Consultants tell Veneta commission code fails to fully comply with several state housing statutes

Consultants from Cascadia Partners told the Veneta Planning Commission that the city’s development code was reviewed against 24 state housing statutes and administrative rules and that the audit found a mix of compliance results: several statutes are met, many are only partially in compliance, and a number are not complied with and will require amendments.

Project director Mary Phillips said the firm divided the audit into three components: general statute compliance, an in-depth review of the clear-and-objective standards the state now requires, and an evaluation of code provisions that create cost and timing barriers to housing development. “We reviewed the city's zoning code against 24 applicable state statutes and administrative rules,” Phillips said, and the consultant team categorized the code as complying with a subset, partially complying with about 10 statutes, and not complying with seven.

Consultants emphasized that recent state legislative activity has introduced many updates across multiple statutes, and that Veneta’s pattern of partial compliance is similar to many Oregon cities. The consultants recommended drafting targeted amendments — mostly policy-neutral clarifications and rewording — to create a clear-and-objective path for housing while preserving an optional discretionary path where needed.

Commissioners asked how prescriptive the clear-and-objective path would be and whether the city could retain needed flexibility for edge cases; Cascadia said the recommended approach was to create a baseline clear-and-objective route and leave discretionary standards as an optional alternative for applicants that seek greater flexibility. The consulting team will return with draft code language and opportunities for commissioner input before any ordinance is drafted for council consideration.