Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Audit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County planners launch audit to simplify commercial and industrial zoning and shorten permitting
Summary
Planners presented a zoning audit for 10 commercial and industrial zones intended to modernize use definitions, consolidate conditional uses, and convert many Type 2 conditional-use reviews to faster Type 1 procedures to reduce cost and time.
Clatsop County planners introduced an audit of commercial and industrial zoning aimed at simplifying code language, consolidating outdated use lists, and lowering procedural thresholds where appropriate so more uses can be handled through Type 1 development permits instead of longer Type 2 conditional-use reviews.
Planner Zane Longwell told the commission that the audit covers 10 zones and reviewed examples where multiple specific uses (for example, a long list of retail subtypes) could be consolidated into broader "retail" definitions. "One way staff are looking to reduce cost and time is to identify area uses within these zones that are Type 2 uses currently and reduce them down to a Type 1 procedure," Longwell said.
Longwell and commissioners discussed the practical differences between Type 1 and Type 2 procedures: Type 1 is typically faster (days to a few days depending on complexity) and carries a lower fee (staff cited an $85 development-permit fee versus approximately $1,200–$1,500 for conditional-use permits), while Type 2 requires public notice, completeness review and lengthier staff reports. Commissioners encouraged staff to prepare a draft ordinance or recommended edits for review and suggested prioritizing items with the greatest need such as communication-tower and signage regulations after this audit.
Next steps: staff will analyze the 10 zones, prepare draft code language and return with a discussion draft (staff indicated an initial draft ordinance could be presented for discussion in April, depending on workload).
