JOIN US TO HELP SOLVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PUZZLE
Tuesday, April 11, 2017, 7 pm
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
645 NW Monroe Avenue, Corvallis
Oregon State University’s student population grew from 14,000 in 1997 to 24,000 in 2014; 75% of that population is housed off-campus.
Between January 2009 and March 2015, the City’s demolition permit data indicate that approximately 69 detached single-family dwellings were demolished in Corvallis.
Most of these units were replaced by student-oriented housing. Characteristics of recent student-oriented housing include a preponderance of multiple-floor, five-bedroom units with one bathroom per bedroom.
(taken from “Findings” in the recently amended Article 9 of the Corvallis Comprehensive Plan)
At this meeting, people will work in small groups to try to incorporate needed housing into neighborhoods. They will discuss what impacts are experienced in the neighborhood when more housing and population are added and what changes may be needed in the City’s building requirements. These requirements are in the Corvallis Land Development Code and the Municipal Code (see background information below.) Suggested changes will be communicated to the City. There will be resource people available at the meeting to answer questions.z
Meeting co-sponsored by the League and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A Brief Refresher on Land Use in Oregon –
The Corvallis Comprehensive Plan is the primary document that guides and controls land use within the City Limits and the Urban Growth Boundary.
The first Corvallis Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1980, and the latest update was in 2000. The most recent amendments were adopted in December 2016. The Plan is intended to reflect the community’s current thoughts on land use planning and to be responsive to the needs and desires of citizens. It is required by the State and must address Oregon’s 17 Statewide Planning Goals and Guidelines. The Plan is divided into articles that correspond to those planning goals.
The Comprehensive Plan includes:
- Findings – statements of fact or a conclusion reached after the examination or investigation of the facts.
- Policies – decision making guidelines for actions to be taken in achieving goals and the community’s vision.
- A Comprehensive Plan Map – graphic plan of all land in the Urban Growth Boundary and identifies the corresponding Comprehensive Plan land use designations.
- The Land Development Code – a set of ordinances and regulations that implements the policies contained in the Comprehensive Plan.
While we focus mainly on Corvallis Comprehensive Plan Article 9 – Housing at our April 11th meeting, other articles must be considered as well i.e., Article 4 – Natural Features/Natural Hazards, 5 – Urban amenities (parks & recreation, open space, cultural resources), 7 – Environmental Quality (noise, air, clean water), 10 – Public Services and Facilities (water system, police, fire, utilities library, etc.), 11 – Transportation.
Article 9. Housing “This Article addresses where people live in Corvallis, elements of the homes in which they live, and how their homes and other activities are grouped to form neighborhoods and, ultimately, the community…” It responds to Statewide Housing Goal 10: “To provide for the housing needs of the citizens of the State,” and includes policies based on an analysis of existing and future housing demand, supply, problems, and opportunities.
The Comprehensive Plan was developed with the assumption that growth would occur more in the overall community and not so much at OSU, so it focused the density out in undeveloped areas around neighborhood centers. Thus, the Land Development Code could not respond to the recent growth at OSU. Amendments passed in 2016 begin to address this problem.
Web access to the Comprehensive Plan, Land Development Code & Municipal Code is at: https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/index.aspx?page=116