Portland council tentatively approves map and zoning change for vacant Fremont corner; final vote set for March 19

Portland City Council tentatively approved a hearings officer recommendation to amend the comprehensive plan map and the zoning map for properties at 3508 Northeast 11th Avenue and 1123 Northeast Fremont Street, moving the sites from Residential 5,000 (R5) to the Commercial Mixed Use 1 (CM1) base zone.

The change, recommended by the hearings officer and presented to council by Amanda Rhodes, a planner with Portland Permitting and Development, would apply a mixed-use designation to a 5,850-square-foot corner parcel across from Irving Park and inside the Irvington Historic District. Rhodes said the hearings officer found the proposed designation “on balance to equally meet the relevant comprehensive plan goals and policies.”

Councilors heard a staff presentation outlining the review criteria and supporting studies, a brief statement from the applicant’s attorney and one signed letter of neighborhood support. After limited council discussion about precedent, potential impacts on height and lot coverage and buffering for adjacent residences, Councilor Carmen Rubio Green (recorded as Councilor Green) moved to tentatively approve the hearings officer’s recommendation; the motion passed by roll call vote with no recorded opposition. Council…