- The uses listed and described in this Section are exempt, either partially or fully, from payment of the Transportation SDC. Any applicant seeking an exemption or a discount under this Section must specifically request that exemption within 180 days after building permit issuance for the new development. Where new development consists of only part of one or more of the uses described in this Section, only those portions of the development that qualify under this Section are eligible for an exemption or discount. The balance of the new development that does not qualify for any exemption or discount under this Section will be subject to the full SDC. Should the applicant dispute any decision by the City regarding an exemption or discount request, the applicant must apply for an alternative exemption calculation under Section 17.15.070. The applicant has the burden of proving entitlement to any exemption so requested.
- A. Temporary uses are fully exempt so long as the use or structure proposed in the New development will be used not more than 180 days in a single calendar year.
- B. New development that will not generate more than 15 percent more person trips than the present use of the property generates and that will not increase person trips by more than 25 person trips is fully exempt.
- C. Certain structures and uses are exempt to the extent established by Section 17.14.070 of Portland City Code.
- D. Discount of the Transportation SDC may be available for qualified land use types described in this Subsection and located within designated areas of the City. The applicant has the burden of proving entitlement to any discount so requested. For projects located within the North Macadam TSDC Overlay area or Innovation Quadrant TSDC Overlay area, the discount is only applicable to the Citywide TSDC. No discount may be applied to the North Macadam Overlay TSDC or the Innovation Quadrant Overlay TSDC.
- 1. To qualify for a discount, the applicant must demonstrate the following:
- a. The new development will be located within the Central City or other centers as designated by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. Other centers include the Gateway Plan District, areas within Town Centers and Neighborhood Centers as mapped in the new 2035 Comprehensive Plan, and parcels within 1,000 feet of light rail stations (excluding single-family, OS, and IG and IH zones).
- b. The new development will meet the eligibility criteria listed in the following table:
Residential
Single Family (1,200 square feet or more) Ineligible Single Family (1,199 square feet or less) Ineligible Multiple Family Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Senior Housing/Congregate Care/Nursing Home Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Commercial – Services
Bank Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Day Care Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Hotel/Motel Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Service Station / Gasoline Sales Ineligible Movie Theater/Event Hall Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Carwash Ineligible Health Club / Racquet Club Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Commercial – Institutional
School, K-12 Eligible University / College / Jr. College Eligible Church Eligible Hospital Eligible Park Eligible Commercial - Restaurant
Restaurant (Standalone) Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Quick Service Restaurant (Drive-Though) Ineligible Commercial - Retail
Shopping/Retail Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Convenience Market Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Free Standing Retail Store/ Supermarket Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Car Sales - New / Used Ineligible Commercial – Office
Administrative Office Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Medical Office / Clinic Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Industrial
Light Industry / Manufacturing Eligible if in mixed use site that is built to at least 75% of max FAR Warehousing / Storage Ineligible Self-Storage Ineligible - 2. The following Transportation SDC discounts apply to eligible land uses:
- a. Central City – 33 percent reduction
- b. Other Centers– eight percent reduction
- 2. The following Transportation SDC discounts apply to eligible land uses:
- 1. To qualify for a discount, the applicant must demonstrate the following:
- E. Graded Scale: A change in use of an existing building where the gross enclosed floor area does not exceed 3,000 square feet is fully exempt. A change in use of an existing building where the gross floor area is between 3,000 square feet and 5,000 square feet will be assessed on a graded scale. The percentage of the rate to be assessed on the entire existing building will be calculated by the following equation:
- (size of existing building - 3,000 square feet) / 2,000 square feet
- Examples of Graded Scale Assessment Calculations
- (4,000 - 3,000) / 2,000 = 0.50 Existing 4,000 square foot building assessed at 50 percent of the rate
- (3,200 - 3,000) / 2,000 = 0.10 Existing 3,200 square foot building assessed at 10 percent of the rate
- (4,900 - 3,000) / 2,000 = 0.95 Existing 4,900 square foot building assessed at 95 percent of the rate
- F. Alteration permits for tenant improvements, new construction or remodeling are fully exempt where:
- 1. no additional dwelling unit(s) or structure(s) are created;
- 2. the use or structure will not result in an increase in additional trips according to the City Rate Study and, if applicable, the North Macadam Overlay Rate Study or the Innovation Quadrant Overlay Project Report;
- 3. the use or structure is of a temporary nature and is used less than 180 days in a calendar year.
- G. The construction of accessory buildings or structures that will not create additional dwelling units or that do not create additional demands on the City’s capital improvements are fully exempt.
- H. For new development that includes a mix of exempt and nonexempt forms of development, the applicable exemption(s) will apply only to that portion of the New Development to which the exemption applies.
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