Troutdale staff previews upcoming land-use items: daycare continuance, variance review, middle-housing rules and Reynolds High School permit

City planning staff told the Troutdale Planning Commission on Wednesday that several land-use items will return for substantive hearings and code updates this summer and fall, including a continuance request from a daycare operator, a review of variance requests, implementation of state middle-housing land-division standards, and a conditional-use permit application from the Reynolds School District.

Staff said the daycare at 250 Seventh is expected to request another continuance because the county is preparing a traffic-impact analysis the city needs to include in its staff report. Assistant Planner Nick Ronstead is scheduled to present a white paper on variances and definitions of yard setbacks at the commission’s next meeting to inform a potential code cleanup.

“We are developing a little white paper with that information, and Nick Ronstead, our assistant planner, will be providing a report at that meeting to go over this information and to, you know, take any questions,” staff said during staff communications.

Staff described the coming middle-housing land-division standards as code language that the city has not yet adopted into the Troutdale development code; those standards, they said, were adopted at the state level by a senate bill and the city would otherwise apply the state model code if a developer filed an application before local code is adopted. Staff said they expect to present the middle-housing land-division standards for local consideration later this summer and invited commission input on potential local enhancements to the model language.

The Reynolds School District has submitted a conditional-use permit application; staff said a public hearing was tentatively being scheduled for July 23 to accommodate the school district’s construction timeline and tight build season. Staff described the school application as complete at the time it was deemed ready for notice.

Other items staff listed for later this year included historic-district criteria code language and additional current land-use cases. Commissioners also discussed a recent social-media reminder about fireworks and said staff would coordinate notices through Kevin Moody, the city’s IT/public outreach contact.

No formal actions were taken on these items at the June 25 meeting. Commissioners asked staff to provide data on past variance requests — staff said they had examined about 10 years of variance applications to identify recurring requests and would bring findings for commission discussion. Commissioners did not alter timelines or direct specific interim policy changes during the meeting.

The commission’s next regular meeting date was confirmed as July 9, 2025; a commissioner noted the Reynolds public hearing date was tentative and subject to public-noticing requirements.

The staff previews and scheduling notes were presented as informational items during the June 25 meeting; they do not constitute code adoption or final decisions but indicate forthcoming agenda items and staff reports.