HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020 10 06 Minutes WSPlanning Commission Minutes
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Springfield Planning Commission
Minutes for Tuesday, October 6th, 2020
Work Session
Meeting held in Person in the Jesse Maine Room & via GoToMeeting
Planning Commissioners Present: Chair Sherwood, Vice Chair Gill, Bergen, Koivula, Vohs,
Landen, and McGinley
Absent: None
City Council: Lenard Stoehr
Staff: Sandy Belson, Planning Manager; Mark Rust, Senior Planner; Brenda Jones, Planning
Commission Assistant; Kristina Kraaz, Assistant City Attorney
Chair Sherwood called the meeting of the Planning Commission Work Session to order at 6:00
p.m.
WORK SESSION ITEM(S)
1. DEVELOPMENT CODE UPDATE PROJECT – QUARTERLY CHECK-IN
Staff: Mark Rust, Senior Planner
60 Minutes
Mark Rust / City Staff: gave a presentation on Phase 1 of the Development Code Update
Project, which deals with housing. The Land Conservation and Development Commission
recently held a hearing on the draft rules from the State on middle housing. When the State
adopts their new housing rules, the City will need to modify the proposed changes to the
Development Code to conform with their final passage. He also gave the Commission an update
on Phase 2, the Employment Land Phase, which deals with the industrial and commercial lands.
The City has convened the local technical advisory committee to assist working on revising this
part of the Development Code. Phase 3 is still in the process of being developed and the City
Council has been appraised by Planning staff of its timeline. Planning staff has requested an
extension to provide more time to work on it.
Commissioner Vohs:
• He wanted to know what happens, if the City’s code does not comply with the State’s
code.
• He requested that staff elaborate on the reference to gentrification found on
attachment 2, page 205. It seems that this would require the City to delve into
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community members’ personal information, which would seem to be invasive on the
part of the City.
• There are 22 other cities in Oregon that have the same population size. Do they all
accept the State’s density standards or do they have a more flexible approach to this?
Mark Rust / Staff: explained that the State originally required full compliance to their code – an
all or nothing approach. In such cases, the entire State Code would go into effect when the
deadline passed. In the meantime, the State has revised its language and allows cities to adopt
a piecemeal approach i.e., if certain sections of the code are not in compliance, then those
sections would automatically have the State’s code applied.
Sandy Belson / Staff: responded to Commissioner Vohs’ question about gentrification since it
relates to the legislative memo regarding HB 2003 that was presented at Council. This
legislation speaks to the housing needs analysis, which focuses on neighborhoods and not the
individuals who live there.
Mark Rust / Staff: stated that Springfield has been working together with other cities through
the League of Oregon Cities on the density standards. Since there are multiple approaches as to
how cities can approach the density standards, cities are choosing their own path to
compliance.
Chair Sherwood: In trying to meet the percentage performance standard, is it up to the City to
show that 80% of the single family detached dwelling areas meet this requirement or does the
City just need to show that 80% are zoned to allow middle housing? Is it an option for the City
to use more than one performance standard? Can a city use partial parts of a standard
combined with other parts of the three other performance standards?
Mark Rust / Staff: The performance standard by percentage is an option that the City can
consider using in lieu of mandating that all 5,000 sq. ft. lots are allowed to build triplexes on
them and all 7,000 sq. ft. lots are allowed to build fourplexes on them. If this were the case,
then City does not have to use the 80% percentage standard. The second part of the
performance standard mandates that at least one middle housing type other than duplexes
would have to be allowed in at least 75% of all the residential lots and parcels within each
census block group. It is also possible to allow triplexes and fourplexes on every 5,000 and
7,000 sq ft lots, respectively, but allow the percentage standard of 80% for townhomes and
cottage clusters. At this point, it is possible to allow a mix and match strategy of performance
standards. He reminded the commissioners that the administrative rules being discussed are
still in draft form.
Commissioner Sherwood: requested clarification on Master Plan Communities. If there is a
community master plan in existence, do the new rules apply retroactively or only when new
Master Plan Communities are developed?
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Mark Rust / Staff: There are two pieces to the rules for Master Plan Communities. One for
preexisting Master Plan Communities and one for new Master Plan Communities. If a
preexisting Master Plan Community meets a certain density threshold throughout, then that
Master Plan Community is off limits to the new rules on middle housing i.e., eight or possibly
twelve units per acre. The intent of the rules would require new Master Plan Communities to
not be exempt from the middle housing rules. Taking the Marcola Meadows’ community as an
example: A single detached dwelling in that community could immediately turn around and
convert the property to a duplex since it would comply with the new rules, since duplexes are
now allowed on every lot. If the lot is large enough, internal conversion is allowed i.e., the lot
would allow for a triplex or even a fourplex.
Commissioner Vohs: How much area does a census block comprise?
Mark Rust / Staff: A census block is by population not area. A more densely populated part of
town will have a smaller area and a more sparsely populated part of town will have a larger
census block area.
Sandy Belson: showed the Commissioners the new civic platform Springfield Oregon Speaks,
which was created in Lakewood, California. This platform would provide the community with
more accessibility and visibility to Commission meetings. Today’s meeting is the first test run
using the new civic platform. The URL is springfieldoregonspeaks.org.
The next meeting of the Planning Commission will take place on November 17th and will be a
Committee for Citizen Involvement meeting where the platform Springfield Oregon Speaks will
be presented. We would enjoy receiving questions and comments about the platform at that
time.
Report on Council Action
Commissioner Gill: reported on September 28th Council meeting.
ADJOURNMENT – 7:26 pm