Portland Planners Asked to Say 'No' More Often

"City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who oversees the Bureau of Development Services, told the department's staff in a memo this month that it needs to 'raise the bar' in certain land-use reviews," reports Elliot Njus. "In particular, she said, staff members should put more emphasis on considerations like neighborhood compatibility, the preservation of trees and availability of on-street parking."

Fritz argues planners will have to say "no" more often to get on the same page with the City Council. She's quoted directly quoted in the memo: "I don't support the philosophy of cramming in density at all costs," and "We need a more balanced approach." 

Njus cites an October controversy over skinny homes as the reason for the schism between planners and politicians. In that case, "the Portland City Council denied a lot division sought by infill developer Vic Remmers, overruling staff at the Bureau of Development Services and a city hearings officer. It agreed with the Woodstock Neighborhood Association that the lot arrangement, which would create two skinny lots around 30 feet wide, would be incompatible with the existing neighborhood."