👋 West Linn Says “Not So Fast” + 400 New Jobs for Tualatin

Good Morning, South Metro. With school starting this week for most families around the South Metro, summer is officially beginning to loosen its grip. And a quick shoutout to our local high school football teams that opened the season with a win Friday night — Tualatin, Canby and Lake Oswego all started 1-0. Not a bad way to head back to class.

Coming up in today’s South Metro Weekly:

Business owners: nearly 4,000 of your neighbors are reading this right now. Let’s get your name in front of those future customers. Just hit reply and we’ll chat!

Thanks for reading, neighbors!

-Scott Michaels

🏘 West Linn Says “Not So Fast” to Tannler Development

A proposed 320-unit development on Tannler Drive has hit a pretty sizable speed bump. The West Linn Planning Commission voted 5-0 to deny plans for the 10-building project near Tannler and Blankenship drives.

The proposal included apartments, restaurants, retail space and a realignment of Tannler Drive — which, as you might imagine, gave nearby neighbors plenty to talk about. Commissioners said the current plan didn’t meet city requirements involving stormwater, grading, retaining walls, roads and zoning.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the project is dead. The developer can appeal the decision to the West Linn City Council.

Commissioners also made something else clear: they’re not opposed to developing the property. Their message was basically, “Sure. But maybe not quite like this.”

🍽️ Dinner Club: One Dinner. No Membership Required.

You may be wondering: “If I sign up for Dinner Club, am I joining some kind of monthly club?” Nope. Despite the name, there’s no membership and no ongoing commitment. You’re simply signing up for one dinner.

Choose Lake Oswego or Wilsonville, and we’ll match you with five other local people at a local restaurant. Prefer not to walk into a table of strangers alone? Bring a plus one and sign up together.

We’re close, but we still need 15 more people in Lake Oswego and 17 in Wilsonville to make these first dinners happen.

Registration closes tomorrow, so if you’ve been curious, this is the time to give it a try.

We saw this pic of the partial lunar eclipse last week and just had to share. Chris from Sherwood captured this incredible view using a Meade telescope, a 2x magnifier and his iPhone 17 Pro Max — a setup that gave him the equivalent of roughly a 2,300mm telephoto lens.

Got a cool pic to share? Send it to: [email protected]

🎭 West Linn Grad’s Play Heads to National Festival
What started as a homework assignment for West Linn High School graduate Evan McCreary is now headed to the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival. His one-act drama, All Rise, will be performed Sept. 5, making McCreary the youngest playwright ever invited to the festival. The play follows a family navigating grief, justice and public scrutiny after the death of their son. KATU’s AM Northwest recently featured McCreary and the story behind the play.

🚓 A large law-enforcement response near Highway 99E and South End Road had plenty of Canby-area residents asking what was going on Saturday. Deputies, SWAT and road closures were part of the response to an incident at a nearby home. The situation was resolved later that afternoon and the roads reopened. Contrary to claims found on social media, no one was injured in the incident.

💧 When a major leak threatened Tualatin’s water supply last week, nearby communities stepped in to help. Tigard, Sherwood, Tualatin Valley Water District and Rivergrove Water District provided water and support while crews repaired a damaged transmission line. The leak has since been fixed, and Tualatin’s reservoirs are being replenished.

🏐 Riverside High School’s volleyball team has officially made the jump to varsity — and picked up its first varsity win in its very first match. The Raptors spent the past couple of seasons competing at the JV level while the newer West Linn-Wilsonville school continued to grow. Not a bad way to begin the next chapter: one varsity match, one win, and one more “first” for Riverside’s history books.

🏫 The Heron Creek Therapeutic Program is moving into the former Bolton Primary School campus for the 2026-27 school year. The program serves about 100 K-12 students across Clackamas County and will now have access to classrooms, a gym, library, lunchroom and playground. A free community open house is set for this Friday, from 3 to 5 p.m. at 5933 Holmes St. in West Linn.

🚰 Lake Oswego will spend up to $1 million repairing the Del Prado water main and damaged roadway after the Aug. 21 break that led to a precautionary boil-water notice. The failed pipe was a 12-inch cast-iron line installed in early 1970s. Crews repaired the immediate break overnight, but about 400 feet of roadway was damaged. The city now plans to replace the old pipe with modern ductile iron and expects the larger repair project to be mostly finished by Oct. 15.

🏗️ Lam Research has broken ground on that new 120,000-square-foot research facility in Tualatin, part of a $1.5 billion Oregon investment. The expansion is expected to add more than 400 jobs and increase the company’s cleanroom space in Tualatin by more than 50%. The new facility is scheduled to open in 2028.

🚧 Sherwood Wants Your Two Cents on Elwert and Edy Roads
Washington County is asking residents to weigh in on possible changes to Elwert and Edy roads in rural Sherwood. Options include realigning the roads, adding roundabouts or installing a traffic signal near the intersection. The survey is open through Sunday, Sept. 6, and feedback will help shape future plans for the area.

🏡 Every Girl Wants a Castle… Someone in Stafford Built One

Yes, the $5.4 million West Linn estate has 10 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms and more than 13,000 square feet. But somehow, those numbers still aren’t the weirdest part.

The nearly 69-acre property leans hard into European-chateau territory, with French limestone floors, antique doors from Morocco and Germany, turret rooms, a spiral iron staircase and even a glass elevator. There’s also a wood-fired pizza oven and a wine room with space for roughly 1,000 bottles — because apparently a normal pantry felt a little too ordinary.

And then there’s the four-bedroom guest house.

At this point, we’re not sure whether this is a home, a boutique hotel or the beginning of a very ambitious Hallmark movie. But yes, it’s in West Linn.

See more here.

🎈 = family-friendly event
💲 = ticket or purchase required
🎵 = includes live music
😋 = there will be food

💲 Warm Yoga With a Side of Giving
Azend Hot Yoga & Wellness, Wilsonville | Monday, 7:00 PM | Donation-based
Stretch, breathe and do a little good at this warm yoga class with sound bowls, where donations benefit Wilsonville Community Sharing. Participants can bring food, hygiene items or cash, and registration is required. Bring a yoga mat and towel — or rent them there.

🎈😋🎵 Only Two Wednesdays Left in Willamette
Historic Willamette, West Linn | Wednesday, 4:00–8:00 PM | Free
Summer is starting to wind down, and so is Wednesdays in Willamette — this week is the second-to-last market of the season. Wander Historic Willamette for local vendors, farmers, food and live music, then maybe grab dinner while you’re there. The final market is Sept. 9.

🎈 Build It, Keep It at Lake Oswego LEGO Night
5200 Meadows Rd., Lake Oswego | Wednesday, 5:00 PM | Free
Kids can spend the evening building a LEGO project — and take their creation home afterward — during this free event from The Connection Club, Autism Society of Oregon and Kangaroo Care. LEGO bricks, light snacks and drinks are provided. Space is limited, so registration is required.

🎈😋🎵 Kids Take Over Part of Canby’s First Thursday Market
Downtown Canby | Thursday, 5:00 PM | Free
Canby’s First Thursday Market is back with food, music, local vendors and a special Kids Market featuring young entrepreneurs ages 5–17. Plenty of grown-ups will be selling too, but the kid-run booths add a fun twist — and probably a few future business owners getting an early start.

😋🎵 Live Music in the Vineyard with Act 2 Duo
Aurora Vineyards, Aurora | Thursday, 5:00 PM | Free
Kick back with a glass of wine, something to eat and live music from Act 2 Duo at Aurora Vineyards. It’s an easy Thursday-night escape just south of Wilsonville, with vineyard views, food and a laid-back soundtrack to ease into the weekend a little early.

🍽️💲 Dinner Club: Meet Five New People Over Dinner
Lake Oswego & Wilsonville | $15 reservation fee
Dinner Club is simple: sign up, choose your city and we’ll match you with five other local people for dinner at a local restaurant. Everyone pays for their own meal; the $15 fee reserves your spot and handles the matching. Registration closes tomorrow, and we’re still looking for a few more people in both Lake Oswego and Wilsonville to make the first dinners happen.

🎈😋💲 Friday Happy Hour on the Farm
The Kitchen at Middleground Farms, Wilsonville | Friday, 4:00 PM | $25+
Trade the usual happy-hour patio for 17 acres of farm country at Middleground Farms. The kitchen team serves up seasonal bites from the wood-fired oven and red barn kitchen, using ingredients from the garden and nearby farms. Adults can grab something crisp to drink, while kids are welcome to join the dinnertime bustle on the farm.

🐾 Each week, we introduce you to a local adoptable pet hoping to find the perfect South Metro home. Some are playful adventurers, some are champion couch warmers, and others are still figuring out the whole “living with humans” thing. They may have different personalities, but they all deserve a fresh start, a little patience and plenty of love. This week’s furry friend is ready to say hello.

🐶 Meet Sebastian — A Sweet Boy Ready for His Second Chance

Sebastian is an approximately 1-year-old neutered Dobie mix who is looking for a family of his own. He’s described as sweet, loyal and happiest when he has room to play and people to call his own.

Sebastian has already had one very lucky break: a foster stepped in and saved him from being euthanized. Now he just needs the part of the story where somebody says, “Yep, you’re coming home with us.”

To learn more about Sebastian, contact K-9 Rescue Brigade at 503-307-7577 or via email at [email protected]

🌧️ A wet stretch is on the way. Enjoy a sunny Monday with a high near 85, then clouds increase Tuesday with a chance of rain and a high around 74. Wednesday and Thursday turn much wetter, with rain, possible thunderstorms, and highs near 69. Showers may linger into Friday, with some sunshine returning and a high near 71.

Today 8/31
85 🌡 56 | ☀️

Tuesday 9/1
74 🌡 55 | 🌦

Wednesday 9/3
69 🌡 53 | 🌧

Thursday 9/4
59 🌡 51 | 🌧

Friday 9/5
71 🌡 51 | ⛈

THANKS!

A final thought…

Forgiveness doesn’t mean pretending the hurt didn’t happen or saying what someone did was okay. It means deciding that what happened doesn’t get to keep controlling you. Anger can tie us to the very person or situation we’d rather leave behind. Forgiveness begins cutting that tie. Sometimes the strongest way to move forward isn’t getting even — it’s refusing to give the hurt any more power.

See you Thursday morning!