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Planning Commission to Discuss Changes to Housing Development Codes
Big changes are coming to St. Helens housing and residential parking rules. Your input can help us determine what those changes look like.
The State of Oregon passed a law in 2019 requiring St. Helens and other cities to allow duplexes to be built anywhere that a regular detached home can be built. The law also requires the City to have identical parking requirements for both duplexes and single homes.
In addition to required changes, the City of St. Helens is also proposing to allow two detached homes to be built anywhere that a duplex is allowed. This change is not required by the state.
St. Helens currently requires that duplexes have twice as many off street parking spaces (four) as a home (two). Under the new state law, that can no longer be the case. While we can’t change this new requirement, St. Helens can decide how the required parking spots must be constructed on a property: either side by side (where two vehicles are parked next to each other and don’t block either vehicle’s access to the road) or tandem (where one parking space would be in a garage and the other space would be directly in front of it in a driveway only wide enough for one vehicle). Tandem is not allowed currently.
If you care about the housing and parking impacts that these new rules might have on your neighborhood, we encourage you to attend the upcoming Planning Commission meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. There will be time for public comment during the meeting to leave your feedback. You can also provide your opinion to staff in writing before the meeting.
While the Planning Commission can’t change the state’s new parking requirements, this meeting will help decide whether those parking spots are side-by-side or tandem (one blocking the other) or determine circumstances where tandem parking would be allowed.
Do you have an opinion? Let the St. Helens Planning Commission know! The recommendation of the Commission will then go to the City Council for final review at a meeting in April.
An agenda for the March 9 meeting will be available about 1 week before the meeting.
More info about the code amendment changes: https://www.sthelensoregon.gov/planning/page/2021-development-code-amend...
