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Chapter 17.93 Renaming City Streets

City Code Chapter

17.93.010 Criteria For Renaming a City Street.

  1. A. Any individual or organization may apply to the City to rename a City street. City streets may only be renamed after a prominent person. Such prominent person must be:
    1. 1. a person who has achieved prominence as a result of the person’s significant, positive contribution to the United States of America and/or the local community;
    2. 2. a real person; and
    3. 3. a person who has been deceased for at least five years.
  2. B. Only one street renaming application may be processed at a time, and only one street name change may be implemented per year for a major traffic or district collector street. Additional applications will be placed on a waiting list and processed in order of submission when this criteria can be met.

17.93.020 Selection of Street to be Renamed.

  1. A. The name of the street proposed for renaming may not be changed if the existing name is of historic significance or the street is significant in its own right.
  2. B. The street proposed for renaming must start and terminate entirely within City boundaries.
  3. C. The name of any street must be the same for its entire length. Renaming only portions of a street is not permitted.

17.93.030 Application Procedure and Fees.

  1. The applicant must conform to the following procedure in applying to rename a City street:
  2. A. The applicant must submit evidence to the City Engineer that the street renaming proposal complies with Subsections 17.93.010 A.2. and A.3. and Subsections 17.93.020 B. and C. If the City Engineer determines the submittal does not comply with these sections, the applicant will be so advised and the City will take no further action. If the submittal complies with the above-referenced sections, the City Engineer will issue the application materials described in Subsection B.
  3. B. The applicant must obtain from the City Engineer:
    1. 1. official petition forms;
    2. 2. instructions as to fees and required procedures; and
    3. 3. the application form.
  4. C. The applicant must, after filing a completed City Engineer’s application form and paying any applicable fees:
    1. 1. Obtain a minimum of 2,500 signatures in support of the proposal from legal residents of the City at large or signatures of at least 75 percent of the abutting property owners along the street proposed for renaming on the petition forms supplied by the City Engineer.
    2. 2. Make a good faith effort to obtain a letter of concurrence to the proposed street renaming from the honoree’s surviving spouse, children, or parents, in that order. The City Engineer may accept registered mail receipts and copies of all letters as evidence of compliance with this provision.
    3. 3. Provide to the City Engineer supporting information including a complete biography of the proposed honoree with references of substantiation, honors received, contributions to the national and/or local community, et cetera, which will be reviewed by a historian panel appointed pursuant to Subsection 17.93.040 A. This submission must contain sufficient information to allow the historian panel to accurately assess the appropriateness of renaming a street after the proposed honoree.
  5. D. The applicant will have 180 calendar days to complete and submit the information required by Subsection C. to the City Engineer’s office. If the completed application has not been submitted to the City Engineer within 180 calendar days after the application has been received by the applicant, the application will be invalid. No time extension may be granted. At the time of submission, the City Engineer may check the applicant’s application and accept it only if it is complete and appears to comply with the requirements of Sections 17.93.010 through 17.93.030.
    1. 1. If the City Engineer accepts the submission, the applicant must make a fee deposit to cover the full cost of printing and mailing postcards and public notices as determined by the City Administrator. The minimum fee deposit will be as established in the Transportation Fee Schedule if the street proposed for renaming is ten City blocks (one-half mile) or less in length. If the street proposed for renaming is more than ten City blocks (one-half mile), the minimum deposit will be as established in the Transportation Fee Schedule. The City Administrator will refund any unused portion of the deposit to the applicant or the applicant may be required to pay for any cost of printing, mailings, and public notices in excess of the fee deposit.

17.93.040 Review of Application and Public Hearings.

  1. Upon receipt of the applicant’s packet, the City will process the application as follows:
  2. A. The City Engineer will, within 14 calendar days after submission of the completed application, refer the street renaming application to a panel of three historians or persons with appropriate expertise appointed by the City Administrator for review and determination as to appropriateness of the proposed name and its compliance with criteria for selecting a new street name, and determination as to historic significance of the street.
  3. B. The City Engineer will notify all neighborhood and business associations recognized by the City that encompass or represent owners of property or businesses located on property abutting the street proposed for renaming of the proposed renaming and request that they submit in writing to the City Engineer their support or opposition to the proposed name change within 45 days.
  4. C. The Historian Panel will have 45 calendar days from the date of receipt to review the application and advise the City Planning Commission as to its recommendations. If the panel does not provide a recommendation within the 45-day period, the Planning Commission must review the application with no recommendation unless the Planning Commission grants a time extension to the Historian Panel, which may not exceed 14 calendar days.
  5. D. Concurrent with the Historian Panel review under Subsection C. of this Section, the City Administrator will conduct a postcard mailing survey of each legal owner and each legal address abutting the street in question, notifying them that there will be public hearings by the Planning and Sustainability Commission regarding the proposed street renaming and requesting the occupant and owner’s input within 30 calendar days, as to the proposed name change. The City Administrator will also receive and tabulate all responses to the postcard survey and forward the results to the Planning Commission.
  6. E. The City Engineer will prepare and submit to the Planning Commission a budget impact statement as to the direct cost of production and installation of new street name signs and related City costs.
  7. F. The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on the matter and make a recommendation to the City Administrator as to the best interest of the City and the area within six miles of the City limits in accordance with ORS 227.120.
  8. G. The City Administrator may approve or deny application for a street name change upon determination of the best interests of the City and the area within six miles of the City limits. If the City Administrator denies the application, it will be filed with no further consideration and the subject name and street may not be considered again under this Chapter for a period of at least two years. If the City Administrator approves the application, certified copies of the approval will be filed with the County Recorder, County Assessor, and County Surveyor.

17.93.050 City-Initiated Action to Rename a City Street.

  1. The City Administrator may rename a street in order to correct errors in street names, or to eliminate confusion. Such action may be taken if it is determined that insignificant impact will result and it is desirable for the convenience of the general public. Renaming of a street by the City under provisions of this paragraph may not be undertaken to rename a street after a person as provided for in other sections of this Chapter. Therefore, City-initiated actions to rename a street under this paragraph are exempt from compliance with Sections 17.93.010 through 17.93.030 and Subsections 17.93.040 A. through D. Subsections 17.93.040 E. through G. remain applicable.

17.93.060 Implementation.

  1. A. After the City’s approval of the name change, the Bureau of Transportation will install the new name signs adjacent to the existing street name sign. Both signs will be in place for a period of five years, unless a petition is submitted to the City Administrator from a majority of abutting property occupants requesting that the dual signage period be shortened. Both street name signs will be maintained for the five-year period at the same level of maintenance approved for street name sign maintenance citywide, after which time the old name will be removed.
  2. B. The City Administrator will also notify the following organizations and individuals of the street name change through public notice, inter-office correspondence, or other appropriate means within 30 days after approval of the enabling ordinance:
    1. 1. The applicant;
    2. 2. Affected City, county, state, and federal agencies;
    3. 3. General public;
    4. 4. Emergency service organizations;
    5. 5. Owners and occupants of all property abutting the street being renamed; and
    6. 6. United States Postal Service.
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