91视频

New design guidelines proposed for Chinatown/Japantown got an overwhelmingly positive reception during a first reading before the Portland City Council on Thursday. This was the first opportunity for the public to comment on the guidelines before city commissioners.

City staffers have been working on for a year and a half and were supported by the Historic Landmarks Commission.

鈥淲e are enormously enthusiastic because this makes our job easier,鈥� Historic Landmarks Commissioner Wendy Chung said.

The proposed rules would help developers better understand what is required for projects to meet the commission鈥檚 standards, she said.

鈥�(Developers) don鈥檛 have a clear idea of what is expected to get approval,鈥� Chung said. 鈥淭he key is getting more authentic elements in the plans we see.鈥�

Extensive outreach was performed to communicate with stakeholders in the area. The Bureau of聽Planning聽and Sustainability held open houses to gain input, according to BPS senior planner Brandon Spencer-Hartle.

鈥淒esign teams won鈥檛 have to scratch their heads as to what it takes to be authentic,鈥� he said.

The new guidelines have largely been well received by stakeholders in the area, Spencer-Hartle said. Also, everyone who testified on Thursday was in favor of the proposed guidelines being adopted.

Some designers are already incorporating the new concepts in their designs to present to the Historic Landmarks Commission, Spencer-Hartle said.

鈥淚n the early phases of the project, we made an effort to hear from those that are there now and those that were in the area historically to get something that is historically accurate,鈥� he said.

The proposed guidelines will return before the City Council on Sept. 28 for a final reading and vote. A vote of approval by the council would be followed by a 28-day appeal period before the new rules could become final.