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Planning and Zoning

Planning and Zoning

Planning and Zoning

Hearings Officer: Z0282-25 & Z0313-25 - Sept. 25, 2025

applicant requests a conditional use approval through File Z0282-25 to upgrade the existing power line to include added transmission lines along Stafford Rd. The altered public utility facility will include transmission, distribution and communication lines and added transmission capacity along the entire project length. Pole heights will increase. Because the review process for utility facilities in the EFU zone is different than the process in the RRFF-5 zone, the applicant also requests approval through File Z0313-25 of a “utility facility necessary for public service” to replace seven existing poles at Rosemont Substation with taller transmission poles to match the rest of the corridor.

Urban zoning and development rules assessment

Identifying opportunities to improve rules for clarity, usability, and consistency with state law.

Clackamas County is reviewing its zoning and development rules that apply within the Portland Metropolitan area urban growth boundary (UGB) to identify opportunities for improvement. These rules establish land use and development standards for the county, guiding growth, housing, business, and environmental protection. 

Get started: Explore the Story Map and take our short survey

Want to see what’s being considered and how it could affect your community?

Visit our interactive Story Map to learn more about zoning in urban unincorporated areas of Clackamas County. The Story Map includes maps, photos, and project background. At the end, you’ll have an opportunity to take a 5-minute survey and share your thoughts.

Why this project matters

As a primary tool for implementing a comprehensive plan, zoning puts long-term community goals into action by guiding land use decisions in alignment with the plan’s vision. The goal of this assessment is to ensure the Zoning & Development Ordinance (ZDO) contains rules that are clear, user-friendly, and aligned with recent changes to state law. Following the assessment, a report (called the ZDO Diagnostic Report) will provide recommendations to enhance clarity, organization, and consistency in the ZDO. Some recommendations may be implemented immediately, others may be considered for future updates while others may not pursued at all depending on resource availability.

Modernizing our urban zoning and development rules will:

  • Improve usability and clarity of zoning regulations
  • Address barriers to housing and economic development
  • Ensure compliance with state and federal requirements
  • Incorporate community input to reflect local priorities 

The study area

We will focus on urban, unincorporated areas of Clackamas County, meaning areas with urban services and zoning that are within the Portland Metropolitan Urban Growth Boundary, but not within an incorporated city. Examples of urban, unincorporated areas include Oak Grove, Jennings Lodge, Mt. Scott, Sunnyside, and the McLoughlin corridor. 

Map showing urban unincorporated areas that this study will focus on. This area includes Oak Grove, Jennings Lodge, Mt. Scott, Sunnyside, and the McLoughlin corridor.

Timeline

Expect stakeholder outreach in summer/fall 2025. Feedback from various audience focus groups and a community survey will help guide report recommendations.

2025 Project Timeline: From March to September is research and reconnaissance, from July to August is stakeholder survey and workshop, from September to October is focus groups. The draft ZDO comes out in September and the final ZDO comes out in November

Be heard, get involved

Whether you’re a community member, property owner, business owner, or someone who works in housing, development, or land use, your perspective can help shape the future of Clackamas County’s zoning and development rules. You may have experience navigating these rules—or ideas for how they could better serve your neighborhood, your work, or the broader community. Here’s how you can get involved:

Contact

Martha Fritzie
Project Manager
mfritzie@clackamas.us 
503-742-4529

Sign Up For Email Updates

 
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Land Use Hearing: Z0109-25-CP & Z0110-25-ZAP - Aug. 5, 2025

File nos. Z0109-25 and Z0110-25 include a request that Clackamas County’s Comprehensive Plan land use plan designation, as identified in Comprehensive Plan maps, be changed from Rural (R) to Rural Commercial (RC), and for the zoning designation be changed concurrently from Rural Residential Farm Forest, 5-Acre (RRFF-5) to Rural Commercial (RC) on the subject property. The application does not itself propose, nor would its approval authorize, any new development.

Hearings Officer: Z0137-25 - Aug. 14, 2025

The Planner Director decision has been appealed.
The applicant is seeking a Non-Conforming Use (NCU) verification of a 1930 dwelling that does not conform with the front setback standards for the RRFF-5 Zoning District, as stated in ZDO Table 316-2. Additionally, the applicant is seeking an alteration of an NCU for a roof replacement and structural upgrades and improvements to the existing dwelling.