Planning Commission approves block-width variance for 29‑lot subdivision on East 20 First Street

Planning Commission members voted unanimously March 6 to approve a variance that reduces the required internal block width for a proposed 29‑lot single‑family subdivision at the terminus of East 20 First Street.

Sandy Freund, senior planner with the Department of Community Development for the City of The Dalles, told the commission staff recommends adopting Resolution PC626-25 to approve Variance 131-25 as conditioned, saying the request meets the review criteria in The Dalles Municipal Code, Title 10 and the city’s comprehensive plan.

The variance would allow an average internal block width of about 132 feet, below the code’s 200‑foot minimum for local streets, to accommodate an applicant‑proposed layout constrained by steep slopes, limited site access and surrounding development patterns. Freund said more than one‑third of the site has slopes greater than 25 percent, and the northern portion of the property is constrained by private or undeveloped land outside the city’s urban growth boundary.

Applicant representatives from AKS Engineering and Forestry — Darren Ekman and Jamie Crawford — told the commission the site’s topography makes meeting the 200‑foot block‑width standard infeasible. Ekman said the areas of steep slope are concentrated across the parcel and that “some areas approach 90%,” which he said leaves the proposed road alignments as the only feasible locations for flat building envelopes.

The applicants said all lots in the proposed subdivision meet the minimum lot size and dimension requirements: minimum lot area is 5,000 square feet and lot depths meet the 65‑foot minimum. They also said minimum lot widths meet the 50‑foot requirement; the lots range from the 5,000‑square‑foot minimum up to about 15,926 square feet. The applicant noted the proposed layout will produce lots that are technically through lots (double frontage) but that deed restrictions would prohibit driveways on one side so lots will take access from only one street due to topography.

Freund and the applicants said the subdivision application has received the required submittals, including a traffic impact study, and that the variance is necessary for the subdivision to proceed. Staff noted that, while the city’s block standard is 200 feet wide by up to 600 feet long (and blocks longer than 450 feet must provide pedestrian cut‑throughs), the applicant’s internal block layout would make the longest pedestrian path about 554 feet — roughly 100 feet shorter than the diagonal path across a standard 200×450‑foot rectangle, according to the applicant’s presentation.

No members of the public spoke in favor of or opposition to the variance during the hearing; the public‑testimony portion was closed before deliberations. After brief deliberation the commission moved to adopt Resolution PC626-25 and approve Variance 131-25 "based on the findings of fact and conclusions of law set forth in the agenda staff report with specified conditions of approval," and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

The commission’s decision is subject to the city’s appeal period. Staff said that once the appeal period for the variance has passed, the administrative subdivision review can be completed and the subdivision decision issued.

The commission’s action addressed only the variance request; final subdivision approval and civil engineering review will proceed through the city’s administrative processes if the variance stands after the appeal period.

Ending: The approval clears a key regulatory hurdle for the proposed 29‑lot subdivision on East 20 First Street, but the subdivision will not move forward to final platting until the variance appeal period and the required administrative reviews conclude.