91视频

Each year, the Portland Design Commission produces a report that details development in the city and highlights major projects.

This year’s State of the City report does that and a little more: It defends the design review process itself.

The report, prepared by commissioners led by Chairwoman Chandra Robinson, an architect, was adopted by the commission on March 19. It comes as the City Council has requested a separate report on design review with an eye toward reform 鈥� including a possible temporary suspension of design review requirements.

The report to the City Council, by staff of Portland Permitting and Development as well as Planning and Sustainability, is due on April 9.

Robinson emphasized the Design Commission’s flexibility, in presenting the State of the City on March 19. In recent years, the commission has adjusted to design overlay zone amendments in 2021, revamped historic resource codes in 2022, streamlined design review and neighborhood contact procedures in 2024, and implemented code changes to design and development standards in 2025.

鈥淭hese are all intended to improve outcomes for development, right?鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淲e want to encourage it, and we want to make things simpler when we can.鈥�

Robinson backed discretionary review, whereby commissioners are guided by design review standards but not limited to them.

鈥淲hen we have discretionary review, we’re able to allow modifications that are not strictly allowed by the zoning code and by standards,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淪o, it is helpful to come through the Design Commission if there are things in your project that do not fit standards.鈥�

Commissioners pointed to their approvals of major projects including Hollywood HUB, a 222-unit affordable housing building under construction on Northeast Halsey Street; the Lloyd Center concert venue, and Portland State University’s 80,000-square-foot Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design.

Production of market-rate housing has plunged in recent years, and design review has come under fire for adding costly delays. Other cities have curtailed design review; in September 2025, the Seattle City Council suspended design review requirements.

But Portland design commissioners laid the blame for declining construction on market forces and not regulatory obstacles.

鈥淏ecause of economic conditions and the cost of borrowing money, the cost of construction has been a real difficult obstacle over the last few years, and we’re seeing diminishing projects coming through and not very many cranes on the skyline,鈥� Commissioner Brian McCarter said during the March 19 meeting.

鈥淗owever, I think Design Commission always remembers that we are that body who is approving real projects that are going to be built out there, and they’re going to be basically the implementation of our vision of the city we want to be,鈥� McCarter added.

In previous years, design commissioners have presented the report to the City Council in person during a public council meeting. No such presentation is scheduled this year amid the reform push.

鈥淲e don’t have dates scheduled for a presentation of the State of the Cities reports (for both the Design Commission and the Historic Landmarks Commission) to the City Council or one of its committees,鈥� Permitting & Development spokesman Ken Ray stated in an email. 鈥淚 do not know if a presentation will be scheduled or if the reports will be provided to the City Council by other means.鈥�

Elliott Kozuch, spokesman for the city’s Community and Economic Development departments, noted that the State of the City report is not finalized.

“It is within council’s purview to determine whether they would like the information presented at an upcoming council or committee meeting,” Kozuch wrote in an email.