Ezones are a tool that City planners use to protect Portland’s important natural resources — like streams, floodplains, wetlands, forests and steep slopes. These natural resources are woven throughout all of Portland in neighborhoods, commercial districts and industrial areas. The resources are home to fish and wildlife, are places where people go to recreate and relax, and provide important functions like reducing air temperature, improving air quality, managing stormwater and flooding and reducing risks of landslides.
Getting it right
Last summer, staff shared the first draft of corrected ezones for the Johnson Creek Watershed and the outer east areas of Portland south of I-84. Planners discussed the updates with residents at six neighborhood meetings, conducted more than three dozen site visits and held two drop-in hours.
Based on their analysis and public input, staff refined the location of ezones for the Johnson Creek area and its tributaries, as well as southeast buttes, including Mt Tabor and Kelly Butte.
The second draft of the ezone maps are available on the Ezone Review Map.
Many property owners that received a site visit should be able to see changes to the draft ezones on their properties.
Postcards in the mail
The second draft also includes some new properties. After revising the mapping protocols to better reflect previously adopted plans, 45 new properties were included in the ezones.
If your property is proposed for remapping, a postcard is in the mail. Please use the Ezone Review Map to see the corrected ezone boundaries.
Request a site visit
If you currently have an ezone on your property or you think you are getting one through this project, you can request a free site visit from BPS staff. Staff use site visits to verify data on the location of natural resources and correct errors in our draft ezone maps.
If you would like to request a site visit, or if you have any questions or concerns about the ezone mapping on your site, please:
- Email ezone@portlandoregon.gov or leave a voicemail at 503-853-4225.
- Sign up through the Ezone Review Map
Staff can provide more detailed ezone and natural resource maps for individual sites by request.
For more information
Visit the website: www.portland.gov/ezones
Email: ezone@portlandoregon.gov
Call: 503-823-4225