Commission weighs expanding architectural standards and building a vacant‑storefront inventory

The Planning Commission discussed proactive items including whether to expand architectural standards beyond the Riverfront District and how to construct an inventory of vacant and underutilized storefronts.

Commissioners noted examples from other Oregon cities, including Astoria and Pendleton, that use incentives and penalties to encourage occupancy. A commissioner said the inventory should include both residential and business listings and suggested adding objective criteria such as appearance ratings or hours open to reduce subjectivity. One commissioner reported that Angelica provided business license listings and that a previous inventory covered roughly 400 businesses, with current licensing showing more than 500.

Commissioners agreed it would be reasonable to include a draft inventory and related enforcement questions in the packet for the March joint meeting and discussed piloting the inventory in a smaller geography (for example, Bolton or Old Town) before scaling citywide. Staff emphasized enforcement and budget consequences will be critical considerations for any code changes tied to vacancy.

What happens next: Scott (first mentioned in the transcript as providing the inventory draft) will send the inventory to staff for inclusion in the joint meeting packet. Commissioners flagged enforcement, penalties and equal‑protection concerns if the rules apply to only selected business types.