This is the first in a series of articles that will cover the basics of land use in Portland.
Let's face it. You might not notice when a six-story apartment building is being constructed just a few hundred feet from a cluster of single-story homes—unless one of those homes is yours.
Developments happen all the time, in every city. Some residents are grateful when a grocery store opens just a few blocks from their house. Others, though, while they may welcome the store across the alley, dread what they believe will be the never-ending, middle-of-the-night noise produced by idling 18-wheelers as the morning delivery is unloaded.
The topic of land use can be an emotional, thorny one, especially if it changes the area directly near your home.
And land use issues can make people feel powerless, not just because they feel they're a lone voice of concern, but because learning what developments are permitted to build near your home requires a certain savvy in understanding zoning codes, and that information, because it can seem so tangled and dense, can be intimidating.
But despite all of this, you do have power. And even if you can't stop a development (because it meets zoning and development requirements), you can learn ways to work with the people behind the project.
Fortunately, Portland has three offices designed to help you learn as much as you can about the landscape directly around you: the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) and the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI).
But first, you need to know where you are.
Location is Everything
Portlanders know, roughly, where they live. Maybe you live in southeast or northwest. You may live around the corner from that popular Mexican restaurant, or in a condo above that street-level coffee shop.
What you might not know is that you live in one of Portland's 95 distinct neighborhoods, each one with its own unique features such as parks, schools, and grass-roots committees and organizations helmed by your neighbors and established to help you shape not just what your neighborhood will look like, but how it will feel.
So, how can you figure out exactly where you are and who to turn to for help?
- Visit PortlandMaps, an online index provided by the city, and enter your address. It'll tell you not only what neighborhood you live in, but how your neighborhood is zoned, what public art is nearby, and what crimes have occurred near you in the last year, down to automobile break-ins.
- Once you know what neighborhood you live in, visit the BPS web page that provides you with your specific geographical district liaison. These individuals are there to help you better understand the zoning issues that directly affect your district and your neighborhood.
- You can also visit ONI, which has a neighborhood directory that provides you with the the direct contact information of the people who run your neighborhood association. ONI also has a handy page that gives you the names and contact information of all the people who chair and co-chair the many committees that make up your association.
- And once you've figured out who makes up your neighborhood association, find out who serves on the association's planning and land use committees. Then, subscribe to the association's newsletter, blog or social media accounts, because they will help keep you informed about proposed development in your neighborhood.
Staying Informed and Getting Involved
Development doesn't have to be a surprise. There are many tools designed to better inform you about developments coming to a plot of land near you.
Now that you know which neighborhood you live in and who can help you, explore the many tools out there designed to better inform you about what developments are coming to a plot of land near you.
BDS is staffed by city planners who interpret the city's many zoning regulations and determine whether or not a development can move forward. They also have a web page that provides daily updates on many of the proposed developments around the city, from a homeowner's request to build an ADU (the Accessory Dwelling Units often referred to as "granny flats") to an out-of-state-developer's proposal to build a five-story apartment complex down the block.
BDS also provides an online resource that will help you figure out the many ways in which your neighborhood has been zoned. For instance, you know your neighborhood is zoned residential (you live there, after all), but this resource will also tell how how dense your neighborhood's population can be, what kinds of businesses and industries can set up shop near you, and how environmental or design restrictions will affect how those businesses can be built.
Of course, there's no better way to get informed and involved than by actually engaging with your neighbors and the city's neighborhood advocates. One great way is by attending an ongoing training series known as the "ABCs of Land Use Workshop," which is jointly presented by BPS and ONI as many as three times a year. And while it's held in different districts each time, it's open to the public, no matter where you live, and has been streamlined over the years to focus less on the drier aspects of land use (its history) and more on the information you need now (how to read zoning maps and how to appeal a decision, from the city level to the state). In the meantime, you can bone up on all things land use by perusing BPS’ PDF version of the workshop's PowerPoint presentation.
What's Next
Stay tuned to learn how and when you're notified about potential developments, how you can shape your neighborhood by getting involved during the planning phase, and how to appeal decisions, complete with a list of dos and don'ts.
In the meantime, learn about where you live, talk to your neighbors, ask a lot of questions, listen carefully, and prepare to make your voice heard.
Have questions you'd like us to address in this series? Sound off in the comments.
I feel the subject matter so broad and deep that to become an intelligent voice is not very realistic. I'm sure people feel that way about my 10,000 hours of computer marketing experience. I am, however a capable citizen and need a way to access expertise to show up with me at an important meeting, much the same way I would attend an important meeting on intellectual property with my lawyer, another daunting quagmire of information. That said, the important meeting coming up is on April 17, Open House, on the proposed Education Urban Renewal Area, PSU Urban Center, 5:30 PM second floor. Inventive if nothing else the track record of those practicing the art of urban renewal in the City is abysmal when it comes to social sustainability and economic justice. Yet, it seems obvious to me what PSU wants, it gets. But maybe not this time? OR is this a great idea or what? I can't be the only one experiencing negative emotions with no history (a newbie) and little land use experience.