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Date ArticleType
4/19/2022 Member News

Washington County Commission Moves to Engross Middle Housing Ordinance with HBA Supported Changes


During their April 19 meeting, Washington County Commissioners voted to support planning commission recommendations to proposed middle housing ordinances that included allowing detached plexes, removing proposed sidewalk requirements for middle housing, and updating other design standards to make middle housing easier and more likely to be built.

HBA staff, Ryan Makinster, testified in support of the Planning Commission recommendations for Ordinance 885 along with Planning Commissioner and HBA member Matt Wellner.

Ordinance 885 and its companion 886 are updates to the community development code and comprehensive plan, respectively, required to comply with HB 2001 and SB 458, the middle housing legislation passed by the legislature over the past few years.

Recommended changes included:
- Allow detached duplex, triplex and quadplex (plex) units
- Delete proposed sidewalk requirements
- Eliminate middle housing garage dimensional restrictions
- Clarify and reduce minimum window area from general 15% for each street-facing wall, to:
    - Front facade:12.5% for one-story structure (retain 15% for two+ stories); and
    - Street-facing side yard: 5% for all
- Reduce 10' street side yard setback in some districts to achieve 8' for consistency in all
- Reduce minimum lot sizes for townhouses in three districts (consistent with current CDC)
- Reduce 20-foot minimum townhouse lot frontage to 15 feet
- Exclude existing Accessory Dwelling Ur1it(s)/ADU(s) and existing single detached dwelling from unit cap for plex site
- Make minor clarifications/simplifications

The updated version Ordinance 885, with these changes, will be back before the commission for final adoption on May 17th.

HBA's original letter to the Planning Commission can be found here. For questions, concerns or feedback contact ryanm@hbapdx.org.