Land Conservation and Development Commission Hearing
Draft Rules on Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities
SALEM - At its March 31-April 1, 2022 meeting, Oregon's Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) will begin its consideration for adoption new administrative rules to help communities in Oregon’s eight most populous areas meet their climate pollution reduction goals.
The draft rules propose to significantly enhance planning for transportation and housing choices and to make it easier for Oregonians to meet their daily needs without having to drive. Currently, Oregon is not meeting its legislatively-adopted goals to reduce climate pollution. Transportation accounts for roughly 38% of Oregon's greenhouse gas pollution.
The updated rules would set new standards for land use and transportation plans in Oregon’s eight metropolitan areas -- Albany, Bend, Corvallis, Eugene-Springfield, Grants Pass, Medford-Ashland, Portland Metro, and Salem-Keizer. The draft rules are developed to be consistent with Governor Kate Brown’s Executive Order 20-04 directing state agencies to take actions to reduce climate pollution.
“This has been a tremendous group effort. We appreciate all the Oregonians who’ve provided their insights and have helped shape the rules thus far,” said Commissioner Stuart Warren, who has served as a commission liaison to the rulemaking. “By providing more housing and transportation options, the rules represent a new chapter in Oregon’s work to create healthier, more affordable, and more equitable communities for all Oregonians.”
“Unite Oregon was pleased to help improve Oregon’s transportation and housing rules. We believe this effort will improve communities Oregonians live in, and reduce the burdens of climate pollution and exclusionary zoning. Historically, those burdens have been disproportionately borne by immigrants and communities of color,” said Jairaj Singh, Climate Resilience and Environmental Justice Director at Unite Oregon and member of the rulemaking advisory committee.
Extensive Public Process
The rulemaking has included extensive community engagement including more than 140 presentations, community conversations, technical work groups, meetings with practitioners and regional governments.
At each of its meetings for the past two years, the Commission has received staff reports and accepted testimony on potential updates to Oregon’s transportation and land use planning rules.
Supplementing these meetings, a more than 40-person rulemaking advisory committee has held eleven meetings, starting in November 2020.
Department staff hosted a series of nine community conversations, six regional practitioner meetings, nine topic-specific work group meetings, and scores of additional meetings. Staff have received hundreds of comments from Oregonians across the eight metro areas, distributing these to the Commission and Advisory Committee. A list of these meetings is available on the CFEC website.
Current Draft and Next Steps
The current draft of the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities rules is available on LCDC's website. Since the publication of draft rules in the Secretary of State’s bulletin March 1, 2022, Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) staff have continued to meet with interested parties and update the draft rules. Specific changes include more flexibility around local implementation timing, reduced analysis needed around reducing miles driven, revised requirements for electric vehicle charging, and clearer bicycle network standards.
Following the meeting, Department staff will continue to work on additional changes in advance of the final hearing at the commission’s May 19-20 meeting.
With funding from the Oregon legislature, communities in the seven metropolitan areas outside Portland Metro are set to receive the initial round of funding to implement the first element of the rules in the coming months. Communities in the Portland Metropolitan area previously participated in a similar effort, the Climate Smart Communities program.
“We are pleased to be able to make concurrent investments in technical assistance and local planning capacity to help communities begin to engage their residents and business communities in identifying the boundaries of climate friendly areas,” said department specialist Kevin Young. “We understand that this is new and challenging. Specialists and regional representatives are ready to help communities understand and engage with the rule requirements.”
The Oregon Department of Transportation’s governing body, the Oregon Transportation Commission, is considering allocating funding to support local planning and implementation efforts. And the Oregon Housing and Community Services department is working to support climate-friendly areas with mapping and its investments in affordable housing.
Get Involved
Oregonians may provide verbal and written testimony to LCDC regarding the proposed new rules at the hearing and are encouraged to send written comments in advance of the hearing. Oral and written testimony will be accepted until the close of the hearing. The hearing on this topic is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on March 31, 2022. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. Please contact Esther Johnson, esther.johnson@dlcd.oregon.gov for further information. If you wish to address the commission, please use this form to sign-up: https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/commission/pages/public-comment.aspx. Oral testimony at the hearing will be scheduled in the order in which requests are received.
Address written comments to the Chair of the Land Conservation and Development Commission, care of Casaria Taylor via email to casaria.taylor@dlcd.oregon.gov
Local implementation of the rules will include extensive community involvement, which will occur over the next several years in the communities subject to the rules.
For questions about the proposed rules, contact Bill Holmstrom at (971) 375-5975, bill.holmstrom@dlcd.oregon.gov or Kevin Young at (503)-602-0238, kevin.young@dlcd.oregon.gov
To obtain copies of the new and amended rules, amendments and related information by mail or email, please contact Casaria Taylor at casaria.taylor@dlcd.oregon.gov. The agenda for LCDC’s March 31, 2022 meeting will be on DLCD’s website at: www.oregon.gov/lcd/Commission/Pages/Meetings.aspx.
DLCD will make reasonable accommodation for other formats upon request Please contact Esther Johnson at (503) 383-8911 or esther.johnson@dlcd.oregon.gov at least 72 hours before the meeting, or by TTY – Oregon Relay Services at (800) 735-2900.
Additional Background
Why is this Rulemaking Happening?
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Oregon is not meeting its goals to reduce climate pollution. While some sectors have made significant progress, transportation-related climate pollution has increased since 1990. Under current trends, Oregon would emit significantly more transportation pollution by 2050 than its statutory goals.
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Transportation accounts for roughly 38% of Oregon's climate pollution. Cleaner transportation, including reduced driving in larger cities, is an important part of the solution for all Oregonians. This program will promote improved transportation options and expanded housing and employment opportunities to make that easier.
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Residents are expected to benefit from reducing climate pollution, including better health outcomes, cleaner air, less climate disruption, and more choices for Oregonians on where to live and how to get to places they want to go.
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Positive outcomes anticipated, including for housing supply. To meet the state’s climate goals in a context of more equitable outcomes, the draft rules call for a suite of updates that include designation of walkable, climate-friendly areas and related code changes; parking reform; and more robust planning for, and investing in, networks for people of all ages and abilities to safely walk, bike or take transit to meet some of their daily needs. For communities expanding their urban growth boundaries based on identified housing needs, the rules add development capacity to the equation.
Learn more about the rulemaking effort, find contact information to provide input, and sign up for updates here.
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