Land Acknowledgment
The Arnold Creek Neighborhood Association acknowledges the land now known as Portland rests on the unceded territory of the Multnomah and Clackamas Bands of Chinook who made this area their home. We extend our deepest gratitude to the First Peoples who were the original protectors and stewards of these lands and acknowledge all they have endured, and continue to endure, so that we may also call this place our home.
City of Portland Resources
Historical Context of Racist Planning
Land Use News
View City of Portland Bureau of Development Services (BDS) Public Notices.
Contact us to learn how you can weigh in on land use projects and hear what others have to say.
Portland CEI Hub
“The horrific fires in LA are a stark reminder of how quickly potential danger can turn into real devastation.”
These are the words of Nikki Mandell of the CEI Hub Task Force. This concern is what motivated the Arnold Creek Neighborhood Association Board, on November 12, 2024 to sign onto the Task Force’s letter to the Multnomah County Commission urging them to take action to protect our city.
The CEI Hub is the large tank farm facility along Hwy 30 on the banks of the Willamette near the Linnton neighborhood. CEI stands for Critical Energy Infrastructure and refers to the fact that these 500+ tanks hold all the gasoline, jet fuel and other flammable energy materials that are used in Oregon and also shipped to areas beyond. Many of the tanks also hold a variety of commercial and agricultural chemicals.
The CEI Hub is built on unstable fill soils that are prone to “liquification” during an earthquake. There is also a railroad track running parallel to the highway alongside the tanks which is a route for the liquid natural gas and other flammable products being transported through our region. There is concern regarding a possible derailment.
Additionally, the woods of Forest Park are adjacent and the steep hillsides above the highway are prone to landslides. Compounding the problem is the age of the tanks, the vast majority of which were built long before current safety standards were put in place. For more info, read this MSN/KPTV article.
The letter to the Multnomah County Commissioners, endorsed by the ACNA Board, urges them to require the tank owners to carry Risk Bonding. It is a form of advance insurance, which requires that a business/service provider – not the consumer or taxpayers – bear the financial responsibility for costs arising from a disaster, accident, or provider failure.
Additional actions are being considered at the state level where five bills related to making the CEI Hub and other fuel and hazmat storage facilities safer will be introduced this year.
The CEI Hub Task Force is also closely monitoring Zenith Energy’s request for a fast-tracked approval to expand their operations in the CEI Hub, adding new dangers to the area. For more info, see With Zenith Energy’s Permits On The Line, Critics Urge Strong Government Oversight – Portland Mercury
To be added to the CEI Hub Task Force mailing list, please contact Nikki Mandell at nikki.mandell@gmail.com.
Learn more about the CEI Hub
January 21, 2025 City Council Work Session on Zenith Energy Terminal
Learn more and view the recording.January 21, 2025 City Council Public Comment Listening Session on Zenith Energy Terminal
Lern more and view the recording.
Middle Housing Land Division Cottage Cluster
The owner-developer of the vacant lot east of 1030 SW Stephenson St is proposing an eight-unit cottage cluster which will be on individually owned lots. Arnold Creek Neighborhood Association was notified on January 22 that the planning is complete (view Notice and Site Plan). There will be a 14 day comment period. The decision will be made within 63 days, and there will be a 14 day window for an appeal of the decision.
Middle Housing Land Division (MHLD) provides an opportunity to divide certain middle housing types (duplex, detached duplex, triplex, fourplex, or cottage cluster) so that each unit is on its own lot and available for separate ownership. MHLD follows a different process from other Land Divisions:
- Must have an existing or proposed middle housing development. Cannot create lots for future development.
- Building permit should be at an “approvable” stage before starting MHLD review.
- 63-day maximum land division review process cannot be extended if issues arise.
- Construction can occur during the review.
- Final plat approval contingent on completion of certain building elements (e.g. framing and utilities) to ensure final lot lines are correctly sited.
Learn more about Residential Infill and Middle Housing Land Divisions.
Notices
LU 22-185273 CU MS AD (Jackson Middle School) Appealed to City Council
Approved. View Decision of the Hearings Officer. View comments and other exhibits submitted for closed case number 4230004 on the Land Use Hearings website – User Name: GuestUserPHO – Password: PHguestp$$wd5 or view exhibits on Google Drive. Appealed to City Council. City Council will consider West Portland Park Neighborhood Association’s appeal on Thursday, January 11, 2:00 pm (view notice). The appellant asserts the Hearings Officer’s decision erred in relying too heavily on the Stormwater Management Manual to address environmental concerns, in not adequately protecting sensitive and fragile environmental areas, and in not adequately ensuring the purposes of the Open Space zone and the policies of the Southwest Community Plan are met.
LU 22-106202 CU AD (Miracle Heights)
Proposal: Conditional Use review for development of a 2-story, 52-bed Group Living facility with 14-parking spaces and one on-site loading space in the R10 zoning district. Adjustment to the maximum building coverage for the approximately 15,000-sf facility. View the Updated Decision of the Hearings Officer that aproved the application with conditions. The application approval (June 2023) expires in 5 years (June 2028). A Department of State Lands permit to fill the wetland is needed to move forward.
LU 23-003911 EN (Trail between Marshall Park and Tryon Creek State Park)
- February 17, 2023 – We received Notice of a Type Ix Proposal from Oregon Parks and Recreation for land owned by the City of Portland and Metro. They propose to built a natural surface hiking trail which will run between Marshall Park and Tryon Creek State Park. The proposal requires a Land Use Review as they will remove 3 native trees over 12″ diameter. A map of the proposed trail is included with the LU notice. There will not be a hearing. A decision will be made by Morgan Steele of COP Land Use Services. To comment on this proposal, send an email to Morgan.Steele@portlandoregon.
gov by 5pm March 20, 2023.
LU 22-214179 EN (Improve Fish Passage near new Boones Ferry Bridge)
- January 25, 2023 – We received Notice of a Type 1x Proposal for the Oregon Parks & Rec. Dept land beneath the new SW Boones Ferry Bridge. Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services wants to do further work to enhance Tryon Creek below the bridge including creating a widened roughened channel to limit the erosive energy of the stream, improve fish passage, and create a more resilient stream ecosystem. They will remove 20 native trees adjacent to the creek for the purposes of widening and roughening the channel. BES will restore and enhance these areas upon project completion by planting native pants within specific regimes including, wetland, stream banks, and upland. A decision was made on this proposal on March 6, 2023 to approve the project. A zoning permit will be required for the construction work. A map of the mitigation area that will be subject to removal of invasive plants and replanting of native plants is included in the proposal.
12050 SW 29th Ave (4-Lot Land Division)
- Steven and Brandi Whitaker, the owners of the property at 12050 SW 29th Ave which was recently approved for a 4-lot land division have applied for a Final Plat. If their proposal is consistent with the approved preliminary plan, it will be accepted and the land will be officially divided. They will have 3 years to work with the city to meet the final land division requirements.
SW 29th Ct and SW Comus St (8-Lot Land Division)
- Don and Coleen Blazer, ACNA neighbors and owners of the large property near the corner of SW 29th Ct and SW Comus St which was approved for an 8-lot land division in 2020 recently sold their property to Evergreen Investment Venture Group. The Blazer’s had not yet applied for a Final Plat of the land division. The new owners will have until 9/17/23 to make the application or the preliminary land division approval will lapse.
City Planning
2035 Comprehensive Plan
Portland’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan guides how and where land is developed and infrastructure projects are built to prepare for and respond to population and job growth.
All cities and counties in Oregon are required to have a Comprehensive Plan. Portland’s new Comprehensive Plan addresses future development, and it includes expectations for how and when community members will be involved in land use decisions. It helps coordinate policies and actions across City bureaus as well as with regional and state agencies.
West Portland Town Center
Environmental Overlay Zone Map Correction
The Ezone Project corrects environmental overlay zones to better align with mapped natural resources and wildlife habitat. The amendments to the official zoning maps and the zoning code went into effect on October 1, 2022.
Environmental Overlay Zone Map Correction Volume 2, Part C – Tryon Creek and Southwest Hills East, Natural Resources Inventory and Protection Decisions includes the results for Resource Sites in the Tryon Creek and Southwest Hills geography.
Southwest Community Plan
The 2000 Southwest Community Plan Vision, Policies and Objectives is a set of policies that provides the foundation upon which any additional plan components are built.
Adopted policies guide and direct community planning decisions regarding land use, the provision of public services (such as parks and transportation), and community-based improvements. Policies need to be specific enough to help determine whether or not a proposed project or program would advance community values expressed in the goals. Objectives are specific statements that carry out a plan in the short term. Objectives are measurable benchmarks that can be used to assess incremental progress in achieving the broader purposes expressed in policies.
Southwest Community Plan Comprehensive Plan Zoning Map (2001).
Southwest Hills Resource Protection Plan
The 1992 Southwest Hills Resource Protection Plan serves as a policy document for planning staff in evaluating development proposals through environmental review. The plan also serves as a reference for property owners, developers, citizens and neighborhood groups. (superseded by Volume 2 Part C –Tryon Creek and Southwest Hills East, Natural Resources Inventory and Protection Decisions, effective October 1, 2022)
The Southwest Hills Resource Protection Plan provides the inventory, analysis and recommendations for protection of significant natural resources located in southwest Portland. The project study area covers 7,000 acres south of the Balch Creek basin and downtown Portland, including the areas which drain directly into the Willamette River.
