Proposal offered to help revamp zoning

As part of its process of creating a downtown economic development plan, Portland Redevelopment Commission identified areas of the zoning ordinance that could be changed to encourage investment.

On Friday, consultant Ed Curtin of CWC Latitudes presented the commission with a proposal from Rundell Ernstberger Associates regarding rewriting the city’s zoning code. The process, as proposed by the firm, would be completed in three phases with a total cost of $141,000.

The redevelopment commission as part of its process of creating a downtown economic plan identified several areas of the code that could be revised to encourage investment in the downtown area. They included reducing the required lot size — most existing lots do not conform to the ordinance — and making upstairs apartments an accepted use.

City attorney Wes Schemenaur noted that in talking with John Hemmelgarn and Pati McLaughlin of Jay/Portland Building and Planning, the department also has identified various other areas of the zoning ordinance that need to be addressed.

Curtin suggested that the next step in the process would be to see if Mayor Jeff Westlake, who was in attendance, and Portland City Council are interested in moving forward with revamping the zoning code. Answering a question from Johnston, he said the revision process would likely take six to nine months.

In other business, the commission:

•Approved a revised declaratory resolution approving Portland’s Downtown Economic Development Plan and adding the creation of a new tax increment financing (TIF) stand-alone district around the Hood Building, 309 W. Main St., which the commission purchased in December. Curtin said it would simplify the process to handle the two pieces together. The resolution must be approved by the city’s plan commission and city council before returning to the redevelopment commission for final approval.

•Heard from Portland Mayor Jeff Westlake that he will retain all current members of the redevelopment commission.

•Re-elected Inman as president, Theurer-Miller as vice president and Joe Johnston as secretary.