Proposed new code amendments to dissolve Planning and Sustainability Commission and create a new Planning Commission head to City Council

News Article
Portlanders invited to testify on the changes at a public hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m.
Published

The Planning Commission Code Amendments Project (PCCA) amends the 2035 Comprehensive Plan and Title 33, Planning and Zoning. The project addresses the purpose, powers, and duties of a new Planning Commission to focus on land use planning.

By narrowing the scope of the commission to land use planning, the new Planning Commission can focus more effectively on plans and projects that implement the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, the Central City 2035 Plan and other land use plans.

Another new commission (to be created) will focus on sustainability, thus making both efforts – land use planning and climate action – more effective and productive. 

Review and testify on the proposal

Portlanders are invited to review the PCCA Recommended Draft and share what they think about the proposals to City Council at a public hearing on Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. 

Community members must sign up in advance to testify before Council in person or virtually.

  • Registration for virtual testimony closes 1 hour prior to the Council meeting. The link to register is posted in the agenda for the City Council hearing by 9 a.m. the Friday before the hearing.
  • In-person testifiers must sign up at City Hall before the agenda item is heard.

Written testimony may be submitted through the Map App or via U.S. Mail before the close of the hearing. Send U.S. Mail to:

Council Clerk
Planning Commission Code Amendments (PCCA) Project Testimony
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 130
Portland, OR 97204

Background

The current PSC was created in 2010, when the City merged the Planning Commission with the Multnomah Co./Portland Sustainable Development Commission to create the Planning and Sustainability Commission. At the time, the City’s Office of Sustainable Development had recently merged with the Bureau of Planning to create the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS). 

The powers and duties of the new Planning and Sustainability Commission were expanded to include oversight of the Climate Action Plan, in addition to the Comprehensive Plan, and commission membership was expanded to eleven from nine. Since then, the oversight responsibilities related to both land use planning and sustainability in Portland have become more than one commission can undertake effectively. Furthermore, the technical nature of both land use planning and climate action require different sets of expertise and knowledge, and the issues related to sustainability and climate change have become more prominent and urgent in recent years.  

The recommendation to create two separate commissions was a finding of an evaluation report, which was informed by stakeholder interviews.

Portlanders can stay tuned on the project website and our social media channels (Facebook and Twitter) in the coming months for information about the development of a new Sustainability Commission. Or sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter, BPS E-news

Contact

Eden Dabbs

City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability