The Springfield Development Code is the principal document that implements local, state, and federal land use, transportation, and environmental laws applicable in the City of Springfield. The City regularly updates the Code to comply with new requirements and to better respond to community needs.
Interested Parties
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Housing + Design Initiative
A Code and Plan Update Project
This effort will continue focusing on Springfield’s Housing Strategy and will help the City comply with mandated State housing-related requirements. Work will involve amending the City’s Development Code to include clear and objective development standards for housing in mixed-use districts in alignment with the City’s goals for facilitating housing production, affordability, and choice by reducing regulatory barriers. It will also ensure that the language in the City’s adopted land use plans provides a consistent foundation for the Code updates where this policy connection could be more direct.
The update process will also find opportunities to coordinate with State requirements to foster a welcoming pedestrian experience in and around Springfield’s residential, commercial, and mixed-use districts. To build efficiency into the City’s work, the project team’s review can simultaneously account for both sets of State requirements to identify if and how much Springfield’s Development Code and adopted plans already meet requirements and what we must update if not.
Objectives include:
- Streamlining and simplifying code language to provide easy to understand requirements in a user-friendly format
- Providing a straightforward application and review path for a diversity of housing types
- Enabling timely and efficient review of development applications
- Meeting State law, including:
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- ORS 197 and 197A for allowed housing types, procedural requirements, and clear and objective standards
- ORS 227 for permitting and review related to city planning and zoning
- ORS 92 for land divisions (subdivisions and partitions)
- OAR 660 (660-012-0330 a focus) for pedestrian-oriented design in commercial, residential, and mixed-use areas
- Facilitating a diverse set of housing options
- Improving design outcomes of residential development
- Implementing, and amending where necessary, the City’s adopted land use plans to comply with State requirements
- Coordinating with the Climate-Friendly Areas effort
Visit this page to learn more and follow this effort!
Floodplain Overlay District – Pre-Implementation Compliance Measures (PICM) – Underway
Background
Participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires the City adopt and implement measures compliant with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) within the Floodplain Overlay District. From a lawsuit settlement brought by several environmental groups in 2009 FEMA, through the NFIP, was found to be in violation of the Endangered Species Act. In response to the settlement, FEMA began consultations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), resulting in a 2016 Biological Opinion (BiOp). The report determined that significant changes to implementing the NFIP must be made to avoid “jeopardy, destruction, or adverse modification of critical habitat, and unlawful take of the threatened and endangered species,” including the Upper Willamette River Chinook.
In 2023, FEMA had yet to take meaningful action to implement the BiOp. Consequently, FEMA sent the City of Springfield a notice dated July 15, 2024, requiring the City to adopt short-term rules, aka Pre-Implementation Compliance Measures or PICM, in the Floodplain Overlay District to comply with the ESA.
On December 2, 2024, the Springfield City Council adopted Resolution 2024-37 selecting implementation of FEMA’s Model Ordinance as its PICM pathway. Continued participation in the National Flood Insurance Program will require the City of Springfield to update its rules and regulations for floodplain development.
Project Purpose
The purpose of the Floodplain Overlay District – PICM Amendment Project is to update the Springfield Development Code to comply with FEMA’s requirements of the City, including requirements to protect habitat and achieve no net loss. No net loss is a standard where any development action resulting in negative impacts to one or more key floodplain functions are avoided or mitigated to offset said impacts. Among other things, these amendments may help to achieve no net loss by:
- Avoiding impacts at or below the base flood elevation in the Floodplain Overlay District. Development such as buildings, storage tanks, roads or other structures reduces the area where floodwaters can spread and where fish have access to shelter and food during a flood.
- Minimizing or reducing the amount of new impervious surface in the Floodplain Overlay District, including green infrastructure or stormwater treatment facilities within parking lots, and removal of existing impervious surfaces where possible.
- Avoiding the removal of trees, reducing the number of trees that are removed, or replacing any trees six inches dbh or larger that are removed per the mitigation ratio tables in the Model Ordinance.
The project objectives are to:
- Increase awareness of the new regulatory requirements to protect endangered species and avoid, minimize, or mitigate development within the floodplain.
- Explain that this work is based on federal regulations and not policy driven by the City.
- Explain that by adopting these regulations, the City continues to participate in the NFIP with no interruption to flood insurance policy holders’ coverage.
Useful project links:
- Springfield Oregon Speaks (link to: https://springfieldoregonspeaks.org/floodplain-picm-code-amendments)
Project Contact Information
City staff welcome all questions about the project. We are here to help you. Thank you!
Haley Campbell, Project Manager
541.726.3647
hcampbell@springfield-or.gov
Springfield Development Code Amendments: Annexation – Completed
Project Purpose
The purpose of the Annexation Code Amendments was to update the Springfield Development Code to provide easy to understand code language presented in a clear and user-friendly format, provide a straightforward initiation and review path for annexations, and enable efficient review of annexation applications so that certain annexations do not require a public hearing.
Adoption of Amendments
The Springfield City Council adopted the amendments in November 2024. The amendments took effect on December 4, 2024.
Project Documents & Resources
The adopted ordinance for the amendments to the code (Ordinance No. 6489) can be found at the following link: https://laserfiche.springfield-or.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=4327408&dbid=0&repo=City-of- Springfield-Laserfiche
Housing Opportunities in Non-Residential Areas – Completed
Project Purpose
The purpose of the Housing Opportunities in Non-Residential Areas Code Amendments was to update the Springfield Development Code to comply with state legislation and to allow and encourage the development of income-qualified housing. The amendments to the Springfield Development Code encourage economic development and revitalization and promote and enhance Springfield’s hometown feel while focusing on livability.
Adoption of Amendments
The Springfield City Council and the Lane County Board Commissioners co-adopted the amendments in July 2024. The amendments took effect on August 20, 2024.
Project Documents & Resources
Additional project information and documents can be found at the following link:
Stormwater Post-Construction Requirements Update – Completed
Project Purpose
The purpose of the Post-Construction Requirements Update Project was to amend the Springfield Development Code to comply with Oregon DEQ’s requirements of the City, including requirements to manage post-construction site runoff and minimize barriers to low impact development and green infrastructure under the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit. These amendments allow and encourage the use of stormwater treatment facilities including swales, rain gardens, and pervious pavements and strengthen requirements that address stormwater quality issues and improve the quality of water in the City’s drinking water protection areas.
Adoption of Amendments
The Springfield City Council and Board of County Commissioners co-adopted the amendments in November and December 2023, respectively. The amendments took effect on January 8th, 2024.
Project Documents & Resources
The adopted ordinance for the amendments to the code (Ordinance No. 6464) and to the Engineering Design Standards and Procedures manual (EDSPM) can be found at the following links and below:
\City Managers Office\Public Information\City Council\Ordinances\2023\Ordinance No. 6464
\City Managers Office\Public Information\City Council\Resolutions\2023\Resolution 2023-36
Parking Regulation under Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities –Completed
Project Purpose
In March 2020, Governor Kate Brown issued Executive Order 20-04 directing state agencies to take actions to reduce and regulate greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. In response, the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission adopted the Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) permanent rules.
This project implemented the parking component of the mandate. The Springfield City Council directed staff to remove off-street vehicle parking requirements from the Springfield Development Code, however, this does not preclude property owners from providing on-site parking voluntary for new developments.
Adoption of Amendments
The Springfield City Council and the Lane County Board Commissioners co-adopted the amendments in November and December 2023, respectively. The amendments took effect on January 8th, 2024.
Project Documents & Resources
The adopted ordinance for the amendments (Ordinance No. 6464) can be found at the following link:
\City Managers Office\Public Information\City Council\Ordinances\2023\Ordinance No. 6465
Springfield Development Code Update Project – Phases 1 and 2 Completed
Project Purpose
The Purpose of the Development Code Update Project was to change the Springfield Development Code to support efficient, timely, and clear development review. The updated Development Code will support Springfield’s economic development priorities and will honor Springfield’s hometown feel now and in the future.
Phase 1 – Housing
This phase included code amendments focused on residential land uses. It included allowing Middle Housing on residentially zoned lots that allow single-unit dwellings as required by Oregon House Bill 2001 passed, in 2019. Middle Housing is defined as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, and cottage clusters.
Phase 2 – Employment Lands:
Along with completing Phase 1 for housing, the City completed Phase 2 of the project to update the code related to employment lands (commercial/industrial). These amendments included revised code sections for Site Plan Review, Minimum Development Standards, Infrastructure Standards, and Development Standards.
Adoption of Phases 1 and 2
The Springfield City Council and Board of County Commissioners held a joint public hearing on the proposed code amendments for Phases 1 and 2 on April 25, 2022. The Council adopted the amendments on May 16, 2022, and the Board of County Commissioners adopted them on June 7, 2022. The adopted ordinance for the amendments (Ordinance No. 6443) can be found at the following link: http://laserfiche.springfield-or.gov/weblink/0/doc/4158497/Page1.aspx
Phase 3 – Other Sections of the Code
The last phase of the development code update would amend sections such as Annexations and Land Divisions. Implementation of this phase will occur as staff resources allow.
