Residents of Bethany, Cedar Mill, Oak Hills, and West Haven-Sylvan can testify or submit written comments on pending land use applications at Washington County's virtual Hearings Officer session on Thursday, July 16.

Hearings Officer David Doughman will preside over the Zoom hearing, which covers Type III land use applications, appeals of Type I and Type II decisions, and code compliance matters, according to the county's 2026 hearing schedule.

The comment period for Type III applications opened Friday, June 26, when public notices were mailed to property owners within 500 feet of affected sites in urban areas. That window closes on the hearing date.

Written comments can be submitted three ways:

• Online at the county's development comment portal
• By email to [email protected]
• By mail to Washington County Land Use & Transportation, 155 N. First Ave., Suite 350, Hillsboro, OR 97124

Comments must include the sender's full name and mailing address to become part of the official record, according to the county's comment submission page. Residents can also testify live during the Zoom hearing.

The specific agenda listing individual applications had not been posted as of Tuesday, July 8. The county's CivicWeb portal, which became the exclusive home for Hearings Officer materials in June 2026, will publish the agenda with staff reports and supporting documents before the hearing.

Washington County dissolved its Citizen Participation Organizations this spring. Before that, CPO 1 held meetings where Cedar Mill and Bethany residents could review development proposals before they reached the Hearings Officer. That step is gone.

"No more contacting your local CPO to find out what's being planned on that lot near you," Cedar Mill News reported in its July 2026 coverage of the change.

The county plans to replace CPOs with four quarterly meetings organized by Commissioner District, focused on countywide issues rather than neighborhood-specific concerns.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Ordinance 915, the proposed replacement framework, on Tuesday, July 15, at 6:30 p.m. The Board of County Commissioners takes up the same ordinance on Monday, August 25, at 6:30 p.m.

The next Hearings Officer session after July 16 is Thursday, August 20, with Hearings Officer Joe Turner presiding.

Residents with questions about pending applications can contact the Department of Land Use and Transportation at [email protected] or 503-846-8761.