Newberg planning commission denies appeal of 1929 East Orchard Drive partition, upholds director's approval

Newberg — The Newberg Planning Commission on Feb. 12 voted unanimously to deny an appeal of a three-lot partition and three middle-housing land divisions at 1929 East Orchard Drive, sustaining the Community Development Director's Jan. 7, 2026 decision approving the application with conditions.

Associate Planner Jeremiah Cromie told the commission that the proposal divides the property into three partition lots, each of which would host a triplex, and that the zoning (R-1) and applicable city and state criteria were documented in the staff report. Cromie summarized the issues raised on appeal and staff's responses, identifying the primary topics as fire access and flow, frontage and operational impacts for a private street, traffic generation, utility capacity and stormwater, and conceptual lot-coverage and building-height concerns. Staff recommended adoption of Planning Commission Order 2026-01 to deny the appeal and sustain the director's decision.

On fire safety, Cromie said the Fountain Valley fire permit required sprinklers in lieu of a full turnaround; the…