Portland Zoning Decisions: July 2026

In July 2026, Portland held 3 public meetings covering zoning matters. 7 zoning decisions had a recorded outcome this month: 5 approved (83% approval rate), 1 denied, 1 deferred. Activity was up 3% compared to June (191 activity items across 3 meetings).

Zoning Decisions This Month

Foreclosure actions on 14 distressed properties (documents 2026-247 through 2026-261)

Deferred.

Presentation by Revenue Division staff (Sleeta Holt, Kevin Foster) on 14 properties with delinquent city liens totaling roughly $1.5 million for code-enforcement/nuisance violations. Properties include 7545 NE Sandy Blvd, 7545WI NE Sandy Blvd, 6307 N Montana Ave, N Columbia Blvd (vacant lot), 7250 NE Lombard St, 7101-7103 SE Division St, 1625 SE 35th Ave, 2706 SE 122nd Ave, 2734-2738 NE Alberta St, 4324 SE 65th Ave, 6627 SE Woodstock Blvd, 10104 SE Herald St, 5706 SE Lambert St, and 855 NE Church St. Public testimony from attorney Andy Chapkanian for Center Street Lending (6307 N Montana, now a 19-unit apartment building) and Boz Epley (custodian, 2734-2738 NE Alberta). After discussion the committee continued all items (four through 18, minus item eight) to the August 4th committee meeting.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Central City Code Amendment 5 - Waterfront Park River Setback Reduction to 15 Feet

Denied.

Staff-proposed amendment to further reduce the river setback along the Tom McCall Waterfront Park seawall from 25 feet to 15 feet (keeping 25 feet at the Hawthorne Bowl area). FAILED; Ames, Spivak, and one other voting yes; Alvarado, Brannan, Knowles, O'Meara, Pollack, and Routh voting no. Concerns raised about pedestrian/bike congestion at pinch points as narrow as 10 feet with encroachments.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Central City Code Amendment 1 - Ground Floor Dwelling Unit Standards

Approved.

Commissioner-sponsored amendment (Thompson) adopting the Design Commission's ground-floor residential standards, requiring each ground-level dwelling unit to have at least one main street-facing entrance plus setback/outdoor area standards. Passed, with O'Meara and Spivak voting no.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Central City Code Amendment 2 - Bonus Unlimited Height Track

Approved.

Commissioner-sponsored amendment (Spivak) creating a second, optional bonus-height track allowing unlimited building height for predominantly residential buildings (at least 75% residential floor area), excluding historic districts, view corridors, South Waterfront, North Pearl and River Place. Requires earning additional 1:1 FAR bonus, tower narrowing above 100 feet (max 12,500 sq ft floor plates above 100 ft when taller than 175 ft), and shadow studies near parks and residential zones. Passed, with Knowles and Thompson voting no; Brannan absent.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Central City Code Amendment 6 - Waterfront Park Open Space Uses

Approved.

Staff-proposed amendment allowing all development associated with park and open space area uses (natural areas, outdoor recreation, trails, botanical gardens, public squares) in Tom McCall Waterfront Park to be located within the river setback. Passed.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Central City Code Amendment 9 - Ground Floor Dwelling Unit Prohibition Map

Approved.

Staff-proposed amendment adding three street segments (including Second Avenue, a historic retail street) to the ground floor dwelling unit prohibition map for the first 25 feet from the sidewalk, prohibiting new or converted ground-floor residential to preserve active retail frontage. Passed, with Ames voting no.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Central City Code Technical Amendment 4 - River Setback Figure 475-2

Approved.

Staff technical amendment updating diagram Figure 475-2 to reflect the proposed 25-foot river setback (previously showed 50 feet), correcting an omission from the proposed draft. Passed.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Top Keywords This Month

• setback: 71 instances
• residential: 37 instances
• zoning: 25 instances
• industrial: 21 instances
• density: 9 instances

What to Watch

• Setback is new this month with 71 mentions, not present in June.

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