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The chairman of Portland’s 17-person Development Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) would like the group to become a sounding board when city officials address issues affecting builders.

During the recession and in the last few years, the committee has had little influence on the Bureau of Development Services and other bureaus, said Jeff Fish, DRAC chairman and president of Portland-based Fish Construction NW Inc. DRAC includes homebuilders, remodelers, designers and other construction industry professionals.

“We’re trying to make DRAC more relevant than it’s been,” Fish said. “We want to be more of an advisory committee for making decisions rather than a reporting-to committee after a decision has been made.”

About two months ago DRAC and bureaus including the BDS and the Bureau of Transportation began discussing the idea of DRAC becoming more of an advisory committee that would look at issues and then offer possible solutions, Fish said.

“We’re supposedly able to approach Commissioner (Nick) Fish and say, ‘Here’s a problem. Is there anything you can do to help us with this?’ ” he said.

DRAC also could serve as an intermediary between different bureaus that would give broader perspective as city staffers write rules affecting the industry, Jeff Fish said. Sometimes land use codes conflict with stormwater and transportation rules written later, he noted. DRAC can provide feedback as rules are rewritten, he said.

DRAC committee members on Thursday will discuss a possible expansion of focus. The meeting will be open to the public and take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the BDS building, at 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave., Room 2500 B.