Milwaukie planners outline zoning incentives to spur affordable housing; code changes to return for public hearing

Milwaukie planning staff presented a package of proposed zoning code amendments aimed at lowering regulatory barriers to affordable housing and creating a single incentives section, 19.511, that developers could use when projects meet specified affordability and longevity requirements.

The proposal would allow a qualifying development — middle housing, mixed‑use residential or multiunit housing — to apply for a bundled set of up to 10 variances in a single Type 2 review (staff decision) in exchange for meeting income‑restriction targets and long‑term covenants, Planning Manager Laura Weigel and Senior Planner Vera Kolias told the Planning Commission. "This is an advance of a future public hearing to talk about this code amendment package related to affordable housing incentives," Kolias said during the presentation.

The nut graf: staff framed the code package as a zoning‑based complement to the city’s existing financial housing tools. The goal is to remove physical and dimensional barriers (setbacks, lot width, lot coverage, height, open space, facade requirements) that make smaller…