Portland council advances temporary code changes to speed building repairs and small projects

Portland city councilors on Wednesday advanced a nonemergency ordinance that would temporarily suspend several permit submittal and upgrade requirements—intended to speed tenant improvements, small business renovations and modest residential work—while staff studies longer‑term code changes.

The ordinance, known in staff documents as the Code Alignment Project (CAP), was introduced at committee and described in detail by Claire Adamsick, council policy analyst and staff to the Homelessness and Housing Committee. Adamsick said the draft would suspend or modify four sets of requirements until Jan. 1, 2029: certain street tree planting obligations (Title 11), many nonconforming upgrade requirements (Title 33 planning and zoning), seismic evaluation reports for renovations above a valuation threshold in buildings constructed before 1974 (Title 24 building regulations), and portions of street frontage improvement requirements (Title 17 public improvements).

"The ordinance directs the adoption of the findings of fact report and the code alignment project recommended draft," Adamsick said in her committee summary, describing the affected chapters and the proposal’s intent to clarify applicability for projects…