Umatilla County adopts narrower design rules for Highway 395 North to ease redevelopment

The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners on May 7 adopted a text amendment to the county development code that revises design-review standards for the Highway 395 North corridor in unincorporated Umatilla County.

Planning staff told the board the amendment (T-100-25) revises Section 152.250 (dimensional and design standards) and relates to projects in the retail-service commercial and light-industrial zones north of Pumpkin Center and south of Pencil Road. Staff said the changes respond to implementation experience since the standards were adopted by ordinance in 2019.

Planning staff outlined five substantive changes: clarifying which property line is treated as the front on corner lots (the side facing Highway 395 will be the front for setback purposes); exempting accessory structures (sheds, similar) from maximum setback rules provided they are located behind the primary building; making minimum storefront window-area requirements optional rather than mandatory for some uses; removing long-term landscape coverage monitoring requirements while keeping overall landscaping amounts; and adjusting the points and optional treatments in the design-features matrix now that window area is optional.

Commissioner Doren questioned the window change, saying ‘‘one of the things about windows is it softens the front of the building. It makes it welcoming.’’ Planning staff replied that the change responds to the needs of larger-footprint uses along the corridor — for example, mini-storage or large farm-and-ranch stores — where required storefront windows can create security or practical problems, and that frequent variance requests indicated the standard was not aligned with current uses.

Staff told the board the planning commission held the first evidentiary hearing March 27 and recommended approval without changes. The board adopted the ordinance following deliberation.

The amendment applies to new development and expansions in the Highway 395 North corridor; staff said many existing properties that predate the code remain grandfathered but that future development and redevelopment applications will be reviewed under the revised standards. Planning staff also noted irrigation and water availability limit the extent of new landscaping in some parcels.

The action represents a shift toward making certain aesthetic items optional choices in the county’s design-features matrix to reduce the number of variance requests and streamline redevelopment along a corridor where new auto sales lots, convenience stores and other businesses have appeared since 2019.

Board action: the commissioners voted to adopt the ordinance amending Section 152.250; the planning commission had previously recommended approval.

Looking ahead, staff said they will apply the revised standards to incoming applications and continue monitoring how the changes affect redevelopment along Highway 395 North.