In a joint City Council and Planning Commission meeting on June 27, Estacada officials and residents discussed altering zoning sites in order to accommodate affordable housing.
The Planning Commission proposed eight changes of varying priority. Increasing density in existing zones, establishing minimum density requirements, facilitating missing middle housing, promoting accessory dwelling units and reducing off-street parking requirements were listed as the highest priority changes.
The meeting was a workshop in which no final decisions were made. Instead, planning committee staff took the time to explain the proposals and garner support from the officials.
The meeting comes after a housing analysis draft from August 2021 that determined Estacada will need 637 more housing units by 2041 to match the city's growing population. Since 2000, there has been an estimated 77% growth in population in the city.
In 2021, there were an estimated 1,860 housing units in Estacada, with 78% of those single-family homes, 5% mobile or manufactured homes, 14% apartment complexes and 2% middle housing multifamily homes.
The alterations proposed in the meeting focused primarily on increasing multifamily dwellings in order to grow housing as well as designate more affordable options for Estacada residents.
The planning commission introduced each proposition and then explained the input received by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
The first high-priority change was increasing density in existing zones. The Planning Commission proposed to minimize lot sizes in high-density areas to 2,500 square feet for middle housing. Additionally, for multifamily homes, the planning commission proposed to allow 30 units per acre in high-density residential zones and 50 units per acre in mixed-use zones. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
Second, the Planning Commission suggested establishing minimum density requirements at 50%-80% of the maximum, meaning that the minimum amount of housing would be half to 80% of the maximum density allowed in that zone.
"This sort of pushes you toward that form of development in those areas where that's what you're saying you want to see," said Matt Hastie, MIG project manager.
In order to breach the "missing middle" housing in Estacada, the planning commission proposed to allow up to four units of middle housing in R-1 zones and to permit interior conversions of single-family homes into multifamily housing.
According to the workshops' memorandum, "the 2021-2022 analysis indicates that there is support for more ownership housing at lower price points." A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
Thirty percent of the housing needed by 2041 is projected to be multifamily attached housing, equaling roughly 191 new middle housing units by that year.
Accessory dwelling units are allowed in Estacada, but the workshop proposed three tweaks to the set rules.
• Allow lower setbacks and rear yard setbacks to accommodate an ADU. • Increase lot coverage for lots with an ADU • Allow two ADUs if one is internal to the home.
In working toward more affordable housing, allowing increased flexibility for adding ADUs to homes creates more opportunities for homeowners to increase space.
A medium priority proposition suggested voluntary rezoning that would allow residents in prequalifying locations to request a rezone of their properties. This would move them from a lower-density designation to a high-density designation. Properties are recognized as prequalifying properties by their proximity to high-density areas and proximity to services such as transit stops, schools and downtown areas. A D V E R T I S I N G | Continue reading below
"??This was meant to be a more flexible approach and a more interim approach than actually going through a rezoning process." Hastie said.
A rezone would be done during a public hearing in order to account for surrounding neighbors being affected if one property gets rezoned. The city council retains the right to decline a request for rezoning.
"If one [property] gets zoned suddenly for high density, and there are houses on both sides and across the street, that can not only affect property value but also the satisfaction of the residents living in that area," a community member said.
A survey done in March 2022 found that promoting accessory dwelling units and establishing minimum density requirements received the strongest support. Alternatively, the rezoning of land and the streamlining or reducing of off-street parking requirements were the strongest opposed.
The Planning Commission will review the adjustments in August, with a meeting scheduled for Aug. 25. Then, the City Council will review the policy and code adjustments in late September or early October. To submit comments before the meeting, email them to City Recorder Sadie Main at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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