Gold Hill planning commission recommends map and code changes to align zoning, allow additional housing above downtown commercial

The Gold Hill Planning Commission voted 4–0 on Oct. 29 to recommend that the City Council adopt a package of zoning-map and municipal code amendments intended mainly to align the city's maps with prevailing uses, allow additional residential floors above downtown commercial space and clarify sign rules.

Staff principal land-use planner Converse, representing RV COG, told the commission the proposal is largely a "cleanup" to correct inconsistencies between the zoning map and the code that resulted from prior rezoning actions. He said the package includes: converting R1U parcels to R1; changing certain parcels from C1/C2 to downtown or general commercial (GC); reclassifying some privately owned parcels currently shown as public; and two code text changes — allowing up to two residential floors above a ground-floor commercial use in the downtown zone (effectively permitting three stories in certain circumstances) and removing parapet walls from the definition of prohibited "roof signs."

Converse said the change allowing an additional residential floor above downtown commercial "will increase opportunities" for housing in Gold Hill while most other map changes merely reflect existing uses. He described the parapet-sign revision as "recognizing what is already occurring," noting that the majority of local signs are parapet-mounted and the current roof-sign definition unintentionally made routine sign repairs noncompliant.

The staff report referenced Gold Hill Municipal Code chapter 17.84 and the Oregon Transportation Planning Rule (OAR 660-012-0060). Staff concluded the proposed amendments are legislative, do not create significant transportation impacts that would require mitigation, and largely correct mapping inconsistencies rather than introduce new discretionary entitlements. Converse also said the city received comments from Matthew Hogan of the Fair Housing Council of Oregon asking staff to address consistency with State Goal 10 (housing); he said he had followed up by email and expected a letter.

During public testimony, resident Karen McNeely of 55 Kellogg Street asked why a previously noticed potential change from R1 to R3 for Kellogg and Davis streets would skip R2, and whether the city planned to pick that change up in the near future. McNeely said upcoming setback changes could leave little or no room for multifamily development on small lots in that neighborhood. "We don't have preparing setbacks with no property left to multi family units," she said in testimony.

Staff and commissioners clarified that the Kellogg/Davis R1→R3 item was included in the public notice in error and that the staff recommendation is not to move forward with that change at this time. Staff said future, broader housing discussions — including any urban growth boundary or annexation processes and a multi-jurisdictional inventory — would be the appropriate forum for substantive rezoning for new multifamily capacity.

The package includes parcel-specific recommendations: rezoning an area north of 4th Avenue from C1 to downtown to reflect mixed-use character; changing two lots on North 2nd Avenue (1383 and 1475) from C1 to GC; treating Lazy Acres RV Park as GC rather than downtown so its use aligns with the code; and correcting school- and utility-owned parcels that are shown inconsistently on the map. Staff noted that Patrick Elementary is currently zoned R3 on the map but functions as public land and would be treated as such in the buildable lands inventory, so that map inconsistency does not reduce actual multifamily capacity.

After deliberation, a commissioner moved to recommend adoption of the staff report as presented; the motion was seconded and carried on a roll-call vote of 4–0. The commission closed the hearing and will forward the record and staff findings to the City Council for its public hearing and final decision.

Procedural notes and next steps: the planning commission's recommendation and the hearing minutes will be provided to the City Council prior to the council hearing. Staff said the implementation work supported by a DLCD grant and the Housing Accountability and Production Office grant runs through June 2027 and will include additional public outreach and open houses when the city proceeds with more substantive housing-code updates.

The planning commission closed the hearing at 6:48 p.m. and adjourned at 6:51 p.m. The city council hearing date and time were not set during the meeting.