Tualatin council directs staff to prohibit new drive‑throughs in mixed‑use commercial zone under walkable‑design rules

Tualatin councilors directed staff to draft code amendments that prohibit new drive‑through facilities in the Mixed‑Use Commercial (MUC) zone as part of a larger update to implement the state's Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) walkable‑design rules.

Planning staff members Aquila Herdravich and Erin Egmond told councilors the walkable design standards implement Oregon Administrative Rule guidance from the Department of Land Conservation and Development and are intended to support compact, pedestrian‑friendly mixed‑use development. "Drive through facilities can create uncomfortable spaces for pedestrians and those without a vehicle," Egmond said during the presentation. The state model code includes optional guidance that goes further than the rule — including model language that outright prohibits drive‑thrus in pedestrian‑oriented zones — but the state does not require an absolute ban.

Staff presented four options for the Mixed‑Use Commercial zone: prohibit new drive‑throughs (Option 1); allow drive‑throughs subject to tight design standards that ensure equivalent pedestrian access (Option 2); allow selected drive‑throughs under conditional‑use review (Option 3); or a hybrid (Option 4). Councilors debated tradeoffs: supporters of a ban said the MUC is intended as a transit‑oriented, walkable area and that drive‑throughs consume scarce land that could be redeveloped for housing; opponents urged caution, citing seniors and families for whom curbside access can be important.

Egmond noted that the MUC contains only a few vacant or under‑developed parcels that could physically accommodate a drive‑through — sites staff showed that range from about 0.3 acre to slightly over an acre. She also noted a past application: an In‑N‑Out architectural review submitted in 2020 for a site near Lower Boones Ferry ultimately expired when the applicant did not provide the required traffic study.

After discussion, councilors gave staff direction to pursue Option 1 — a prohibition on new drive‑through facilities in the MUC — when they return with ordinance language for adoption. Staff will fold that decision into the broader walkable‑design code package, which also includes neighborhood connectivity, residential orientation, and commercial frontage rules required by the CFEC rulemaking. The city has received an approved extension from DLCD to adopt the walkable standards by December 2025.

What the ordinance will do: under the CFEC approach staff described, buildings in pedestrian‑oriented districts are required to front the street with main entrances facing the public right‑of‑way, and new drive‑through designs would have to meet queuing, setback, pedestrian access and circulation standards if allowed; the council chose to prohibit such uses in the MUC instead.

Next steps: staff will prepare code amendments implementing the ban for the MUC as part of the CFEC walkable‑design package and return to planning commission and council for formal hearings and adoption.