On November 24, Metro entered into an agreement giving it the option to purchase a property located on Jennifer Street in the Clackamas industrial area. This property could be the future home of some or all of the garbage and recycling services provided at the Metro South transfer station in Oregon City.
Metro South transfer station serves over 250,000 public and private customers every year. As the population grows, so does the amount of our waste. The aging facility has been operating beyond its capacity for years leading to long lines for customers, low rates of recovery of recyclables, and unsafe conditions for staff and customers who use the site.
For over 10 years, there has been a documented need for a new facility to serve the south of the region.
Since late 2018, Metro staff has been actively looking for properties in northern Clackamas County of an appropriate size and zoning to site a new facility, but has not found one available for sale. The recently signed agreement allows staff to explore whether the property is suitable for a new facility site and meets the community’s needs.
To this end, Metro will undertake extensive property evaluation work during this time, including environmental testing, soil sampling and geotechnical investigations.
At the same time, Metro will begin a new phase of community engagement, reaching out to a wide range of stakeholders and community members to gather input on the project and hear about opportunities and challenges related to the potential site.
Part of this work will be to discuss and assess options for what garbage and recycling services should move to the new site, and what services, if any, should stay at the existing transfer station in Oregon City.
Estee Segal, the Metro project manager responsible for coordinating the property search and community engagement efforts, says “this agreement is an important step toward siting a new transfer station, but there is still a lot of work to do to ensure it’s a good fit for Metro and the community.”
To stay informed about the Future South recycling and transfer center, visit www.oregonmetro.gov/futuresouth or subscribe to the Future South email list.