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The Portland City Council on Wednesday approved four code amendments that will temporarily suspend certain rules for projects that alter or add to existing development. The suspensions will last until Jan. 1, 2029 for city staff to review the impact and consider permanent adoption.

The temporary code suspensions will not apply to new developments. Through these recommendations, put forth via the Code Alignment Project, the city aims to accelerate permitting timelines, encourage economic development, and spur housing production, a city press release states.

The temporary exemptions are intended to apply to building permits that are in the permitting or inspection process, but have not received final inspection, starting Oct. 24. Applicants must submit a request to Portland Permitting & Development to revise their building permit if it is currently in the review process.

For frontage improvement permits, applicants may apply the adopted regulations to their project if their permit has not been issued or if no street improvement work has started. Permits will be subject to existing processes and procedures related to permit cancellations and revisions as applicable, including fee reductions and refunds.

The four upgrade requirements subject to this first Code Alignment Project proposal are for street tree planting (Title 11), street improvements for significant alterations such as sidewalks and curb ramps (Title 17), seismic vulnerability report (Title 24), and on-site upgrades (Title 33).