.

On the Clackamas County map set for approval this week, the area didn’t make it into the urban reserve. It’s marked “undesignated,” a sort of urban planning limbo.

Such a designation wouldn’t prohibit Metro from including the area in a future urban growth boundary expansion, but would make the process much more difficult and contentious, particularly if land in the urban reserve hasn’t been used up.

Sherwood Mayor Keith Mays said the decision to declare the land undesignated, after earlier proposals called for its inclusion in the urban reserve, perplexed him. “Certainly, Sherwood is disappointed with how our aspirations are reflected in Clackamas County,” Mays said.

At the last Core 4 meeting, Clackamas County Commissioner Charlotte Lehan expressed concern that too many acres could be included in the urban reserve. Nearly all of that land is in Washington and Clackamas counties. Tom Brian, chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, responded that the proposed urban reserve land was modest and responsible for rapidly growing Washington County cities.

“Washington and Clackamas County did approach the whole process a little differently,” said Clackamas County spokeswoman Ellen Rogalin. “We’ve had to make some tough compromises in the process, but that’s part of being a regional leader.

“There was no intent to make (Sherwood) a pawn in that.”

Mays said he felt the squeeze from both counties. “Part of the interest from Sherwood is to make sure we have more employment potential in the long term. And we already had a big reduction in our areas of interest from Washington County.”

Although Washington County’s proposed map includes urban reserves around Sherwood, these areas are constrained by steep slopes, wetlands and stream corridors, Mays said. “At least half is not developable by normal standards,” he said.

The Clackamas County land still has slopes, Mays said, although they’re not as steep as other Washington County areas and have fewer natural features.

Washington County spokesman Mike Dahlstrom said all of the county leaders negotiated in good faith. “Clackamas County was appropriate in how they looked at the option area south of Sherwood,” he said.

Elsewhere, Clackamas County designated land for future growth of Washington County cities. “Maybe Clackamas County takes more urban reserves if that reduces the impact on Washington County,” Dahlstrom said.

“That’s how the process has gone – give and take on both sides,” he said.

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