What is the code evaluation?

In December of 2021, the City released a land use code evaluation, an assessment of the then-current land use code as it related to the goals of numerous City policy documents, first and foremost Portland’s Plan. The evaluation looked at the regulations and their impact on key policy directives, and presented a series of potential revisions to the code. It also identified areas where more work would be required to develop thoughtful and informed approaches to critical land use issues in the city and suggested avenues for future study.

How did people hear about it?

The code evaluation was presented to the public in multiple ways - through Planning Board and City Council workshops, email blasts, and small group presentations. The evaluation itself was posted online in an interactive format that allowed readers to dive into the details or jump from section to section reading high level take-aways. A shorter summary version of the evaluation was also published, as was a video that translated the evaluation into an easily digestible, 15-minute audiovisual format. Ultimately, the online version of the land use code evaluation had over 1,000 visits, and almost 300 viewers watched the video.

So what did people say about it?

While people were reading and learning about the code evaluation, the City was also busy collecting feedback on its recommendations. In addition to public comment from workshops, meetings, and email, we collected comments directly on the code evaluation through an interactive document comment portal, published a survey on the recommendations, and held virtual public forums over two nights in March 2022. In the summer and fall of 2022, we also released a questionnaire specific to island zoning. Through these feedback channels, we gathered valuable input on potential edits to the land use code as suggested in the code evaluation.