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Planning commission approves 2026 docket, supports upper-floor housing proposal and outlines ambitious work plan
Summary
The commission recommended advancing a docket to allow upper-floor residential units in interchange commercial zones (a docket from property owner Debbie Lucas Waller) and approved the planning commission's 2026 docket and work plan. Commissioners discussed traffic/concurrency, multifamily tax-exemption expansion, parking-rule changes and a multi-year code update schedule.
The North Bend Planning Commission voted Dec. 3 to approve its 2026 docket and work plan, and it recommended one submitted docket — a request by property owner Debbie Lucas Waller to permit upper-floor dwelling units in the interchange commercial zone — move forward for formal review next year.
Staff said Waller's request would allow residential units above businesses in areas now limited to that use north of Bendigo Boulevard and that the proposal aligns with city policy to expand housing options. "The staff recommendation is to approve that docket," staff said, and commissioners expressed general support while asking for clarifications on zoning boundaries, height limits and traffic impacts.
Commissioners raised traffic and concurrency concerns, noting a roundabout improvement in the area is expected in 2027'28 and that every project will require a concurrency review; staff replied that projects that would lower levels of service must mitigate or cannot proceed. The commission also discussed whether historic-district rules on North Bend Way would limit adding height in downtown areas and confirmed existing height limits in parts of downtown commercial zones.
Beyond the Waller docket, staff presented four primary 2026 focus areas: housing (to address statewide housing mandates and local affordability), streamlining development review to increase staff efficiency, promoting economic development through zoning and fee tools, and meeting state-required updates. The work-plan and draft dockets include itemized code changes: unit-subdivision regulations to simplify lot creation, a new lot-splitting chapter, binding site-plan changes that allow residential use of the binding-site process, a second phase of impact-fee alignment (including commercial impact fees), parking-regulation changes (including elimination of parking minimums for affordable housing as required by state law), expansion of the multifamily tax-exemption program citywide, residential design-standard refinements, frontage-improvement thresholds, and a substantial tree-regulation overhaul.
Commissioners also discussed an anticipated development-agreement application from the Honing family for a large local property that may seek greater residential capacity; staff said that would come back to the commission for review of public-benefit tradeoffs. The commission noted active subdivision clearing at a project called Amory Estates (staff said about 46 homes are planned) and a pending hearing-examiner decision tied to a National Guard readiness-center proposal.
A motion to approve the 2026 docket and work-plan recommendation carried with "Aye" votes and no opposition; Commissioner Pinscivens verbally confirmed the affirmative. Staff asked that the planning commission chair present the commission's 2025 accomplishments and the approved 2026 work plan to the City Council at the Jan. 6 council meeting; the commission agreed that a short verbal presentation would be appropriate.
Next steps: the approved docket(s) will move into the formal amendment and review process in 2026, staff will draft code-change language for affected chapters, and the chair or a commissioner will present the work plan to the City Council in January.
