Introduction

The SE 122nd Avenue Rezoning Project will prioritize and implement land use recommendations from the SE 122nd Avenue Pilot Study completed in 2010. The study included a series of advisory working group meetings, neighborhood walks, and workshops to incorporate a variety of community perspectives. Specific efforts were extended to engage the voices of youth and other under-represented groups in the community.

Community members and residents indicated that they wanted access to more businesses and amenities, as well as more user-friendly, attractive and safe design elements in multi-family dwellings. Initial emphasis will be given to zone changes that increase the opportunities for neighborhood-scale commercial uses along the southern portion of the 122nd Avenue corridor. Additional consideration will be given to the Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Map, and Development Code revisions that support the SE 122nd Avenue Study recommendations for improving multi-dwelling design and compatibility within the study area. Recommendations will be presented to the Planning and Sustainability Commission and City Council for adoption as appropriate.

The rezoning project is part of the Bureau's response to the following questions raised during the pilot study:

• How can 122nd Avenue evolve over time to create a better sense of community and identity?

• How can the design of new housing in the 122nd Avenue corridor be improved to make it more compatible and attractive and still accommodate growth?

• Is there a way for the neighborhood and 122nd Avenue to support a wider array of local retail and services to create a convenient "20-minute neighborhood" as envisioned by the Portland Plan?

• What types of changes would create a more "healthy" and "sustainable" neighborhood?

Timeline

The 122nd Avenue Rezoning Project is a community-based project. The public will provide input on initial project priorities and advise staff on final recommendations.

Study Area

The study area for the Rezoning Project was defined during the recently completed SE 122nd Avenue Pilot Study. The boundaries span from SE Foster to SE Division and roughly four blocks on either side of SE 122nd Avenue. The intersections under review currently include commercial zoning (CN2, CG, CM, CS, CO2, CO1) in nodes that get smaller toward the southern end of the study area.

The SE 122nd Avenue main street is located within the Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood, a large area with more than 24,000 residents. It is an increasingly diverse neighborhood, with many immigrant families and a relatively high poverty rate.

The study area was annexed into Portland in the early 1990s. Urban zones were subsequently applied as part of the City Council-adopted Outer SE Community Plan in March 1996. Since, residents have asked the City to re-evaluate the zoning in portions of outer southeast Portland, including along the southern end of 122nd Avenue, because they feel that there is too much multi-family zoning and not enough commercial zoning. These zoning issues were raised during the East Portland Action Plan, the SE 122nd Avenue Pilot Study, and other recent projects.

Objectives

The 122nd Avenue Pilot Study proposed eight land use recommendations that help define the objectives for the 122nd Avenue Rezoning Project. The project will prioritize Objective 1 below which is applicable only within the 122nd Avenue study area. This effort will provide actionable recommendations for the remaining objectives which have broader geographic applicability and may require closer coordination with the City's pending Comprehensive Plan update.

1. Consider changes to zoning that support the desired retail environment, including the potential for a grocery store at the southern end of the study area.
2. Explore and develop a regulatory tool that allows small commercial uses and/or mixed use development in areas currently zoned R1 (for example, beyond what is currently allowed through the Accessory Home Occupation allowance described in Zoning Code Chapter 33.203).
3. Explore alternative site development standards or consider alternatives to the R1 multi-dwelling residential zone to improve the interface between development and busy streets.
4. Consider changes to residential zoning in areas over 400 feet away from arterial streets to reduce development impacts, improve compatibility and preserve trees in neighborhood areas.
5. Explore changes to minimum density and other development standards in R1 and R2 zones to improve compatibility, address site planning on narrow deep lots, and reduce impact of new development.
6. Develop and test special site development regulations for multi-dwelling residential development that require more usable open space, landscaping, and Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) amenities, such as bike storage, connections to larger pedestrian/bicycle networks, and gardening opportunities.
7. Improve residential design by exploring the use of a design overlay zone or development design standards as appropriate for R1 and R2 zone multi-dwelling areas along and near SE 122nd Avenue.
8. Identify areas along SE 122nd where housing should be limited or commercial uses should be prioritized (i.e. no housing allowed by right in commercial zones).

Background

The 122nd Avenue Rezoning Project evolved from the 122nd Avenue Pilot Study, completed in October 2010 and revised in February 2011. The study explored land use, transportation and connectivity, and development design issues in multi-dwelling residential and commercial zones in the area generally within 1/4 mile of SE 122nd Avenue from SE Division Street to SE Foster Road.

The 122nd Avenue Pilot Study explored ways to help create a "20-minute neighborhood" as envisioned by the Portland Plan for this portion of SE 122nd as a Metro 2040 designated "Main Street" and "Corridor". The study explored these issues from the perspective of creating a built environment that promotes community health and is both economically viable and sustainable into the future.

The pilot study was the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability's first attempt at including public health considerations as an explicit part of the neighborhood planning process. BPS worked closely with the Oregon Public Health Institute to bring public health expertise and tools to the neighborhood planning process and build long term, working relationships across planning and public health organizations. The current rezoning effort will implement a number of pilot study recommendations that act to improve public health through encouraging active living and increasing opportunities for healthy food and neighborhood-based retail activity.

Public Involvement

The objectives of the current SE 122nd Avenue Rezoning Project were developed with extensive community input as part of the SE 122nd Avenue Pilot Project. A number of community members from the Pilot Project continue to serve on a Project Advisory Group (PAG) for the SE 122nd Avenue Rezoning Project to ensure that specific implementation measures are consistent with established recommendations and community interests.

The PAG will hold a series of meetings in the fall and winter of 2011, during which public comment is invited. Community members, residents, and other interested parties will also be invited to attend a public open house in early 2012 to review alternative implementation measures and influence final implementation choices.

The ideas and discussions generated by the community and the PAG will influence land-use related amendments expected to be presented to City Council in July 2011.