WHAT IS ZONING?
AN INTRODUCTION TO PLANNING & ZONING IN THE CITY OF PORTLAND
Like in many American cities, the way that land is used and buildings are built in the City of Portland is shaped in large part by two important documents - the comprehensive plan and the zoning code. But these documents are unfamiliar to many people, and they can seem complicated. So we're going to break them both down here.
FIRST, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. WHAT IS IT?
You may be wondering, "How do you develop a comprehensive plan? Do a bunch of planners just sit around and dream this stuff up?" No! Portland's Plan is the result of years of work, hundreds of ideas from all kinds of people who live, work, and play here, and lots of public process.
SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ZONING?
Zoning is just one of the tools that helps us meet the goals of the comprehensive plan. For instance, suppose that the comprehensive plan says that we want to grow our downtown and preserve more open space across Portland. To achieve this, we need to regulate how land can be used within the City. This is called zoning.
It's important to realize that there are many things that zoning CAN NOT do. For instance, our zoning can't compel any uses to exist or require the construction of new buildings. Whether or not development happens in the City of Portland, like everywhere else, is largely a function of what individual property owners choose to do with their properties.