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A disagreement about the format of a proposed new Chase bank branch in Southwest Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood seemed to be moving toward a potential compromise. After meeting with multiple groups of stakeholders, Chase had extended the deadline for public comment on its application by a month.

As the comment period comes to a close, however, Hillsdale Neighborhood Association members say their requests for meetings with the bank were denied, and that the HNA plans to oppose the bank’s application.

Now city staffers will decide whether to approve or deny Chase’s request for adjustment. And neighborhood representatives say approval would undo years of work to shape their town center.

The 鈥渟torefront commercial鈥� zoning that governs Hillsdale Town Center requires that buildings occupy at least 50 percent of their lots. But in Chase’s proposal, the building would take up only 21 percent of the lot; 44 percent would be used for vehicle parking and 35 percent would be dedicated to landscaping and pedestrian circulation.

Ray Lindley, a Chase market manager, said the adjustment is needed to provide 鈥渁dequate parking and easy access鈥� to the branch, but residents strongly object to the idea.

鈥淧eople in the neighborhood have worked long and hard to establish the commercial storefront zoning and to develop the Hillsdale neighborhood town center,鈥� HNA President Mikal Apenes said. 鈥�(The bank’s adjustment) would be a giant step back from the whole process.鈥�

HNA member Robert Hamilton said the proposed size of the parking lot contradicts the neighborhood’s goals to achieve greater density and encourage use of public transit in the town center.

Hamilton tried to set up meetings with Chase to discuss the issue, and delay the bank’s application further, until the neighborhood and the bank could agree on a footprint that was 鈥渟atisfactory, if not acceptable鈥� to both parties, he said. Though multiple emails were exchanged between Hamilton and the bank, that meeting didn’t happen.

Lindley acknowledged that residents tried to set up a meeting, but added that Chase believes they were primarily concerned with 鈥渄esign elements,鈥� and not the zoning issue.

鈥淲e are not even at the point of design,鈥� Lindley said.

In his requests for meetings with Chase, Hamilton said he wanted to discuss a 鈥渄esign plan.鈥� In his mind, the property would ideally hold a multistory structure to house multiple retail businesses and condominiums, to help meet density goals.

鈥淭he adjustment was the primary concern of the neighborhood association,鈥� Apenes said. 鈥淚 thought we had been pretty clear on that with Chase bank.鈥�

The Hillsdale Neighborhood Association is drafting a letter of opposition to the adjustment application, Apenes said.

City staffers will make a decision about the adjustment application around Sept. 26, according to Bureau of Development Services spokesman Ross Caron. An appeal would go before the city’s adjustment committee.

Caron could not speak about the details of the Chase case, but said that staffers decide whether to approve applications based on whether applicants 鈥渕eet the intent or the purpose of the regulation they’re asking to modify.鈥� Comments from the neighborhood association and the public would be taken into consideration as they apply to the approval criteria, he said.

Lindley said that Chase is eager to move forward with the project. The new location would serve Chase customers who don’t have a local branch, he said. The closest one to the proposed Hillsdale site is approximately one mile away, inside the Burlingame Fred Meyer store.