Yamhill consultants propose code overhaul to ease housing and encourage downtown mixed‑use

Consultants and city staff presented a code‑audit summary and next steps Nov. 5, urging the City of Yamhill to rewrite outdated zoning rules to make housing development more feasible and to encourage mixed‑use downtown redevelopment.

Steve Faust, a consultant with 3 j consulting, opened the meeting by saying the group planned to “spend most of our time talking about the work that Doug did looking at the code,” and to focus remaining time on the residential code and downtown regulations.

The audit, prepared by consultant Doug Rucks of the Rucks Group and discussed with contract planner Walt Wendeloski and city staff, identified many inconsistencies and subjective provisions in the city’s zoning and land‑use code. The memo recommends three near‑term priorities under the city’s Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) grant: (1) add clear, objective standards for certain housing types required by state law; (2) streamline review by shifting routine, clear‑and‑objective applications from the planning commission to staff; and (3) update downtown rules to enable mixed‑use development.

Why this matters: Yamhill’s buildable‑lands inventory shows roughly 35 acres of vacant or partially vacant land inside the urban growth boundary, mostly in small parcels, and only two parcels larger than five acres. Consultants warned that limited land and dated rules together constrain the city’s ability to respond to future housing demand and to attract downtown reinvestment.

Key recommendations and clarifications

- Land‑use review: The memo proposes a standard “type 1–4” review structure so staff can decide straightforward, clear‑and‑objective applications (for example, lot line adjustments, partitions and many site permits) and reserve the planning commission for discretionary matters such as conditional uses, planned unit developments, zone changes and…