Woodburn to rewrite development code to comply with new state housing statutes

Community Development Director Chris Kerr told the City Council on Aug. 10 that the city has contracted Cascadia Partners to audit and amend Woodburn’s Development Ordinance (WDO) so it complies with recent state housing laws. "This is our WDO amendment process," Kerr said, explaining the project scope and that the team expects multiple Planning Commission and council hearings before final adoption.

Kerr said Cascadia reviewed 26 state statutes and determined the city is "not technically in compliance with 15 of them," and that the audit flagged roughly 90 provisions that are not "clear and objective." The consultants said changes will focus on statutory compliance, creating objective review standards, and administrative cleanup. Jameen Kimmel of Cascadia Partners emphasized that the update will add specificity to standards now phrased subjectively, and that developers will still have a discretionary route if they cannot meet the clear path.

Council members pressed staff on how the specific numeric or design details—such as counts, dimensions or material lists—will be set. Staff and the consultants said these details will be recommended by staff and the Planning Commission and ultimately determined by the council. The project timeline anticipates further Planning Commission hearings and a return to council in winter, with ordinance hearings and final adoption likely several months later.