City staff previews Downtown Master Plan to guide housing and design changes

City planning staff on Tuesday gave the Planning Commission an initial briefing on a Downtown Master Plan intended to remove zoning constraints and attract new housing to the downtown area. The presentation framed the DMP as a follow-up to last year’s code audit and as a tool to create zoning and design standards that would improve developer returns and encourage smaller market-rate housing units.

The staff speaker said the DMP will focus on updating the community vision, removing zoning barriers identified in the Cascadia code audit, and creating design standards and incentives to boost housing supply downtown. Staff also said an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) feasibility study will explore financing options by capturing incremental property-tax revenue to support infrastructure bonds. A SACOG Engage, Empower and Implement (EEI) grant application is pending, with an announcement expected Oct. 17; staff said grant funding would expand outreach capacity.

Staff identified parking requirements as a key constraint for downtown development, noting that parking is expensive to build and increasingly reduced or removed in other cities to support denser housing. The presenter said the DMP team is mapping downtown into smaller districts and neighborhoods—anchored by larger industrial employers on the north end and a historic civic core—to tailor design and zoning recommendations. Commissioners were told the project is in background analysis and that drafts for commission input are expected in roughly 6–9 months.

Commissioners did not make any formal direction or take action during the briefing; the item was presented as informational and the Commission will review draft recommendations when they are prepared.