Troutdale planning commission reviews statewide CFEC code changes, parking rules and a proposed commercial parking tax

The Troutdale Planning Commission on April 9 reviewed a package of proposed code amendments submitted under the state'mandated Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) program, focusing on parking, pedestrian connections, tree canopy and middle-housing standards and discussing a proposed local commercial parking-lot tax. Staff said the city must meet state timelines and expects to return the package for a public hearing May 14.

The package includes edits to Planned Unit Development rules (Chapter 6), design standards (Chapter 8), off-street parking rules (Chapter 9) and targeted edits to municipal code sections addressing business licenses and a new “commercial parking lot” local tax (municipal code chapter 3 / section 3.4015 and chapter 5 section 5.0450 as presented in the packet). Dakota Palmer, the city's Community Development Director, told commissioners the draft also includes Oregon Administrative Rule references and legal citations required by state review and that the proposed local parking-lot tax text has been reviewed by the city attorney.

Why it matters: the CFEC-driven changes alter how developers demonstrate and provide parking and pedestrian connections, modify design orientation standards for housing and commercial buildings, and, if adopted, would create a new ongoing revenue stream for active-transportation and accessibility projects through a proposed 10% local tax on commercial parking-lot revenue.

Key proposed changes and clarifications discussed

- Planned unit developments: staff proposed moving guest-parking requirements from the general parking table into the PUD chapter so applicants submit a comprehensive parking plan for the development. The draft would require a minimum of one on‑street parking space per three dwelling units within an overall PUD parking plan (staff-proposed language in the packet).

- Pedestrian walkways and building orientation: amendments would require pedestrian connections from building entrances to public-street entrances and to existing or planned transit stops for certain industrial, commercial and community-service developments and for parking lots larger than one-half acre. Commissioners asked how the standard would apply on steep parcels and in locations where street grade or site constraints make direct orientation infeasible; staff said the code's "shall reasonably connect" language and existing adjustment/variance provisions are intended to provide flexibility during design review.

- Off-street and on-street parking rules: the draft consolidates multiple parking tables into a single table and clarifies measurement methods for gross leasable area. Middle-housing parking rules follow state middle-housing provisions cited in the packet: ADUs remain without a parking requirement when accessory to single-family homes, duplexes require one space per dwelling unit, and triplex/quadplex parking requirements vary by lot size (transcript discussion cited the draft thresholds: lots under 2,000 sq ft: 1 space total; under 5,000: 2 spaces total; 5,000–6,999: 3 spaces total; lots 7,000+ sq ft: 3 or 4 spaces depending on unit count). The draft also permits reduced or no minimums within a half mile of frequent transit and retains an internal “recommended parking” table that staff prefers to use as guidance rather than a mandatory code minimum.

- Shared parking and peak-hour overlaps: staff clarified language allowing shared parking where peak hours do not substantially overlap and where nonresidential uses are within the distance thresholds set by the state rule (the draft cites state timing/distance standards used in OAR guidance).

- Tree canopy, landscaping and parking-lot standards: parking-lot landscaping would require canopy covering targets (staff referenced a 40% canopy at maturity, measured at 15 years, in the draft) and tree species and canopy calcs would be documented on landscape plans during review rather than measured annually by staff.

- Bicycle parking and transit: the draft maintains long- and short-term bicycle parking minimums tied to transit facilities (for example, transit centers would require covered long-term parking and short-term racks); staff noted standards are existing code language repositioned into the revised chapter.

- Drive-through restaurants in the Confluence/257 corridor: the draft would subject restaurants with drive-through facilities located within 800 linear feet of 250 Seventh Avenue to higher review (type 3) and require adjacent dining facilities; commissioners asked whether the language is overly constraining on steep or geologically constrained sites and whether a kiosk or non-sit-down model should be allowed; staff said the intent is to protect walkable urban character in the Confluence and that use permissions in the base zoning map could be adjusted separately if the commission determines more flexibility is needed.

- Truck parking, driveways and paving: the draft retains a prohibition on long-term truck parking in residential districts and proposes replacing the word "concrete" in driveway approach standards with generic surfacing constructed to city standards to allow pervious alternatives that meet public-works requirements.

- Business license provisions and fees: staff identified clerical edits to business-license procedures in chapter 5 (examples include consistent phrasing for the 30-day pre-business notice, $25 late fees, a $100 appeal fee and uniform references to who enforces delinquencies). Palmer noted the municipal-code business-license language interacts with planning and building approval processes and that applicants must comply with those regulations.

- Commercial parking-lot local tax: the packet includes a new municipal-code section proposing a local tax on commercial parking-lot revenue (staff described the draft as a 10% tax on gross parking revenue remitted quarterly, with receipts earmarked to a city transportation fund to support pedestrian, bicycle and accessibility projects). Palmer told the commission the city attorney has reviewed the draft text.

Commissioners raised implementation and local-fit concerns

Commissioners repeatedly returned to practical implementation questions: how code requirements will apply on steep lots and constrained sites in Troutdale, how the city will measure or verify tree-canopy attainment and parking demand, whether state-prescribed distances/timing are appropriate for local topography, and how banks and financiers will respond if no parking minimums are adopted in transit-proximate zones. Dakota Palmer and staff repeatedly advised the commission that the draft is intended to meet state rule language while preserving adjustment routes and that staff will refine wording, citations and examples before the public hearing.

Quotations

"This new chapter ... has already been reviewed by your city attorney," Dakota Palmer, Community Development Director, said while describing the proposed commercial parking-lot tax and business-license edits.

"We kind of ask a lot of questions, and we try as much as we possibly can to get it to work as best we can for our community," Chair Stapleton said in closing, thanking staff for the work on state-mandated materials.

Next steps and schedule

Staff told the commission the draft will return cleaned up for a public hearing on May 14 to meet state CFEC timelines that include a June 30 deadline for certain submissions. Staff plans to bring revised language and clarified citations (including the OAR references shown in the packet) and to incorporate commissioner edits for spelling, numeric clarity and cross-references before the hearing.

Ending

The commission did not take a final decision on the CFEC package at the April 9 meeting; commissioners directed staff to refine the draft language, correct numerical spell-outs and citation formatting, and to return the item for a public hearing May 14. The packet materials and staff recommended language will be available before that hearing for public review.