Planning commission backs three-tier approach for CFEC parking standards; staff to refine solar/canopy options

Wilsonville planning staff asked the commission May 14 for feedback on draft development-code revisions to bring city parking-lot standards into alignment with Oregon’s CFEC rules. Staff and commissioners agreed on a three-tiered approach (less than 40 spaces, 40–200 spaces, and more than 200 spaces) and asked staff to refine language governing tree canopy, interior planting and the option to use on-site solar as partial alternative compliance.

Why it matters: The CFEC program sets climate-focused standards for new parking areas in Oregon. Key differences between existing Wilsonville standards and the CFEC rules include the CFEC threshold for enhanced requirements (40 parking spaces) versus Wilsonville’s current enhanced-threshold of more than 200 spaces, and CFEC’s baseline canopy requirements with limited allowance to substitute solar generation for part of required canopy.

Staff presentation and proposed approach

Planning manager Dan Polley reviewed the city’s existing parking-lot requirements (screening, landscape area and tree-to-space ratios; enhanced standards for large lots) and identified the primary compliance gap: CFEC’s mid-tier threshold at 40 spaces. In response to commissioner feedback the…