King City Council has demonstrated a desire to listen, but we are still waiting to see changes

A small group from the Unite website had an informal meeting with Mayor Shawna Thompson on 4/16/2024. She expressed that she heard and understood our concerns. She assured us that she represents the community. She said is looking into how to go about making an addendum to the TSP (and it seems obvious this should not require starting over). She is looking into engaging with a Land Use attorney to help navigate what is required – and another positive – the developer (New Homes Group) is offering to help. It is in their best interests as well to ensure the community is happy and engaged – it will be easier to sell homes in a robust community! We are hopeful, but it has been several months since this meeting, and no significant traction has been made.

Vacant council positions have been filled, application window for November election is open

City councilors selected and appointed people to fill the vacant council positions at the May 15th, 2024, city council meeting. For a summary of the results click here. Note, three of the Council positions expire December 31st, 2024, and they will be filled in this November’s election. The filing window to get on the ballot is now open! Application packets can be submitted through Tuesday, August 27th, 2024, at 4pm. The positions are for a four (4) year term beginning January 1, 2025. See the post on the King City website for more details.

Continue to call for changing the Master Plan to protect our neighborhoods and nature

The successful recall election sent a strong message. The city councilors that were not recalled and the newly appointed councilors have all expressed a desire for deeper community engagement. It is important that we all continue to make our voices heard. Continue to call for:

  1. Move the collector road north, away from the river.
  2. Avoid the Bankston Nature Preserve. These 12.82 acres along the Tualatin River are a large wildlife corridor, directly across from Metro’s Heritage Pine and Beef Bend Natural Areas. Read more about the Bankston Nature Preserve and the importance of respecting this Private Land Trust here.
  3. Protect existing neighborhoods by designing the collector road for intra city traffic and discouraging regional cut-through traffic.

These three things are possible without scrapping all plans and starting over, but it means making a choice to prioritize these things based on community values. See more details here.

Make sure that City Council hears your voice

We will continue to update this website with ways to get involved to help move things forward as our community grows. There are several ways to get involved, including:

  • Attend the next city council meeting and speak during the public open forum
  • Attend the next Washington County CPO4K meeting (the 4K region of the Washington County Community Participation Organization is for King City & vicinity). Sign up to receive meeting notices here.
  • Write an opinion statement to post on the Community Voices tab (send to email@unitekingcity.com)
  • See the Get Involved tab for more ideas

If you have an opinion piece you would like to submit, please send to email@unitekingcity.com and we will post it on the Community Voices tab. Note, this is a moderated site, and all content will be reviewed before being posted. Submittor’s last names and email addresses will not be posted (unless requested), but no anonymous posts will be accepted.

Attend the next CPO4K meeting on July 22nd, and continue to monitor the Get Involved tab for more ways to engage.