Planning commission reviews housing-design code audit, approves advisory and governance panels

Springfield Planning Commission members on the commission’s work-session agenda received a code-and-plan audit for the Housing Design Initiative and approved two advisory bodies to guide the next phase of work.

The audit, prepared by consultant Cascadia Partners and presented by Haley Campbell, senior planner, and Victor Tran, project manager, identified sections of city code already in compliance with state housing statutes, several sections needing minor amendments, and one section the consultants found not to comply with state law: rules that limit residential occupancy in recreational vehicles (RVs) in parks where utilities are available.

The findings matter because the audit identifies legally required changes the city must make to comply with Oregon Revised Statutes and also presents strategic code changes the city could adopt to increase housing production, affordability and choice. The commission approved appointments to a 17-member technical advisory committee and selected two planning commissioners to serve on an ad hoc governance committee to coordinate with city council during the summer.

The audit and legal review Victor Tran of Cascadia Partners told commissioners the project team compared Springfield’s development code to state law and flagged three categories: sections already in compliance, sections partially in compliance needing adjustments, and a single section found not in compliance. Cascadia cited state statutes generally as Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 197, ORS 215, ORS 227 and ORS 92 and pointed to ORS 227.178 in describing a city’s ability to allow applicants to opt into newly adopted standards. The consultant identified clear-and-objective-standards requirements in state law as central to several recommended edits.

On the lone noncompliance item, Tran said the city must allow RVs to be used for residential occupancy with no time…