Springfield Climate-Friendly Areas
Climate-Friendly Areas (CFA) Overview
*Survey opportunity! Please share your thoughts!
Imagine areas in Springfield where you can live, work, and shop without needing a car… where you can feel safe and enjoy getting to where you want to go… and where everyone has the opportunity to thrive...
This is the vision for CFAs.
For a full CFA overview, please visit our other interactive Story Map .
One benefit of CFAs is that these areas get higher priority for parks, green spaces, other urban amenities, and investments in more transportation options.
What is Required in CFAs?
CFAs are intended to help achieve the State’s climate goals by addressing both how people travel and how we use our land. Specific requirements include:
- At least one primary CFA that’s at least 25 acres
- Must accommodate at least 30% of Springfield’s 20-year housing need (9,923 housing units)
- Allow for at least 25 dwelling units per acre with no maximum densities
- Allow for (but do not require) buildings to be at least 85 feet tall (up to 7 stories)*
- Allow for a mix of uses (e.g., Springfield’s existing mixed use land use districts)
- Accessible via existing or planned high-quality bicycle and pedestrian networks and within ½ mile of existing or planned high frequency transit corridors
- Strategies to help people avoid having to move elsewhere due to rising redevelopment costs
*optional to also designate secondary CFAs which would have lower allowed heights and less density
What are "Primary" vs. "Secondary" CFAs"
Regardless of the primary CFA chosen, secondary CFAs can help meet the City's housing production goals
Spring 2024 Outreach Strategies
Spring 2024 Survey Summary
Planning Commission and City Council Feedback
General Interest In:
- Allowing more housing near jobs
- Supporting more homeownership opportunities
CFA Options:
- Interest in exploring Glenwood Riverfront as "primary" CFA and Downtown, Mohawk, and Gateway/RiverBend as "secondary" CFAs
- Think about the shape of the boundaries (e.g., potential to shrink Downtown and Glenwood Riverfront CFAs or to not include Mohawk or Gateway/RiverBend)
The project team shared community feedback with Springfield Planning Commission and City Council in June 2024 to get their input on next steps.
Design Outcomes
How Design Standards Influence our Experience
Design standards influence how projects look and feel. They help ensure quality but can add time, cost, and complexity.
Fewer standards allow for quicker, less expensive development but may lead to lower-quality spaces.
Building Form
Standards that could address overall building form include:
- Maximum length of the building to limit large expanses
- Require certain roof pitches or treatments
Building Facade: Articulation + Materials
Standards that could address building facade include:
- Required articulation including variation in the façade (projection/recess)
- Changes in building materials over the face of the building
- Orientation of windows and/or inset to create depth in building plane
Street Level Design Elements
Standards that could address pedestrian orientation of ground floor elements include:
- Percentage of transparency to allow vision into activities inside the building
- Prominent entrances
- Weather protection (awnings, canopies)
- Required active uses (food/beverage, retail, etc.)
- Open spaces with amenities (seating, landscape, etc.)
Examples in Springfield
Balancing Costs and Benefits
Springfield needs to find a balance between the number of rules it sets and how complicated those rules are. The goal is to make sure new projects in CFAs are possible while meeting the needs of the community.
Springfield CFA Survey (Part 1 of 3) Please hit the “Submit” button at the end of each survey part. Complete all 3 parts to be entered to win a $25 gift card.
Tools to Support Existing Residents
Are you familiar with the challenges of finding housing or being able to continue living in your current home? Do you have insights into the local need for housing services?
Part of this CFA work involves identifying possible ways to promote housing that continues to be affordable to a range of households (including those at or below the area median income). Calling attention to these possibilities for the selected CFA(s) will be one step toward an outcome that helps existing residents live where they want to as properties redevelop over time.
The City is seeking input on ways to prevent pricing community members out due to rising housing costs that could result as future redevelopment occurs. Keep your perspectives and the City’s current housing efforts in mind as you consider answering the next set of questions!
Remember:
Existing buildings will not need to change to meet CFA requirements for higher densities and allowances for taller buildings – the changes apply to new development or redevelopment.
It will still be up to each property owner whether they choose to develop or redevelop.
The City will not take property or force anyone to move as part of the project.
Tools to Support Existing Residents
Regulatory Changes | Adjustments to zoning codes, land use policies, or regulations to manage development and mitigate displacement.
Financial Tools | Subsidies, tax incentives, or grants aimed at supporting affordable housing and preventing displacement.
Design & Development | Streamlined development processes, including pre-approved plans and design standards that promote diverse housing options.
Tenant Support | Anti-displacement measures such as tenant protections and affordable housing preservation programs.
Partnerships & Redevelopment | Collaborative efforts between public and private sectors to promote equitable development and reduce displacement risk.
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Springfield CFA Survey (Part 2 of 3) Please hit the “Submit” button at the end of each survey part. Complete all 3 parts to be entered to win a $25 gift card.
Potential CFAs
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Springfield is required to have at least one primary CFA and may choose to select additional primary and/or secondary CFAs to meet the housing need.
Glenwood Riverfront and Downtown had the most votes to become primary CFAs based on earlier feedback from the community, Planning Commission, and City Council.
- One option for Glenwood Riverfront is to focus on the Glenwood Master Plan Area, which is smaller (includes part of CFA to the east of Ponderosa Village) to respond to earlier community feedback and to align with plans for redevelopment.
- One option for Downtown is to focus on a smaller area (eastern boundary would be at 10th Street rather than 23rd Street) to respond to earlier community feedback and to consider alignment with existing land use plans and how CFA style development would transition to adjacent residential areas.
Depending on the location and size of primary CFA(s), Springfield may also have to select secondary CFAs to meet the housing capacity requirement.
- Mohawk and Gateway/RiverBend had some votes to become secondary CFAs based on earlier feedback from the community, Planning Commission, and City Council.
Springfield CFA Survey (Part 3 of 3) Please hit the “Submit” button at the end of each survey part. Complete all 3 parts to be entered to win a $25 gift card.
Project Timeline and Next Steps
How to Stay Informed
Read the CFA study summary on the project webpage!
Project Webpage
Be sure to visit our webpage for more project information, updates, and ways to stay in touch.
Contact
Feel free to connect with the project manager:
Chelsea Hartman, Senior Planner chartman@springfield-or.gov , 541.726.3648
