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Council opens public hearing on Halsey Gateway overlay; continues adoption to July 14
Summary
Council held a public hearing on proposed Halsey Gateway Overlay development-code amendments that add design standards and a height-bonus mechanism tied to community benefits; major public concerns centered on the proposed 50-foot height bonus and parking rules tied to CFEC; council continued the matter to July 14 and asked staff to supply chapter 9 parking code sections and additional analysis.
City associate planner Dakota Meyer introduced a proposed text amendment (case LUD-0007-2026) to create a Halsey Gateway Overlay (HGO) covering MU1 and MU2 zones and to add design standards, building massing rules, and a height-bonus pathway that would permit additional stories (capped at four stories or 50 feet, whichever is less) if applicants provide community benefits and secure planning commission approval.
Meyer said the work traces to a multi-jurisdiction Metro planning grant and an effort to retool a prior package rejected in 2024 to make it more Troutdale-focused. The proposal would add new subsections to chapter 4 (4.71'4.74) and a list of community benefits. She explained that because the overlay falls within a Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) zone, the city cannot require parking as part of development in that area, but DLCD advised that parking can be included as an optional community benefit. "We could have provide parking as a community benefit as long as it remains part of the list," Meyer said.
Public commenters and councilors raised several concerns. Paul Wilcox (planning commissioner and speaking for himself) urged caution on the jump from 35 feet to 50 feet and noted that a 75 percent parking provision effectively functions as the only required benefit that would allow four stories. Tanny Staffinson, also a planning commissioner testifying as a citizen, described CFEC as a major constraint and warned that frequent-transit definitions used statewide may not reflect local service reductions. Multiple council members pressed staff for clearer references to the city's chapter 9 parking rules and for background on the earlier 2017'2024 grant history.
Dakota Meyer and other staff explained iterations of the package: the height bonus is not automatic; applicants choosing extra height must pursue a Type 3 process with planning commission review and select multiple items from a benefit list; DLCD cleared adding parking as a benefit item so long as it remains optional. Staff agreed to add chapter 9 references and to put the parking clarifications into the June or July packet. Councilors requested more time to review the packet and directed staff to provide the cited parking code sections and related materials ahead of the next hearing.
The council closed the public hearing but continued the ordinance introduction for final consideration to July 14 at 7:00 p.m. to allow further review and to provide more detail on parking, CFEC applicability, and the earlier work on the corridor.
