Scappoose advisory committee debates rezoning 51 acres as part of 50‑year plan

The Scappoose Stakeholder Advisory Committee on May 19, 2025 reviewed a proposal to rezone about 51 acres from industrial to expanded commercial as part of the city’s draft 50‑year plan and an associated Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion.

The rezoning is part of a broader proposal that staff said would add roughly 43 acres to the UGB and designate about 314 acres as urban reserves. Laurie (city staff) told the committee the city’s analysis shows a continuing surplus of industrial land — roughly 140 acres even after the proposed rezones — and that the rezoning is intended to address a shortfall of commercially zoned land in the planning horizon.

Why it matters: The choice to concentrate a large block of commercial zoning on two parcels north of Crown Zellerbach Road would shape where future employers, retailers and potentially housing locate in Scappoose, affecting traffic on U.S. 30, city tax revenues and public‑safety service needs.

Staff presentation and technical findings Laurie, the city’s project lead, summarized three years of work that began in 2022 and included a housing needs analysis, an economic opportunities analysis (EOA), development‑code updates and a transportation planning rule (TPR) analysis. Laurie said code edits to Chapter 17.74 (the airport employment overlay) are mostly wording updates but would reduce the minimum site size in the airport business park overlay from five acres to one acre to add flexibility.

Nicole (city planner) reported that a TPR analysis required under Oregon planning rules (OAR 660‑012‑0060) was completed for parcels proposed for rezoning. The analysis led staff to apply a temporary trip cap tied to the existing Transportation System Plan: parcels rezoned from industrial to commercial would be subject to a 400‑daily‑trip cap per parcel until the city updates its TSP. Nicole also said parcel trip estimates currently communicated to owners range from about 600 up to 2,700 daily trips depending on the proposed use.

On infrastructure readiness, staff said developers have already built roads, a municipal well and a sewer pump station to serve the Columbia Commerce Center area; two of four subdivision phases have been recorded. Chris (city utilities staff) confirmed gravity sewer and pump‑station capacity serve the basin and that an 18‑inch water main loops through the area. Paul Vogel, identified as a representative from Columbia River PUD, warned that transmission‑line capacity is a regional constraint and under study.

Public comment and committee concerns Leonard Wagner, a resident who submitted written remarks, urged the committee to split commercial acreage between northern and southern Scappoose and to avoid concentrating most of the new commercial land north of Crown Zellerbach Road. "If you burn up all of our commercial lands, then we can always ask for more. But if the land is brought in for commercial purposes and it stays vacant, then we don't have the ability to bring in land anywhere else," Wagner said.

Committee member Brian Rosenthal pressed staff on why 51 acres were proposed to convert to commercial without prior committee discussion. "Why when we never discussed this over a period of two years, are we now at the last minute...is this being put upon us?" Rosenthal said, adding later that the parcel is "such a whale" that it could constrain the city's ability to add other commercial sites for decades.

Staff responses and risk mitigations Nicole and Laurie told the group they received a property‑owner request to consider commercial zoning, that the EOA shows a long‑term industrial surplus (about 140 acres even after rezones), and that the projected housing mix would remain roughly similar (staff cited a future housing ratio near 67% single‑family to 33% multifamily, versus about 70/30 today). Laurie said multifamily projects still require site development review when larger than a fourplex and that recent trends show relatively few apartment approvals locally: "Of [33] site development review applications since 2013, only six were for apartments and four have been built," she said.

Committee members discussed alternatives: splitting the two large parcels so only one becomes commercial, keeping one parcel light‑industrial, requiring a master plan before annexation, or negotiating a development agreement or overlay that would encourage compatible, airport‑supportive uses and discourage large apartment clusters. Beth (consultant/city staff) said written agreements or master plans could be possible if the property owner agreed.

Timing and next steps Staff said they will brief the City Council and the Planning Commission and begin landowner outreach; a council work session could be scheduled as early as June. Laurie said staff will bring additional maps and acreage summaries to future briefings. The committee did not take a formal vote on the rezoning; the meeting closed after housekeeping motions.

Votes at a glance: the committee recorded three routine motions during the meeting — to approve the meeting agenda, to approve minutes from the April 9, 2024 meeting, and to authorize staff to finalize and sign the committee minutes. Each motion was approved by voice vote with “aye” recorded and no roll‑call tallies provided in the minutes.

What to watch: staff will present the draft UGB expansion, rezoning proposal and technical appendices to the City Council and Planning Commission; any formal UGB amendment or map change will require public hearings by the city and the county.