Slope stability and geotechnical safety of the facility site
Summary
The council let Skanska start early site work on the Operations Complex site while the appeal is pending. Neighbors worried about landslide and earthquake hazard maps and spending $17 million on a project that could still be overturned; a geotechnical engineer testified the site is stable with proper design.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 4
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Apr 14, 2026.
Impact analysis
About $17 million in early work approved; staff say the project is on budget and early work could save money before wet weather.
City operations get a modern facility sooner, with potential cost savings on schedule.
Appeal opponents fear public money spent on a project that could be reversed and cite slope stability worries.
Mentions & discussions (5)
City Council Meeting - Apr 14, 2026
The council let Skanska start early site work on the Operations Complex site while the appeal is pending. Neighbors worried about landslide and earthquake hazard maps and spending $17 million on a project that could still be overturned; a geotechnical engineer testified the site is stable with proper design.
$45 million gamble: Portland suburb wants to build on the spot of devastating landslide
$45 million gamble: Portland suburb wants to build on the spot of devastating landslide OregonLive.com
Planning Commission Meeting - Feb 18, 2026
The site sits at the edge of a 1960s I-205 construction landslide. The applicant's engineer says buildings will sit on solid basalt and a geogrid-reinforced slope will protect the access road, but a final geotech report is required before building permits, and Commissioner Walvatne pressed hard on whether a factor of safety of 1.1 is enough for a Cascadia earthquake.
Planning Commission Meeting - Feb 4, 2026
Multiple testifiers presented DOGAMI and city Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan maps marking the site as high landslide susceptibility, recalling the 1969 I-205 construction landslide that destroyed the city reservoir and homes and killed a West Linn High senior. The applicant's geotech engineer countered that the slide was man-made, triggered by I-205 excavation, and that the design accounts for it.
Planning Commission Meeting - Jan 21, 2026
Residents of Winkle Way and Deer Hill Lane worry a new phase-one development above Deer Hill Lane will worsen stormwater flooding that already damaged their properties during the earlier Icon subdivision. They also flag narrow streets with no parking and construction traffic on Deer Hill Lane. No formal application has been submitted yet.
Related development
City of West Linn Operations Center
If approved as staff recommends, the facility replaces the aging existing yard but neighbors want stronger evidence on slope stability, traffic and noise before any approval.
City of West Linn Operations Support Facility (CUP-25-02/DR-25-02/WAP-25-01)
Early construction is moving ahead while an independent hearings officer reviews the appeal, with a decision expected in 6-8 weeks.
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda and when it's voted on, at most once a day.
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