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Council adopts streamlined planning fees with targeted exceptions, approves lease for historic Brumbaugh building
Summary
Council adopted a revised planning-fee schedule after amendments that exempt certain per-lot fees and annexation comp fees from a 7.5% administrative surcharge and set the property line adjustment base fee at $1,378; council also authorized a one-year lease at $3,000/month for 325 N. Brooklyn Street to maintain the woodworking tenants and recoup unpaid rent.
The City Council voted to adopt a simplified schedule of planning-application fees with specific amendments and separately authorized a one-year lease for the city-owned Brumbaugh building at 325 North Brooklyn Street.
Planning Manager Mark Rest told the council the fee study (done with Portland State University) moves many application types toward either actual cost-of-service (for items that go to public hearing) or simplified flat fees where processing time does not reliably scale with project size. Rest said the goal is clearer, more consistent fees and higher cost recovery for planning services. "We're moving towards a 100% cost recovery model and trying to really simplify the development fees," he said.
Councilors objected to several draft items, most notably a draft jump in the property line adjustment fee from about $811 to an advertised figure that in the full cost-recovery calculation would have been roughly $373,800. Rest said that figure reflects full cost recovery including survey review that the city has historically done by practice, and offered options: (1) charge the planning portion only (around $1,378), (2) split survey review into a separate line item, or (3 adopt actual cost-of-service with deposit tracking. Council opted for a lower base: the council amended the resolution so the property line adjustment base fee is set at $1,378.
Councilors also argued that a 7.5% administrative fee should not be layered on top of per-lot subdivision and partition fees or the annexation comprehensive planning fee; staff agreed to remove the 7.5% admin charge from those line items. The council then moved to adopt the resolution implementing new fees with those three changes and approved the motion by roll call (6 yes, 0 no).
In a separate item, Assistant City Manager Neil Adati described a proposed formal lease for the Brumbaugh Building (325 N. Brooklyn), purchased by the city in 2016 and managed informally by caretaker Michael DeHaven. Campbell Commercial helped draft a one-year lease that raises the monthly rate from the prior informal $1,500 to $3,000 for one year to allow the city to recoup unpaid months during the pandemic and maintain current woodworking and artisan uses. The council authorized the city manager to execute the one-year lease at $3,000 per month by roll call (6 yes, 0 no) and said council would revisit lease terms after the year.
Votes at a glance: - Consent calendar: approved by roll call (6 yes, 0 no). - Resolution adopting new planning fees with amendments (remove 7.5% admin from annexation comp fee and per-lot subdivision/partition fees; set property-line-adjustment fee to $1,378): adopted by roll call (6 yes, 0 no). - Authorization for the city manager to enter into a one-year lease at 325 N. Brooklyn Street at $3,000/month: approved by roll call (6 yes, 0 no).
Next steps: staff will implement the updated fee schedule, reflect the amended items in the published fee table and resolutions, and process the lease paperwork for 325 N. Brooklyn Street.
