City releases proposal to temporarily suspend mandatory design review

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The Proposed Draft of the Design Review Temporary Suspension project aims to address post-pandemic challenges in Portland's Central City, focused on the need for more housing and facilitating economic recovery and revitalization. You are invited to submit testimony at the Planning Commission hearing on the project scheduled on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 starting at 5 p.m.

About the Design Review Temporary Suspension project

For more than 50 years, design regulations have played a central role in shaping the evolution of the city's built environment. Where they apply, these regulations help ensure that new development responds to neighborhood context, contributes to the public realm, and is built to last. The Design Overlay Zone covers about 7.5% of the City and is primarily located in Central City, regional and urban centers, and other areas zoned for higher-density development. Design review provides a flexible, performance-based approval pathway for proposed development that meets established design guidelines while, outside of the Central City, established design standards provide a prescriptive path intended to ensure similar outcomes.

The Design Review Temporary Suspension project follows a series of efforts aimed at improving design review, most notably the 2021 Design Overlay Zone Amendments (DOZA) project as well as several efforts to stimulate economic and housing development in the city since the Covid-19 pandemic.

This proposal was developed immediately following issuance of the May 2026 Design Review Reform Report, which responded to City Council Resolution No. 37725 requesting an overview of the City's design and historic resource review regulations as well as concepts for potential improvements to the design review regulations. One of the eight concepts was a temporary pause on mandatory design review to help spur development.

The City proposes to advance the recommendations of the Design Review Reform Report in two phases:

Phase 1: Temporarily Suspend Design Review

The first phase of the project proposes to temporarily suspend mandatory design review requirements and allow the use of existing clear and objective design standards within the Design Overlay Zone. The goal is to expedite the development review process while maintaining the city's commitment to design quality. In response to immediate economic needs, the first phase is on a quick timeline and is expected to be considered by City Council in Winter 2026-2027.

Phase 2: Improve the Design Review process

During the temporary suspension, planning staff will work collaboratively with the Design Commission and the public to develop permanent improvements to the design review process, focusing on the highest priority recommendations of the Design Review Reform Report. These future improvements are expected to be presented to and adopted by City Council by the time the suspension sunsets.

About the Proposed Draft

The Proposed Draft of the first phase of this project is now available for review. The Proposed Draft is limited in scope, addressing only those instances in the Zoning Code where design review is indicated as a mandatory process.

Members of the public are encouraged to provide testimony to the Portland Planning Commission on the proposal at a hearing scheduled for September 22, 2026.

View the Proposed Draft

Summary of draft proposals

The draft includes the following changes to design review:

• Temporarily suspends mandatory design review in most instances, allowing proposals to utilize the design standards in Table 420-2 of the Zoning Code;
• Maintains the design review process and the advisory design advice request as optional;
• Retains mandatory design review in the following instances:
  • Self-service storage uses in the Commercial Employment (C) and Central Employment (EX) zones
  • Motor vehicle fuel sales in the Commercial/Mixed Use 3 (CM3) zone of the 122nd Avenue subdistrict of the East Corridor Plan District
  • Development within the South Waterfront Greenway Setback Area and for bonus heights in the South Waterfront subdistrict of the Central City Plan District within 150' of the river
• There are some locations throughout the City where adjustments - such as additional height - are generally prohibited but can be approved via a modification through design review.
  • For those standards that have defined maximum limits, the deviation would be temporarily allowed when a proposal meets the design standards; or
  • For those standards which do not have maximum limits, applicants could temporarily request an adjustment in addition to meeting the design standards.

How to submit testimony

The Proposed Draft will be considered by the Portland Planning Commission during an upcoming hearing on Tuesday September 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

About the hearing:

You can attend the hearing in-person at 1900 SW Fourth Avenue, Room 2500 or watch the meeting on YouTube. If you are planning on submitting oral testimony online, we will provide you with a Zoom link.

There are two ways to submit testimony for the hearing:

1. Submit written testimony through the project's Map App by Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 5 p.m. or by U.S. mail.

   Mail testimony to:
   Portland Planning Commission
   Design Review Temporary Suspension Testimony
   1810 SW 5th Ave, Suite 710
   Portland, OR 97201

2. Give oral testimony at the hearing. Pre-register for oral testimony by Monday, September 21, 2026 at 5 p.m. You are welcome to provide testimony in person or online. You will receive testimony instructions after you register.

Learn more and sign up for updates

More information about the project is available on the project website. You can also contact project staff with comments or questions by email at [email protected].

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