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Planning Commission reviews 2025 accomplishments, outlines 2026 code and plan updates
Summary
Planning Commission Chair Hannah Thiel reviewed a slate of 2025 recommendations (ADU regulations, critical areas, form-based code, design standards) and previewed 2026 items including comprehensive plan updates, parking and impact fee regulation updates, and potential expansion of multifamily tax exemptions.
Hannah Thiel, chair of the North Bend Planning Commission, presented the commission’s 2025 accomplishments and an eight-item work plan for 2026 during the council meeting on March 3.
Thiel said the commission spent 2025 aligning accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations and related water and sewer requirements with state legislation and recommended amendments to the city’s critical area regulations and maps. The commission also reviewed and recommended changes to the city’s design and sign regulations and advanced work on a form‑based code. Thiel said the commission updated residential impact‑fee approaches to scale fees by home size and plans to review commercial impact fees and transportation and park impact fee regulations in 2026.
Thiel described the work as a combination of state‑driven compliance and local code clean‑up to make the city’s regulations more user‑friendly. She invited council questions and noted that more detail is available in the meeting packet (pages 27 and 29 of the staff packet referenced during the presentation).
Council members thanked the commission and discussed liaison attendance; Council member Mark Jocelyn committed to being a more regular liaison to the planning commission.
No ordinance or formal vote on code changes occurred at this meeting; Thiel’s remarks were a report and a preview of upcoming staff and commission work.
