Forested Property Slated for Clearing, Apartments Sparks Controversy

GRESHAM, OR-American Property Management merely thought about felling trees in a forest here, and still it made a sound–one loud enough to rally a neighborhood association and prompt the City Council to deny a tree removal permit the company needs to begin development of its 264-unit apartment complex.

On the same night last week that the council approved the project, it denied the tree-removal permit. As a result, both the developer and the Northwest Gresham Neighborhood Association are appealing the council’s decision, albeit for different reasons. APM is appealing the decision to deny the permit, and the Northwest Gresham Neighborhood Association is appealing the entire project’s approval. The issue now is headed to a hearings officer to sort out. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26.

At issue is APM’s 12.5-acre development site, east of Wallula Avenue between Division Street and the light-rail tracks. It contains around 1,000 trees, some 400 of which are significant enough that removal is regulated by city code. The city determined that APM’s tree-removal plan amounted to a clear-cut under its rules, which require a “mitigation plan” for such an action, says city planner David Krogh.