Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission discusses Cascadia Partners code updates: ADUs, SROs, RV occupancy and parking
Summary
Commissioners and staff reviewed Cascadia Partners' first-draft code amendments and debated parking requirements for single-room-occupancy units and ADUs, and whether the city's code conforms to state rules on limited land use decisions and RV occupancy after disasters.
The Yachats Planning Commission spent the largest portion of its July 15 meeting on proposed code updates prepared by Cascadia Partners and on compliance issues flagged by staff. Dan Fleischman, participating by Zoom, said the draft amendments address many items but that two areas deserve attention: limited land use decision procedures and allowances for temporary RV occupancy after an emergency declaration.
"There are changes to the limited land use decision statute that the legislature's made in the past year or so," Fleischman said, adding that the city should review its decision-making process for partitions, subdivisions and conditional uses to ensure compliance. On RV occupancy, he said the statute can require cities to allow people to stay in recreational vehicles for a limited time after a declared emergency, which differs from the code section that allows RVs while active construction is underway.
Commissioners then debated parking standards for single-room-occupancy (SRO) units and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Staff proposed requiring one off-street parking space per SRO unit; commissioners warned that Yachats' narrow streets, particularly east of Highway 101, do not support a blanket reduction in parking and noted that state law limits whether cities may require off-street parking for ADUs.
"Many communities have reduced parking requirements, but our streets do not accommodate parking down the street," Commissioner Lauren said. Chair Mark Sakamoto said the city must weigh whether to write a citywide standard or craft street-specific rules and noted the political and practical tradeoffs in requiring parking for units that could be used by working households with cars.
The commission agreed to continue the conversation at a joint work session with City Council and to ask Cascadia Partners to clarify which sections they will update and which the city will need to handle separately.
