Staff recommends Glenwood Riverfront and Mohawk as primary climate-friendly areas; downtown proposed as secondary

City of Springfield planning staff recommended that the city designate the Glenwood Riverfront and Mohawk as primary climate-friendly areas (CFAs) and a reduced downtown area as a secondary CFA, saying those locations best meet Oregon's Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities requirements and local capacity constraints.

Chelsea Hartman, senior planner for the city's climate-friendly equitable communities work, laid out the staff recommendation at a Planning Commission work session and regular meeting on Feb. 3. "We are recommending Glenwood Riverfront and Mohawk to become primary CFAs and a smaller portion of downtown to become a secondary CFA," Hartman said.

The recommendation responds to state CFEC rules that require cities to identify at least one primary CFA of at least 25 acres and to ensure CFAs together can accommodate 30% of the community's current and future housing need. Hartman told commissioners that 30% of Springfield's current and projected housing need equates to a little less than 10,000 housing units under the city's current analysis and that the city must complete a new housing capacity analysis by December 2027 using state-provided housing projections.

Staff described how the recommended combination of CFAs would exceed the minimum 30% housing-capacity target when the state's updated projection is applied. Hartman said the proposed code changes…