Planning Commission Meeting
Work, CCI & Regular Session
• Open for comment
∙ Agenda item 1 of 3
Housing + Design Initiative: Code Audit
The Housing + Design Initiative Code and Plan Update will continue the ongoing work of Springfield’s Housing Strategy, help the City come into compliance with State housing related statutes and rules, and align with the City’s goals for facilitating housing production, affordability, and choice by reducing regulatory barriers. Particular attention will be focused on amending the City’s Development Code to include clear and objective standards for Mixed-Use Districts as expressed in Springfield City Council Resolution No. 2023-28. The Consultant, Cascadia Partners, prepared a Code Audit Memo for the Planning Commission’s review.
Files
Agenda Item Summary Housing + Design Initiative Audit Review
( 0.14 MB )
Attachment 1 - Housing and Design Initiative Code and Plan Audit Memo
( 0.75 MB )
Attachment 1 - Exhibit A Housing Statutes and Legislation Code Compliance
( 0.25 MB )
Attachment 1 - Exhibit B Springfield Market Study
( 7.84 MB )
Attachment 2 - Presentation Slides
( 0.79 MB )
Decision Criteria
Each decision maker will follow the criteria below when voting on this item.
On March 18, 2025, the Planning Commission, acting as the Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI), approved the Community Involvement Strategy for the project. This agenda item focuses on a review of the draft code and plan audit.
In 2024, the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) contracted with Cascadia Partners to work with city staff on the Housing + Design Initiative. The first phase of the project is this code and plan audit, followed by code and plan concepts, and finally the code and plan amendments. Cascadia Partners’ audit provides both a statutory compliance review and a set of strategic recommendations to support the City’s broader goals for increasing housing production, improving housing diversity, and aligning local regulations with state mandates. Based on feedback from staff, the Planning Commission, and City Council, the consultant team will finalize the audit to ensure the document is accurate and reflective of local issues before beginning the code and plan concepts phase of the project.
Discussion
To promote and enhance meaningful discussion and feedback, staff and the consultants will provide an overview of the audit, highlight the findings, and be available for questions. Some questions for discussion include, but are not limited to:
In 2024, the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) contracted with Cascadia Partners to work with city staff on the Housing + Design Initiative. The first phase of the project is this code and plan audit, followed by code and plan concepts, and finally the code and plan amendments. Cascadia Partners’ audit provides both a statutory compliance review and a set of strategic recommendations to support the City’s broader goals for increasing housing production, improving housing diversity, and aligning local regulations with state mandates. Based on feedback from staff, the Planning Commission, and City Council, the consultant team will finalize the audit to ensure the document is accurate and reflective of local issues before beginning the code and plan concepts phase of the project.
Discussion
To promote and enhance meaningful discussion and feedback, staff and the consultants will provide an overview of the audit, highlight the findings, and be available for questions. Some questions for discussion include, but are not limited to:
- Are the differences between the required actions and strategic recommendations clear to the Planning Commission?
- Is the definition of clear and objective sufficient? What about how clear and objective standards are written?
- Any suggestions or feedback for the code and plan concepts phase? Note: this phase also includes a round of community engagement.
Public Comments
Leave a public comment for the public record and Planning Commission to review.
Commenting period open until 5:00 PM PDT 5/20/25
Commenting period open until 5:00 PM PDT 5/20/25
No comments have been received.
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