What’s new this month?
- Ezones Project returns to City Council on May 18 for presentation on as-amended draft; final vote scheduled for May 25
- RIP2 (Residential Infill Project Part 2) goes to City Council on May 19 for hearing and vote on potential amendments; final vote scheduled for June 1
- EV Ready Code Project draft available for review and public comment
- Lower SE Rising Area Plan launches online open house this month
Useful resources
Planning and Sustainability Commission (PSC)
- View tentative PSC agendas and upcoming meeting schedules.
- PSC meetings are still being held online. Meetings are streamed live, available on-demand, and tape-delayed on Channel 30.
- Check individual project pages or the PSC calendar for details on testifying via video conference.
City Council
- View upcoming City Council agendas and sign up for weekly reminders.
- City Council meetings are still being held online due to Covid-19 and are broadcast live.
Map App
You can look at interactive maps, submit testimony during testimony periods, and read submitted testimony through the BPS Map App.
PortlandMaps
Zoning, building permit, transportation, natural resource information, and more is available on PortlandMaps.com.
Sign up for BPS email updates
Do you like these monthly project updates from BPS? You can now sign yourself up to be notified by email about BPS project updates.
COVID-19 Impacts
Please be aware that public meetings are being held virtually for public health and safety, so be sure to check the calendars on specific project pages for meeting updates and the latest information.
Anti-Displacement Action Plan
What: The Anti-Displacement Action Plan (ADAP) aims to increase the resiliency of the city and our communities to deal with racial and economic disparities that contribute to displacement.
Status: A cross-bureau team of City staff continues to work internally to develop tools that better align City bureau strategies and actions to combat displacement and produce more equitable outcomes for communities. Staff is also working with the Anti-Displacement Coalition to support development of a civic leadership curriculum and a series of public workshops. More information to follow in the coming months.
Next opportunity to engage: Community members interested in learning more about the project can sign up for project updates.
Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA)
What: The purpose of the Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA) is to analyze and forecast growth in Portland’s industrial and other business districts, then designate an adequate 20-year supply of developable land for businesses and jobs.
Status: In April, BPS released an economic report detailing market trends for job growth in Portland. The report details economic growth and prosperity trends, local business specializations and competitiveness, as well as marine industrial forecasts and land needs.
Next opportunity to engage: Community members are invited to review the Trends Report and send comments by May 30 to eoa@portlandoregon.gov. Those interested can always sign up for email updates.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Ready Code Project
What: The project seeks to expand zero-emission transportation options for individuals and households beyond what the market is doing today, specifically in multi-dwelling housing. The project will explore Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure requirements for new multi-dwelling, mixed use and commercial development. The EV Ready Code Project will help implement policy direction from the 2017 Electric Vehicle Strategy through changes to the zoning code.
Status: The EV Ready Code Project discussion draft and economic impact analysis are now available for review and comment. The draft Zoning Code amendments will require new construction multi-dwelling and mixed-use developments to have capacity for electric vehicle charging facilities. Portlanders are invited to review the Discussion Draft and submit comments by June 17. Project staff is currently in coordination with the State’s EV rulemaking processes at both the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the Buildings Code Division.
Next opportunity to engage: Public comment on the Discussion Draft can be submitted via the Map App interactive tool through June 17. Those interested can always sign up for email updates.
Ezone Map Correction Project
What: Correcting the location of environmental overlay zones (Ezones) to better align with rivers, streams, wetlands, floodplains, forests, steep slopes and wildlife habitat.
Status: On April 14, City Council held a hearing to consider five amendments to the Ezone Project. Members of the public were invited to testify about the amendments, and seven people logged in to provide oral testimony. After the conclusion of public testimony, City Council unanimously approved the amendments. A recording of the hearing can be viewed at the City Council website or the City of Portland YouTube channel. Written and oral testimony are now closed. You can review written testimony on the Ezone Map App.
Next opportunity to engage: The Ezone Project will return to City Council on May 18, when project staff will present the Ezone Project Recommended Draft – As Amended, as well as the amended findings and the Ezone Project Ordinance. After the May 18 meeting, City Council will reconvene to vote on the adoption of the Ezone Project on May 25. Those interested can always sign up for email updates.
Floodplain Resilience Plan
What: The plan updates floodplain regulations throughout the city to ensure that new development in the floodplain addresses flood risk from a changing climate, does not jeopardize threatened and endangered species, and allows Portlanders to continue to obtain federally-backed flood insurance.
Status: The public review period for the Discussion Draft ended on January 31. Staff are reviewing all the public comments received and will revise the draft plan over the next few months in preparation for the release of the Proposed Draft. Video of an online open house held on November 17 is available online.
Next opportunity to engage: Community members can view property-specific proposals on the project’s Map App interactive tool. Those interested can always sign up for email updates.
Fossil Fuel Terminal Zoning Project
What: Restricts the development and expansion of bulk fossil fuel terminals. Zoning Code amendments were adopted by the Portland City Council on Dec. 14, 2016. That ordinance was appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court and went back to City Council.
Status: City Council voted to adopt the ordinance on December 18, 2019. The ordinance was appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) by the Western States Petroleum Association, Portland Business Alliance, Oregon Business and Industry, and Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council. In October 2020, LUBA remanded the case back to City Council for additional findings and policy interpretations. BPS is working to determine what additional evidence is needed to address these issues before returning to City Council for reconsideration.
Next opportunity to engage: None currently.
Lower SE Rising Area Plan
What: The Lower SE Rising Area Plan aims to address the historic lack of infrastructure investment in parts of Southeast and East Portland—including Brentwood-Darlington and portions of Mt Scott-Arleta, Woodstock and Lents—and seek community input to guide healthy community development.
Status: This month, an online open house will be launched for public review. The open house will introduce draft proposals for the project area that present an opportunity to create public and private investments, including more local commercial and housing opportunities, and transportation improvements. The online open house will be available for public review and comment through June 17. The materials from the last Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting on April 25 were posted online.
Next opportunity to engage: The public is invited to review and comment on the online open house through June 17. Other in-person events are scheduled in May and June to provide information about the proposals and answer questions. Those interested can always sign up for email updates.
Montgomery Park to Hollywood Transit and Land Use Development Strategy (MP2H)
What: Exploring options for a successful land use and transit system, including potential streetcar linking Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland to the Hollywood Town Center in Northeast Portland. The project is a joint effort between BPS and PBOT. The project will assess land use and transportation issues and options, including affordable housing, economic development and business stabilization opportunities associated with potential transit investments, including possible extension of the Portland Streetcar.
Status: The project team published a Discussion Draft proposal for the NW Portland study area in December 2021. The MP2H-NW Plan Discussion Draft suggests a new long-range land use vision for the area near Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland, which could be served by an extension of the Portland Streetcar. The draft proposal presents an opportunity to create more affordable housing, more affordable commercial space, and other public benefits. The public comment period on the draft ended April 22. City staff are reviewing the public comments, which will help inform the next draft of the plan, called the Proposed Draft.
Next opportunity to engage: A Proposed Draft is anticipated later this year in autumn. Those interested can always sign up for email updates.
Parkrose Community Plan
What: Historic Parkrose is leading work on the Parkrose Community Plan in partnership with BPS and other government and community partners to address topics such as safe streets, housing and displacement, access to jobs, community spaces, and emergency preparedness. This Plan is an opportunity for BPS to support plans that center traditionally harmed and sidelined communities, to advance a future of shared prosperity.
Status: Historic Parkrose launched the Parkrose Community Plan in May 2021 with a youth workshop, followed by adult workshops, an open house, and a series of community working group discussions focused on solutions and actions. BPS is supporting Historic Parkrose in this effort and has worked with the Parkrose community on actions to address community issues, such as housing stability and access to economic opportunity. The community’s recommended implementation actions have now been brought together into a draft community plan.
The Draft Parkrose Community Plan is available online, including plan summaries translated into Spanish, Vietnamese, Lao, Amharic, and Tigrinya. Open house events were held in April and staff are reviewing public input from an online survey to inform refinement of the plan. The plan is expected to be finalized by July and a presentation to the Planning and Sustainability Commission has been scheduled for July 26. For more information, please visit the Historic Parkrose NPI website.
Next opportunity to engage: None currently. To learn more, visit Historic Parkrose’s Community Plan webpage.
Residential Infill Project - Part 2 (RIP2)
What: Following up on the work of the Residential Infill Project (RIP1), which was adopted in August 2020, this project will extend the housing options of RIP1 to all single dwelling zones by adding middle housing types in the low density R10 and R20 zones. RIP2 will bring the City into compliance with the State of Oregon’s middle housing rules by adding provisions for cottage clusters and attached houses in all the single dwelling zones that were not included in RIP1. RIP2 will also bring the City into compliance with the State’s new middle housing land division rules by creating a new streamlined procedure for dividing the housing units onto their own lots.
Status: City Council heard public testimony on the Recommended Draft on April 27, including calls for fourplexes to be larger than triplexes, and suggestions for changes to the deeper affordability bonus, so that sixplexes can more easily be built as side by side units (as opposed to stacked flats). Other suggestions to add more housing types and options as well as some concerns relating to the application of the constrained sites ‘z’ overlay were also heard. The submitted public testimony is available for review. City Council will consider the oral and written testimony and may propose potential amendments to RIP2 in response.
The City Council’s potential amendments will be published on May 12. City Council will take public testimony on those amendments at a public hearing on May 19 before voting on which amendments to incorporate into the final RIP2 package. Testimony on the amendments may also be submitted through the Map App interactive tool after May 12 or by mail before May 19. A City Council vote on adoption of the RIP2 proposals is expected June 1 to meet the state-mandated June 30 adoption deadline.
Next opportunity to engage: City Council will hold a public hearing on potential amendments to the RIP2 Recommended Draft on May 19 starting at 2:00 pm. The meeting will be streamed live online. To testify at the hearing, you must register in advance by 4:00 pm on Wednesday, May 18. You may also testify in writing either through the project Map App, or by sending written testimony to the Council Clerk; Attn: RIP2 Testimony; 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 130; Portland, OR 97204. Testimony must be received before the close of the hearing on May 19. A final vote at City Council is expected on June 1, 2022.
South Portland Area Planning
What: Working with PBOT and community members to develop land use, circulation and urban design plans around the Ross Island Bridgehead in South Portland, and featuring a Naito Main Street Plan. This effort is part of BPS’s Southwest Corridor Inclusive Communities Project.
Status: A racial equity analysis of the project led by BPS was completed in fall 2020, and a follow-up equitable development workshop was held virtually on July 28, 2021. Following the failure of Metro’s regional transportation funding measure in November 2020, PBOT is putting their transportation projects on hold related to the Ross Island Bridgehead realignment and Naito Main Street. BPS staff will include the public feedback received so far on the proposed equitable development concepts for the bridgehead opportunity sites, and the racial equity analysis goals in a draft land use plan to be completed in spring 2022.
Next opportunity to engage: None currently.
South Portland Historic District Design Guidelines
What: New approval criteria for alterations, additions and new construction in the South Portland Historic District.
Status: In spring 2022, a Proposed Draft of the updated historic district design guidelines is expected to be released, followed by a public hearing at the Historic Landmarks Commission.
Next opportunity to engage: None currently.
West Portland Town Center Plan
What: The West Portland Town Center (WPTC) Plan will lay out a vision for a healthy, connected, and multi-cultural town center and includes an action plan to meet the diverse needs of current and future residents and businesses.
Status: The Proposed Draft of the WPTC Plan is available for public review. Learn more in the online Proposed Draft Overview, the Map App interactive tool, or by watching the video of the August 10 staff briefing to the Planning and Sustainability Commission (PSC).
The PSC held two hearings on September 14 and September 28 and all testimony can be viewed online. The PSC also held a series of work sessions on the proposed plan on October 26, November 9, November 30, January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, and June 14. Meeting materials and recordings can be found under each date’s event page on the project website. The Design Commission also voted on March 3 to recommend adoption of the WPTC Character Statement as amended to the City Council.
On June 14, the PSC will continue its deliberation of the WPTC Plan Proposed Draft. Video and meeting materials for the work session will be available for review on the June 14 events page.
Next opportunity to engage: The public testimony period on the Proposed Draft is closed. An additional PSC work session is scheduled for June 14, when a final PSC vote on a recommended version of the plan is expected. After the PSC recommendation, the City Council will then review the Recommended Draft and take public testimony (verbal and written) starting in fall 2022. Those interested can always sign up for WPTC email updates.