Clackamas County staff present ZDO diagnostic, propose form-based elements and code reorganization

Clackamas County planning staff presented a diagnostic of the county's Zoning and Development Ordinance (ZDO) at a Planning Commission study session, summarizing consultant findings and next steps for code amendments.

Martha, a planning staff member who led the presentation, said the diagnostic was funded with a Metro grant and has focused on the urban unincorporated area inside the Portland metropolitan Urban Growth Boundary, including Clackamas Town Center, Sunnyside, Oak Grove and Jennings Lodge. She told the commission the consultants organized issues into six buckets: fragmented code organization, inconsistent design standards, confusing residential density calculations, unclear review thresholds, fragmented pedestrian and bicycle connectivity standards, and structural complexity that compounds with frequent state-law changes. "It's really clunky," Martha said of the county's online ZDO materials.

Why it matters: staff said the project aims to make the code easier to use for county staff, developers and the public, to reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers, and to identify where state law requires faster action. Jennifer, a planning staffer, warned the commission the county is…