Woodburn, OR | 2021

The City of Woodburn, a small but fast growing community in the Willamette Valley, was required to comply with Oregon House Bill 2001, which requires the city to allow middle housing types--duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, and cottage clusters--in all residential zones by June 30, 2022.

The City engaged with Cascadia Partners to help implement the middle housing code changes. The project scope included an audit of the City’s comprehensive plan and development code, an analysis of existing neighborhood development patterns, implementation concepts, and adoption-ready code and plan amendments.

CP prepared a detailed engagement plan to address the City’s goals for equitable engagement. Highlights of the engagement process include:

• Targeted outreach methods that were implemented to reach local Latino and Russian communities, including translation of community surveys and direct outreach through community liaisons.
• A virtual open house, with Spanish and Russian versions, that walked the community through the options for implementing middle housing and solicited feedback through an online survey.
• A series of meetings with a Technical Advisory Committee to review the housing needs in the community, regulatory barriers to producing housing, and code concepts.

CP produced a detailed audit of the city’s development code to identify all provisions that may need to be amended. The firm then conducted an analysis of existing neighborhood development patterns and delineation of seven distinct “pattern areas”. The pattern areas were used to tailor middle housing allowances to respond to existing character. The firm then developed a code concepts report that outlines alternative approaches to implementing HB 2001 across nine regulatory topic areas.

CP prepared adoption-ready amendments and code graphics to implement a preferred approach. The City Council adopted the middle housing code changes several months prior to the state deadline.