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Commission hears delay in state-funded housing code audit; staff to prepare commercial code schedule
Summary
Staff told the commission the Cascade West COG is ready to audit Philomath’s housing code under a DLCD grant, but the DLCD/DOJ contract review is delayed. Commissioners discussed which code sections to prepare in‑house versus wait for the audit; staff will bring a commercial/industrial timetable at the next meeting and report back on the residential grant timing.
City staff updated the Philomath Planning Commission Feb. 17 on progress toward a state-funded housing code audit intended to align local development code with recent Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) rules.
Staff said Cascade West Council of Governments (COG) planners were available and had a designated planner ready to run the audit, but the DLCD contract was still undergoing state legal review (DOJ), producing an unexpected delay. Staff has provided COG with pieces of the draft code and expects the audit to merge the city’s draft language, the commission’s earlier work and DLCD model language into a consolidated draft for commission review once the grant agreement is executed.
Commissioners debated the merits of doing more preparatory work internally before the audit to reduce back-and-forth with COG versus waiting for the audit to produce a polished draft. Several commissioners emphasized the need to distinguish mandatory DLCD rules from non‑mandatory recommendations and asked staff to require citations for any DLCD recommendations. Staff said it will prioritize preparation of commercial and industrial code language in‑house and will provide a timetable at the next meeting; residential code work is contingent on DLCD contract completion.
Commissioners expressed concern that changing state rules and executive directives have repeatedly moved goalposts since the commission began its multi‑year update and that Philomath’s classification within the Corvallis urban area creates requirements that may not fit the city’s rural character. Staff said they would follow up with DLCD contacts and report back on contract status in the coming month.
