Project purpose
The Columbia Corridor and Industrial Lands Environmental Overlay Project (CCIL Ezone Project) will evaluate updates to existing policies on natural resource protection in the Columbia Corridor and on other industrial lands using updated data and technology.
Why update environmental zones?
Planning for environmental resources in the Columbia Corridor has not happened for many years. Ezones were applied within the project area through a number of natural resource protection plans adopted between 1989 and 2010. Today, new technology allows us to map natural resources much more accurately than before. The adopted 2012 Natural Resource Inventory and the Bureau of Environmental Services’ ongoing Wetland Inventory Project have identified streams, wetlands, and other water features that were missed when ezones were originally applied.
The Columbia Corridor is home to a variety of important natural resources, including the Columbia River, Columbia Slough, floodplains, wetlands and tree canopy. These resources provide critical ecosystem functions that improve water quality, reduce stormwater runoff and erosion, and support fish and wildlife habitat. Ezones will protect existing and recently identified natural resources while also helping to protect nearby properties by capturing runoff, reducing flooding, and preventing landslides.
How will this impact you?
This project will propose updates to ezone mapping that could impact more than 2,100 properties. The location of ezones on many properties will probably change slightly, but some properties may have larger expansions or reductions.
If your property is considered for remapping as part of this project, you will receive direct communication from the protect team.
Relationship to Economic Opportunities Analysis
The CCIL Ezone Project is being drafted in coordination with a citywide Economic Opportunities Analysis, which will forecast economic growth in Portland in the coming decades and plan for development that will meet Portland’s projected employment needs across all sectors. Policy decisions on natural resource protections in the CCIL Ezone Project area will be made with consideration for potential impacts to industrial land capacity. Coordination and collaboration between the CCIL Ezone Project and the Economic Opportunities Analysis is critical because changes to where ezones are applied could impact the supply of land available for industrial development and redevelopment sites.
Learn more about how the City is planning for job growth and natural resource protections.
Learn more
- Visit the project homepage.
- View the latest project news.
- Check the calendar of events.
- Sign up to receive email updates.
- Contact Ezone staff.