Code audit flags mixed‑use rules and clarity gaps; city to pursue statutory fixes and public outreach

City staff and Cascadia Partners presented a code audit and implementation timeline for the Housing and Design Initiative, explaining which changes are required by state law and which are recommended to increase housing production, affordability and choice.

The consultants said most of Springfield’s development code is compliant with housing-related state statutes, but identified specific areas that need amendment: allowances for residential care facilities and prefabricated dwellings, manufactured-home-park rules (including a limit on minimum lot size), and code language on RVs used for residential occupancy in RV parks and as temporary housing after a natural disaster. Cascadia told council “We also found 1 specific statute that the code was not in compliance with,” referring to RV occupancy provisions.

Why the audit matters The audit distinguishes legally required amendments—needed to meet state statutes and clear-and-objective standards—from strategic recommendations intended to reduce barriers to housing production. The city must correct statutory noncompliance; beyond that, the…