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If not for its conference room decor, room 2500A at the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s downtown headquarters on Tuesday could have been mistaken for a church sanctuary.

鈥淚 believe in density,鈥� said Richard Lishner, a private architect and a Southeast Clinton Street resident. 鈥淚 believe in sustainability, I believe in the urban growth boundary, and I want responsible, sustainable development that enhances my neighborhood and helps it grow over time. 鈥� I’m not afraid that Pottersville is going to take over Bedford Falls 鈥� I’m a New Yorker for God’s sake 鈥� but the problem is you have to give us a chance. We can become Brooklyn over the next generation 鈥� not over the next three years.鈥�

That sermon at a community forum drew applause from a crowd of more than 100 city residents concerned about the viability of inner-city developments without parking. The debate has heated up in recent months as plans have arisen for approximately two dozen multifamily developments, ranging in size from 15 to 81 units, in inner Northeast and Southeast Portland neighborhoods.

City code does not require that such projects include parking, and most of the multifamily plans don’t call for its inclusion. In response to the onslaught of new development, the BPS recently contracted with David Evans and Associates Inc. to evaluate the code’s effectiveness. The meeting was held so that study results could be shared and public comments could be issued.

鈥淚t is a great idea to have fewer cars on the road,鈥� said Sally Joughin, an East Portland resident. 鈥淲e love the buses and the MAX, but we do have a car and fortunately we do also have an off-street parking spot near our house. We keep the car because there are places we regularly go where public transportation is not an option. Why should we think that people who want to live in the new buildings won’t be just like us?鈥�

According to the study, they are.

David Evans and Associates surveyed residents of eight existing multifamily buildings (some with parking and some without). The firm found that 72 percent of respondents owned cars, while 64 percent commuted via pedestrian and mass-transit methods. Additionally, 66 percent used their cars for non-commute trips.

鈥淭he tenants do have cars and they are being stored on the street for weekend use,鈥� Joe Zehnder, chief planner for the city, said while presenting the study to BPS commissioners. 鈥淭hat’s an interesting market for us to look at.鈥�

According to the study, 74,722 tax lots in the city have no minimum parking requirement. Since 2006, 122 multifamily buildings 鈥� with a total of approximately 3,900 units 鈥� have been constructed; approximately 55 percent of those developments have on-site parking. The study found that 80 percent of survey respondents require less than two minutes to find a street-side parking space.

Many people at the meeting disagreed with that finding.

鈥淵our study says people will have parking regardless,鈥� said Anjala Ehelebe, the land use chairwoman for the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association. She lives near the site of a proposed 10,000-square-foot multifamily development.

鈥淭his particular neighborhood does not have a lot of parking,鈥� she continued. 鈥�(The development) would be intruding onto the yards and streets of neighbors nearby. Some neighbors have already said if this goes up they’re moving out.鈥�

Ehelebe said if not for voluntary participation by the developer, she and other neighborhood residents wouldn’t know about project plans. She believes a process needs to be created to ensure that neighbors have a say in future development.

Some attendees called for a moratorium on new developments, and others called for more control over design elements.

Jeff Mandel, a Kerns resident, said that if the city were going to place more restrictions on developments, then they also should apply to conversions of garages into accessory dwelling units. More effort should be made to preserve the existing supply of parking, he said.

Mayor-elect Charlie Hales attended the meeting, though not as a speaker. He said the problem would require creative solutions between like-minded citizens.

鈥淢y sense of this issue is that almost every participant is coming to it from a position of belief in the Oregon scheme of things,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e all believe in the urban growth boundary. We believe in smart, higher density neighborhoods supported by transit with people taking a lot of trips by means other than their car. This is not a battle between NIMBYs (Not in My Backyard) who want suburbia, and the crazy developers who want to do terrible things. It’s a bunch of people with goodwill, trying to make sure this thing works in the present day, even while we’re all working for this future that most of us share.鈥�

Hales said some adjustments to the city code likely would be needed. However, requiring one space per unit may not be appropriate because of cost and density reasons. For instance, the study found that provision of surface or underground parking can increase monthly rents by 50 to 63 percent.

Hales said TriMet should play a bigger role in the situation. During the meeting, several residents complained about infrequent service, and Hales said he intended to meet with TriMet officials to discuss potential solutions.

While commissioners made no formal decisions at the meeting, they are unlikely to support a moratorium on future development. Eden Dabbs of BPS said that finding support at the state level for such a decree would be difficult.

Meanwhile, residents maintain that city code does not jibe with its vision.

鈥淵our 20-minute neighborhood does not mean 20 minutes to find a parking space when I come home at night,鈥� Lishner said.