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Nehalem Planning Commission reviews SB406 middle-housing code options
Summary
City of Nehalem planners heard consultant recommendations to implement Oregon’s SB406, discussed whether to allow detached multiplexes, zone-specific minimum lot sizes (5,000–20,000 sq ft by zone), FEMA floodplain constraints for marine residential properties and floor-area-ratio issues; no formal code changes were voted at the work session.
The City of Nehalem Planning Commission on March 27, 2025, heard a presentation from consultants Lydia Ness and Rachel Cotton of Cascadia Partners on refined code amendments to implement Oregon Senate Bill 406 (middle housing).
The consultants told commissioners that while SB406 requires cities to allow attached duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes, local governments retain some discretion over how middle housing is implemented. Lydia Ness said the city can choose whether to allow detached middle-housing types, set size limits, adopt additional design standards, and set minimum lot-size requirements.
Commissioner Mary Jo Anderson asked whether a standard 50-by-100-foot lot requirement would apply. Ness responded that minimum lot sizes vary by zone: mixed-density residential and marine residential zones have a 5,000-square-foot minimum, the A1 zone has a 20,000-square-foot minimum, and the residential low-density zone has a 10,000-square-foot minimum.
Anderson voiced opposition to permitting multiple triplexes on small riverfront parcels in the marine residential zone, citing local concerns about rising waters, river access and preserving the river view. Commissioner Justin Bailie asked whether detached triplexes could be prohibited in the marine residential zone while allowed elsewhere; Rachel Cotton replied that attached multiplexes must be allowed in the marine residential zone but the city may prohibit detached units in certain zones and that there could be advantages to allowing detached units in some areas.
City Manager Lori Longfellow noted that FEMA floodplain regulations impose additional requirements for development within the marine residential zone, and the group also discussed floor-area-ratio (FAR) considerations for middle-housing types.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the SB406 code amendments at the work session. The meeting record shows the consultants answered commissioner questions and summarized feedback from a City Council community meeting held March 6, 2025; no ordinance or amendment was adopted at this session.
