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Portland’s is tied to development of the . The project, currently in the 鈥渄iscussion draft鈥� stage, will help inform the proposed draft of the plan that will receive public hearings before the Planning and Sustainability Commission early next year.

Among other things, the new Comprehensive Plan is calling for a growth management approach in which much of the anticipated new housing is built in key centers and corridors. Currently, commercial zoning exists in some of those areas where substantial development has occurred over the past five years or so.

鈥淔olks see these areas as commercial areas because that’s the label the zoning has,鈥� city project manager Barry Manning said. 鈥淏ut they’ve long been mixed-use areas. Part of our project is calling it what it is: a commercial mixed-use area.鈥�

One key part of the Mixed Use Zones Project is recasting the zones and consolidating what were essentially eight zoning designations into four to be applied outside the central city. Many existing buildings will be grandfathered in, so they won’t be affected by new standards.

鈥淲e’re going to continue many of the same allowances we have in those zones,鈥� Manning said. 鈥淚f you have a property that’s operating as a commercial retail space or an office space, or maybe it has shops and services on it, those are going to be able to continue and in most cases, there’s not going to be a big change in its conforming and nonconforming status.鈥�

Through the Mixed Use Zones Project, a new amount of allowed floor area will be established for new development, regardless whether space is commercial, office, industrial or residential. A series of basic height and setback limits will be set as well.

However, a series of performance bonuses will let builders include more floor area than allowed currently. To gain those bonuses, builders will need to provide development that achieves a community benefit. These include affordable housing, affordable commercial space, a public plaza or some sort of publicly accessible open area on the site or features to generate substantial energy efficiency, combined with an eco-roof or some kind of on-site landscaping to provide an environmental benefit.

Public comments on the Mixed Use Zones Project received during the 鈥渄iscussion draft鈥� stage are being reviewed by city staffers. The proposed draft of the Comprehensive Plan will be released between late December and early January, and then go before the Planning and Sustainability Commission in early February. Staffers anticipate that public testimony could take a month or more. Ultimately, the commission will make a recommendation to City Council, probably no earlier than next spring.