Pendleton City Council to consider community garden lease

Published 6:00 pm Monday, October 20, 2025

PENDLETON — Pendleton could get a new community garden.

The Pendleton City Council during its meeting Tuesday, Oct. 21, considers a lease agreement that would allow Umatilla County to build a community garden near the south side of Olney Cemetery. This garden aims to boost access to fresh produce and offer local volunteer opportunities.

According to the staff report, the county’s Community Health coordinator has organized funding for the project, and the city would level and grade the site and provide water service. The county will cover part of the material costs and install electricity and other improvements, and provide insurance for the site.

The lease would run for two years and automatically renew unless either party chooses to end it.

The garden project also would need in-kind contributions, including ground preparation and water service, according to the report.

“A community garden will increase availability of fresh produce to the community and provide positive activity for local volunteers,” Pendleton City Attorney Nancy Kerns wrote in the report.

Permit sales may shift to state oversight

The council also considers the transfer of building permit sales to the Oregon Building Codes Division.

Pendleton City Manager Robb Corbett said in a staff report the city has been without a building code official or inspector for several months. The city’s permit technician also recently resigned.

“At this time, I have decided we should transfer the sale of permits to the Building Codes Division rather than rehire this position,” according to Corbett. “We continue to advertise for the replacement of a building official.”

Corbett said the move would save the city money. Under the city’s previous agreement with the state, 90% of all permit revenue went to the division, an arrangement that did not cover the city’s costs.

Amendments for chronic nuisance law

The council also will hold a public hearing to discuss amending the city’s Chronic Nuisance Property Ordinance 3740.

According to the staff report, city staff identified a need to update the local law to revise the lien provisions and add a new section outlining enforcement remedies. While making those changes, staff also reorganized the formatting and made minor language edits to improve clarity and readability.

Pendleton Police Chief Chuck Byram has reviewed and approved the changes.

Officials say the update will improve the city’s ability to recover costs for nuisance abatements and reduce expenses related to nuisance enforcement, benefiting the community.

Selling Roy Raley Park parcel

The council also holds a public hearing to declare a 0.109-acre parcel on the east edge of Roy Raley Park as surplus property and approve its sale to Pendleton Round-Up.

In exchange, Round-Up would provide nonmonetary improvements, including the design and construction of a new road and parking area, removal and replacement of trees and landscaping, relocation and replatting of underground infrastructure, according to the staff report.

Oregon law requires the council to hold a public hearing and assess the property’s value before declaring it surplus and approving its sale.

The council meeting starts at 7 p.m. and is at Pendleton City Hall, 500 SW Dorion Ave. Visit the city’s website for additional information and to join the meeting virtually.