[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6190128,"mediaKeyId","5052803-7d1b52efb7e1410284e911615c4de9c3","parentId",5052803,"title","Planning commission starts citywide architectural standards work with focus on windows","audioSeconds",85,"startMs",3691000,"endMs",3776000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5052803-7d1b52efb7e1410284e911615c4de9c3&start=3691&end=3776","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5052803-7d1b52efb7e1410284e911615c4de9c3/thumbnail_3691000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6190128/St-Helens/Columbia-County/Oregon/Planning-commission-starts-citywide-architectural-standards-work-with-focus-on-windows","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6190128-172eb018f567d922c52e75f908b66666/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156490&Signature=hSS7duZ-x8YC10DdqRz2FHHtMrg1xXxAiXPnbFQV1D2zqTDKS8JucyRzjTm8GUl1crSsRdUtvdXFhMl8sht4snZ1-nUZy3OWkVX3yICud83FJvWoypXTJgNkF7MKmFiN1IornEGv2tEhppt2Kf8bR1UtxWz3feR94rOitXhYGlyz3LQMsGr6dQPB87~0KRK15md6-f1dzvuH8CIcJwuRuHn74Svq0e7gYRneH~FgPI2qczgVxLLo2v5xEdDtaZtREIPw4sHoO89CDpgR--ctoakrgvQncc~6km69veTkX3Ji4RzUhqo~ktecUIs~mO8RKdekOZ12Mj4FXgvzrGZM1g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of St. Helens, OR","date","2025-06-23T21:18:07Z","article","The Planning Commission and City Council on Wednesday agreed to begin work on citywide architectural standards, with commissioners proposing a phased approach that starts with window and street‑facing design rules.

The decision matters because city leaders said newer multiunit development has produced long building facades that lack active windows and street interest, creating inconsistent pedestrian environments.

Commissioners said they chose to start with windows because the issue is discrete and widely applicable across zoning districts. “We didn’t wanna break it up into we didn’t wanna just focus on downtown…so we wanna make sure that we don’t have, say, a big, long wall facing a busy street that doesn’t have any windows on,” a commissioner said during the meeting. Participants indicated there was consensus to pursue standards citywide rather than limited to a single district. The commission noted that starting with a narrowly scoped change would make the work manageable and would allow the city to refine policy language in stages.

No formal ordinance or code amendment was adopted. Staff and commissioners agreed to continue drafting standards with specific language on window placement and to return at future meetings with proposed code text for review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","6/11/2025 Joint City Council & Planning Commission Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Planning Commission and councilors agreed to begin a citywide review of architectural standards, starting with building fenestration (windows) to improve street‑facing design as new townhomes and developments appear.","taxTitle","St. Helens, Columbia County, Oregon","taxId",52788,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6190133,"St. Helens planning commission and council discuss inventory and outreach for vacant and underused storefronts",1389,3813000,5202000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5052803-7d1b52efb7e1410284e911615c4de9c3&start=3813&end=5202","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5052803-7d1b52efb7e1410284e911615c4de9c3/thumbnail_3813000.jpg","/articles/6190133/St-Helens/Columbia-County/Oregon/St-Helens-planning-commission-and-council-discuss-inventory-and-outreach-for-vacant-and-underused-storefronts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6190133-de93ac8bdbcab8d61b7c724bfb19be8f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156490&Signature=m3vgC920EM~MuPpQ2-wKrA~s9p32VAfDP9EJs6VxL-6G2Qd-2TNnPZe6Qkd2VkWLAmpEtIj2zYGi0Nrhy7jdM-onagT5RBhZIMVNk5T16zbiFsI9jxKruT4StBGp-0j7ThSBOwhLXs3qASSGHAu4ezXFdtOvgpOri9Fid5o~rqhh1qRtR4n1R1hGDF4k32wKQ6gEti2cNsYpz1eaRVkV~YpBeppnVX9ci2PD1j4BwbR1Aw3ckG-3PnsvMBp3GaSsTEjjIXFLlI-UfILCdcEuT13LluxGiqTqtTCAbT1jfISKUEw64ubmqufippT25AaoxEJVJ0Wk-iBcxTAJVTy4FQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Planning Commission and City Council on Wednesday discussed a proactive effort to understand and address vacant and underutilized storefronts in downtown St. Helens, focusing the group’s next steps on data collection and partner outreach rather than immediate regulations.

The discussion matters because local leaders said vacancy and underuse can affect downtown vitality, and they wanted an evidence‑based approach to any future policy or incentive program.

Scott (a Planning Commissioner who volunteered to lead the effort) told the group he had reviewed other cities’ efforts—including Astoria—and had drafted a problem statement and possible next steps. He asked for guidance on scope, whether to pursue incentives or penalties, and how to gather reliable information. Building official Mike DeRoya reported he had spoken with Astoria’s building official but said that office’s role in Astoria’s program had varied over time.

City staff and commissioners emphasized two distinctions: first, between a building that is truly vacant and one that is “underutilized” (for example, used for storage or partially occupied); and second, between owner motivations (financial constraint, age or inability to maintain the building) and market constraints (demand, leasing patterns). Several speakers urged the group not to “define the problem for owners” but to let data and owner interviews reveal the reasons properties are vacant or underused.

Participants identified practical next steps. Scott and others proposed that staff contact Main Street to obtain the organization’s existing inventory and contact history so the city won’t duplicate outreach. The group agreed to produce a geographic inventory or map of properties allegedly vacant or underused and asked commissioners and council members to email suggested properties to staff ahead of the next joint meeting. Speakers said the inventory should capture whether a space is vacant or underutilized, ownership details, and known barriers to reuse.

Commissioners discussed possible tools after inventory and interviews: incentives such as facade grants (the city and urban renewal program were cited as existing funding mechanisms) and regulatory options such as a vacant‑building registry or penalties used in other cities. Some members cautioned that penalties are politically sensitive and can trigger property‑rights concerns, and several urged early coordination with Main Street and local business groups.

No regulatory changes or penalties were proposed at this meeting. The group’s working direction was procedural: compile an up‑to‑date inventory, map the properties, request Main Street data, and draft a consistent questionnaire for owner interviews. The Planning Commission agreed to bring a compiled list of candidate properties to the next joint meeting for public discussion.","Commissioners, staff and councilors debated next steps for a vacant/underutilized storefront initiative: compile an inventory, coordinate with Main Street, and design owner outreach rather than immediate regulatory penalties.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6190138,"St. Helens officials discuss boundaries, utilities and ecology for proposed Woodland Reserve",905,131000,1036000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5052803-7d1b52efb7e1410284e911615c4de9c3&start=131&end=1036","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5052803-7d1b52efb7e1410284e911615c4de9c3/thumbnail_131000.jpg","/articles/6190138/St-Helens/Columbia-County/Oregon/St-Helens-officials-discuss-boundaries-utilities-and-ecology-for-proposed-Woodland-Reserve","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6190138-4bae1984edc5387d61fd2e3db2a0bbf1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156490&Signature=IR3m76dy~LOP721wvIyD0-4q9yI~KS7Ep~o3Qnvf89LZnRShRZHZCc~t7cjcoPHoHlUGc-RGCSoY1jSUunJOq~pfdCBVIaMPxYtROCd4geKHgSxEUSLD97mVYZR~Pqq~DKqmL6wTZ0wK63BdHanLCrbODCySI6FeZl93K-N~Wojol~dTzY1WqZJlV-SkWZiAwvRbhR2JcQcktzWwTaLy41bvhES9hzHHxIvAtsnXvITDV5BJkOsRvkfQmpghBT9DTHsP13fE4QMLPbJRH~fGgtqv2aKLzr57xIMFix2K16VnSF5I~F~5THX5YjAuX0pj8QWE8FPYgbHzW71azE5G6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City officials and members of the Parks and Trails and Landmarks and Trails commissions on Wednesday continued a months‑long discussion about a proposed Woodland Reserve on city‑owned land near Milton Creek, stressing the need to finalize boundaries before the city can commit to preservation.

The discussion matters because the parcel sits adjacent to industrially desirable sites and Port property, and the council must decide whether portions should be reserved for park and trail uses or retained as potential industrial land.

During the joint meeting, Parks and Trails commissioners and staff presented aerial maps, parcelization concepts and riparian buffers to show how a Woodland Reserve boundary might be drawn. Daniel April of the Landmarks and Trails Commission told the group that the proposal “has been quietly in the works for a couple of years” and that “the timeliness of preserving the location is paramount” because nearby land is likely to be developed. Commissioners and councilors weighed those preservation goals against economic data and utility access that could make parts of the site attractive for industry.

Staff asked the joint body to consider three roughly drawn areas. One area—near a large wetland and floodplain south of the site—was described by staff as the portion most people would likely agree is suited for reserve status because of its floodplain, wetlands and railroad and berm boundaries. A second and third area farther north contain variable amounts of floodplain, upland meadow and some buildable ground that staff said could be prime industrial land because of proximity to planned utility extensions and a prospective PGE substation.

Scott Jacobson, a city staff member involved in the analysis, summarized the city’s recent economic study and the industrial land question: “We did recently adopt an economic opportunities analysis…we have about 243 acres of buildable acres,” Jacobson said, and “for the 20‑year planning horizon…we need 29 acres. So we have a surplus of 214.” He stressed, however, that the city must ask whether the particular parcels in question qualify as “prime” industrial land despite the overall surplus.

Commissioners noted ecological values in Area 3, including camas meadows that bloom in spring, remnants of old quarries and rare plant species. Parks commissioner Lucas Green (identified in the meeting as a new commission member) was specifically named by speakers as having done site reconnaissance and as a likely resource for identifying high‑value natural features. Several attendees urged site visits at different seasons to see camas in bloom and to assess topography and developability.

Participants also discussed coordination with other stakeholders. Staff reported contact with the Port of Columbia County and said port representatives told them they are willing to allow a trail on the port side and do not foresee near‑term development of that portion. The group noted Project Arcadia’s interest in reacquiring and reusing an old mill nearby and flagged Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) pollution concerns that have affected development planning on the adjacent parcels.

Speakers raised additional planning constraints and next steps: the presence of riparian buffers and a floodplain, potential archaeological sensitivity linked to historic Milton settlement, and the need for survey/TOPO data and LIDAR analysis to refine boundaries. One staff speaker asked the joint body to authorize use of topo and parcel‑level analysis to settle a boundary that could then be used for any legal preservation mechanism (easement, rezoning, parcelization).

No formal vote or ordinance was taken. Instead the meeting closed with a direction to refine the conceptual boundary using topographic data, to coordinate further with the Port and utility providers, and to return to the Parks and Trails Commission and City Council with a proposed, legally describable boundary for formal action.

The city will not yet remove development potential from the site until the council considers a firm boundary and the legal mechanism for preservation. Commissioners and council members requested seasonal site visits and further mapping before any final decision.

","City council members, parks commissioners and staff discussed a Woodland Reserve concept for city-owned property along Milton Creek, weighing industrial land needs and ecological values and asking staff to refine boundaries using topo data.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning commission starts citywide architectural standards work with focus on windows

St. Helens planning commission and council discuss inventory and outreach for vacant and underused storefronts

St. Helens officials discuss boundaries, utilities and ecology for proposed Woodland Reserve