Troutdale begins work on Main Streets on Halsey code amendment; residents urge visuals and limits on taller buildings
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Summary
At a Feb. 11 work session, staff and consultants presented a draft Halsey gateway overlay that would limit ground‑floor housing, set 5–15 ft setbacks, and allow up to a 15‑ft height bonus for public benefits; public commenters and commissioners pressed for visualizations and raised concerns about 4–5 story buildings and fire/parking impacts.
The Troutdale Planning Commission held a work session Wednesday on the 'Main Streets on Halsey' code amendment, a draft overlay district focused on portions of Halsey and Historic Highway west of 257th Avenue. Project consultants presented standards intended to encourage mixed‑use development, pedestrian‑oriented ground floors and design features while offering incentives that could allow modest increases in building height under conditions.
Project consultants Matt Hasty and Keegan Gulick described the overlay’s key points: the ground floor along Halsey would be required to be at least 50% nonresidential (no more than 50% ground‑floor frontage occupied by housing), building setbacks would have a 5‑ft minimum and 15‑ft maximum to allow landscaping and seating, and ground‑floor facades would face pedestrian design standards (window area, entrance orientation, weather protection). The draft includes a menu of public‑benefit items — plazas, increased open space or enhanced architecture — that developers could provide to earn up to 15 additional feet above the current 35‑ft maximum. Staff said any significant height increase would be elevated to Planning Commission review and that stepbacks (proposed 10 ft per additional story) and location restrictions (neighborhood/residential adjacency limits) are built into the draft to reduce street‑level impacts.
Members of the public urged caution. Erin Janssen said she values Troutdale’s small‑town character and warned that allowing 5‑story buildings (50–70 ft, as characterized in testimony) could overstretch local fire resources, create shadows, reduce parking and change the town’s feeling; she asked that such changes be put to a public vote if pursued. Diane Castillo White, who participates on several advisory committees, asked that the CAC review the final draft and requested clear visualizations showing what 5‑story buildings with minimal setbacks would actually look like from key vantage points such as 257th/Halsey and downtown corridors.
Commissioners raised questions about parking, access to rear parking lots, the cost and engineering complexity of required awnings or weather protection, and whether streetscape improvements (widening, planter strips, bike lanes) rely on county or grant funding. Staff said a streetscape plan exists but that capital funding for Halsey corridor improvements is not yet secured; some corridor improvements would be part of a separate capital project pursued as funding becomes available. Staff also said the CAC would be shown the final draft in March and Planning Commission would consider initiation/introduction of the code amendment in April to meet a grant deadline.
No formal action was taken at the work session. Staff will revise the draft based on comments, provide additional graphics and visualizations, and return with a recommended initiation package and timetable for CAC/Planning Commission and City Council review.
