Land Use Hearing: Z0155-26, October 27, 2026

Agenda

File No.: Z0155-26

Applicants: Cindy Lou Pease

Proposal: The applicant proposes to apply the Historic Landmark designation and Historic Preservation Overlay Zone to the historic Carus School House now located at 22575 S HWY 213.

Staff Contact: Joy Fields, Principal Planner, JFields@clackamas.us, 503-742-4510

Staff Report to the Board of County Commissioners

File Number(s): Z0155-26, Historic Landmark Designation and Zone Change

Staff Contact: Joy Fields, Planning and Zoning, jfields@clackamas.us

Board of County Commissioners Hearing Date: October 27, 2026; 11:00AM

PROPOSAL:

This application requests that Clackamas County’s zoning maps be changed to include the Historic Landmark Overlay for the Carus Schoolhouse. No development is proposed with this application. The applicant has previously been approved to use the Carus Schoolhouse as a Community Center on the subject site through land use file Z0275-25, in compliance with the zoning requirements for the Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) zoning district.

Background: The subject site is located on the northwest corner of S Mueller Rd and SE Hwy 213. It is approximately 2800 feet north of the Canby School District #86 campus where the Carus Schoolhouse was originally built in 1926. The subject site consists of a tract that contains over 130 acres and has approximately 519 feet of frontage on SE Hwy 213, a major arterial, and 1145 feet of frontage on S Mueller Rd, a local street. 

The subject site is a working farm that is relatively flat, is outside of a mapped flood hazard area, and has no County-regulated mass-movement or soil hazard areas, stream conservation areas, mapped wetlands, or other historic landmarks.

The structure known as the Carus Schoolhouse was previously located at 14412 S. Carus Road on the corner of S. Carus Rd and S. Hwy 213. In 2023 the Canby School District received land use approval, through file Z0523-22, to move or demolish the historic school building to allow improvements to the outside and inside of the modern school. With support from the community, the Friends of the Historic Schoolhouse was created and was able to purchase and relocate the building to the current site with building permit B0627423.

The applicant highlights in the application that “The 1926 Craftsman style two-room schoolhouse was fittingly moved to Evans Farms, whose lineage includes Clarence Evans, one of the original builders of the school. The school is accessible by driveways off Hwy 213 and Mueller Road, which honors the family of Clarence’s wife, Louise Mueller.”

February 6, 1992, the Carus Schoolhouse received land use approval to be designated a local Historic Landmark through land use file Z1293-90 and Board Order 92-159. That designation was for the property on the corner of S. Carus Rd and S. Hwy 213. The application Z0155-26 is to redesignate the historic Carus Schoolhouse as a Historic Landmark in its new location.

The subject site is currently zoned EFU (Exclusive Farm Use) and would retain that underlying zoning. The designation of the Carus Schoolhouse as a Historic Landmark would result in the addition of a Historic Landmark Overlay zone being placed on thesite. The extent of the overlay would be limited to covering the footprint of the structure as requested by the applicant.

This application is subject to the criteria and processes outlined in the county’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning & Development Ordinance (ZDO), as well as the Statewide Planning Goals. Based on the findings detailed in the Historic Review Board Staff Report (attached), Staff finds that the proposal meets all applicable criteria for designation as a Historic Landmark and a zone change to place the Historic Landmark designation over the existing Exclusive Farm Use designation that would remain.

RELATED PRIOR BCC ACTION:

None

PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION:

A public hearing was held on October 8 2026, for Historic Review Board consideration of the applications and the staff recommendation. The applicant joined by the community group, Friends of Carus Schoolhouse, was the only party who provided testimony at the Historic Review Board hearing.

The Historic Review Board voted unanimously (4-0) to recommend approval of Z0155-26, as proposed.

Draft minutes of the Historic Review Board hearing are attached.

CPO AND HAMLET RECOMMENDATIONS:

The local Community Planning Organization (CPO) - the Hamlet of Beavercreek provided comments in support of this application.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES:

At its October 8th hearing, the Historic Review Board was supportive of the proposal and of the prospect for the Historic Structure to be redesignated a local Historic Landmark.

No significant issues were discussed.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends APPROVAL of file Z0155-26, the Zoning Map amendment to place a Historic Landmark Overlay on the property in the location of the Carus Schoolhouse.

Subject to the recommended conditions of approval.

1. The Clackamas County Zoning map shall be amended to show the subject property as having a Historic Landmark Overlay in addition to the underlying EFU zoning district.