GlobeSt.com UPDATE: City Delays Change in Multifamily Development Restrictions

GRESHAM, OR-The City of Gresham’s proposed easing of the restrictions on attached rental housing will remain a proposal for another month.

One public hearing took place in August and a second and final hearing was scheduled for this week, but when a couple of dozen citizens showed up to express their dislike of the idea, the council decided the issue needed more study. So instead of holding the hearing, they delayed it until Oct. 1 prior to that will hold a work session on the issue.

The city’s plan for altering what now amounts to a building ban is two pronged. First, the city wants to rescind the temporary prohibition on attached rental housing in West Gresham. The ban covers some 3,500 acres and has been in place since 1998. In its place, the city wants to create a new multifamily restriction for a 70-acre area in West Gresham known as the Rockwood Triangle. In that area–bounded by Burnside, Stark and 181st–apartment buildings would be required to be developed in conjunction with commercial, office, or community service uses.

“Because of this and its unique location and transportation characteristics, the area has the potential of redeveloping to be one of the most high-value and densely urban parts of Gresham,” according to the city. “For these reasons, these properties can be most efficiently used and impart the most value to the community if they are not developed as 100% residential.”

Many Rockwood residents would like the ban to remain in place until the neighborhood is designated an urban renewal district. Such a designation isn’t expected until next spring.