FW: Corvallis Climate-Friendly Areas (CFAs) Update - CFA Adopted
ami...@willamettewatershed.com
From: Corvallis Oregon <corval...@municodeweb.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 3, 2025 3:42 PM
Subject: Corvallis Climate-Friendly Areas (CFAs) Update - CFA Adopted
Corvallis Climate-Friendly Areas (CFAs) Update - CFA Adopted
As part of the state's Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) program, cities within the state's eight largest metro areas, including Corvallis, need to designate one or more Climate-Friendly Areas (CFAs). CFAs have statutory rules and requirements to allow for a mix of uses at certain development scales, and they must cumulatively be able to accommodate at least 30 percent of the total identified number of housing units necessary to meet all current and future housing needs (in Corvallis, this equals 8,174 dwelling units). The City must designate one “Primary CFA” that is at least 25 acres in size, and all CFAs must have a minimum width of 750 feet. Public documents related to the local CFEC efforts, including CFA adoption, are here.
Climate-Friendly Area Adopted!
After more than two years of community outreach, evaluation of various alternatives, and discussions with City Council and the Planning Commission, Council has approved three ordinances to adopt a Climate-Friendly Area (CFA) in Corvallis. The ordinances -- which modify the Land Development Code, Comprehensive Plan, and Official Zoning Map -- officially go into effect on June 12.
Specifically, the ordinances accomplish the following:
- Designate "Site E" (the 9th Street corridor) as the City's CFA. Within this area, which is entirely zoned Commercial Mixed Use 2 (CMU-2), townhouses will be permitted by-right, and the maximum building height will increase from 75 feet (approx. 6 stories) to 85 feet (approx. 7 stories).
- Adopt required standards within the CFA related to pedestrian connections and bicycle parking.
- In the CMU-1 and CMU-2 Zones, increase the maximum Front Yard and Exterior Side Yard setback from 10 feet to 20 feet.
- Establish a process to allow owners of certain properties to request an administrative zone change from RS-12 (Medium Density Residential) or RS-20 (High Density Residential) to Residential Mixed Use 12 or 20 (RMU-12 or RMU-20). While this is not required to satisfy the state CFA's rules, it is conceptually related because it builds on previous efforts to encourage mixed use development in appropriate areas.
- Misc. minor code tweaks and clean-up.
If you have any questions or comments on CFA implementation, please reach out to the Planning Division at plan...@corvallisoregon.gov or 541-766-6908.