Oregon City planning commission reviews climate-friendly parking rules; recommends tree canopy and EV conduit requirements

The Oregon City Planning Commission on March 10 reviewed a conceptual report to bring city code into compliance with new Oregon Administrative Rules governing parking, landscaping and electric‑vehicle infrastructure.

Consultant Brian Davis of Studio Davis told commissioners the state rules aim “to reduce the construction of underutilized overabundant parking” and to make new parking more climate‑friendly through landscaping and EV requirements. The report recommends eliminating parking minimums inside a half‑mile buffer around the city’s most frequent transit line (Line 33) and the downtown regional center, tightening citywide parking maximums for multifamily units in some zones, and adding design standards such as a 40% mature tree canopy for large parking lots or an alternate solar option when canopy is infeasible.

Why it matters: the city must adopt code changes by June 30 to comply with the statewide rules. Commissioners and staff discussed policy tradeoffs that affect development cost, pedestrian safety, and long‑term urban canopy. The commission will forward recommendations to the City Commission and hold a public hearing on April 14 with final code hearings expected before the June deadline.

Key recommendations and clarifications

- Parking minimums and the compliance boundary: The conceptual approach would remove parking minimums inside the identified half‑mile buffer around Line 33 and the downtown Metro regional center. Outside the buffer, the draft retains modified requirements and management…