Should Portland direct the City Administrator to reestablish a Permitting Improvement Team to lead the second phase of the Code Alignment Project?

WHEREAS, in 1997, the Auditor recommended that the City establish a single development bureau to fix the "lack of central leadership and organizational accountability" stemming from problems with inter-bureau coordination; andWHEREAS, in 2021, former Commissioners Dan Ryan and Mingus Mapps convened the Permitting Improvement Task Force in response to the Building Permit Review Audit to address permitting delays and inefficiencies, which recommended creation of the Code Alignment Project to simplify development-related codes, policies, and processes to make permitting is more accessible and efficient for customers; andWHEREAS, in response to City Auditor reports from 1997, 2003, 2005, and 2021, Council passed Resolution 37628 directing the creation of a "cohesive system" for improved permitting service delivery by requesting the consolidation of development review and permitting staff into one entity authorized to manage development review and permitting decisions by July 1, 2024; andWHEREAS, Council's adoption of Ordinance 191736 on May 29, 2024, pursuant to Resolution 37628, established Portland Permitting & Development (PP&D) as that unified permitting authority as a foundational start towards efficiency noting that "redefining roles and responsibilities" is a complex task that would require "a longer-term work plan to amend and restructure systematically the Code and rules to reflect this new relationship"; andWHEREAS, on September 24, 2025, Council unanimously adopted the first Code Alignment Project package to temporarily suspend or modify a limited number of regulatory requirements across Titles 11, 17, 24, and 33, effective October 24, 2025 through January 1, 2029, in order to reduce permitting delays, support economic recovery, and evaluate longer-term code reforms; andWHEREAS, the Code Alignment Project team has identified additional complex problems, including inconsistent requirements between the Code and administrative rules, inter-bureau process inefficiencies, and unclear code precedence that the team could not address in the first project package due to staff capacity constraints and the lack of cross-bureau authority required to resolve them; andWHEREAS, if left unresolved, these problems will continue to hinder the City's ability to meet its development goals and streamlining efforts resulting in increased project costs, resubmittal delays, lost City revenue, and further erosion of Portland's reputation as a city worth investing in.NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council urges the City Administrator to reestablish a Permitting Improvement Team within the Community and Economic Development Service Area to lead, in collaboration with Council, the second phase of the Code Alignment Project (CAP 2) to consolidate fragmented permitting authority, resolve code and regulatory conflicts, and create lasting improvements to the permitting experience for staff and the public.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Administrator must ensure all impacted service areas and bureaus, including but not limited to Parks, Fire and Rescue, the Housing Bureau, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, and Public Works, cooperate urgently with the Permitting Improvement Team to resolve identified barriers to permit approvals and delays in the plan review and resubmittal processes. The City Administrator must further ensure these bureaus and service areas implement simplified, standardized practices recommended by the team that improve efficiency while maintaining essential safety and planning standards.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Deputy City Administrators of Community and Economic Development, Public Works and Public Safety, will assign staff from bureaus that directly engage in permitting and development code functions to the Code and Policy Coordination Group to reduce regulatory burden and inefficiencies in code development.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Administrator must ensure that improvements to administrative rules, procedures and City Code, made in collaboration with Council, are targeted to encourage economic development and include but are not limited to:Adaptive reuse of commercial buildings;Outdated or onerous threshold values;Non-conforming use requirements;Change of use and occupancy requirements;Seismic upgrade thresholds and requirements;Parking restrictions;Permitting fees;Right-of-way and utility coordination;Tree code requirements; andZoning code provisions, including the development of amendments where necessary to resolve code conflicts and amendments that facilitate more expedient and less costly review processes.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Administrator, pursuant to Code 3.06.010, must ensure the Permitting Improvement Team is authorized to:Serve as the coordinating lead across all impacted City bureaus and service areas, responsible for setting project timelines and directing the implementation of a unified permitting alignment initiative; andResolve bureau conflicts and advance code amendments, procedural improvements, and administrative rule changes within the project scope; andConvene an advisory body comprised of external stakeholders with relevant construction or design experience and familiarity with City development codes and permitting systems to provide guidance to the team. This body should incorporate input from customers and the Development Review Advisory Committee to the code and policy changes towards simple, clear requirements and widely accepted best practices; andPrepare code amendment packages, as necessary, for Council consideration and approval.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that within 60 days of adoption of this Resolution, the City Administrator will provide Council with the following:A report outlining the scope of the first CAP 2 project package, including timeline and areas of focus; andA resource statement identifying staff, funding, reallocated positions, and any additional funding needed to meaningfully improve all named areas of CAP 2 focus within 2 years; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that within 150 days of adoption of this Resolution, the City Administrator will provide Council with the following:A proposal with supporting work plan that includes:A permanent code team solely responsible for drafting and maintaining all development-related codes and administrative rules, ensuring consistency with regional and national standards and responsiveness to customer and staff feedback;A framework for the centralization of development review and permitting authority within a single entity, including authority to set and administer fees, enforce timelines, resolve conflicts, direct staff and process improvements regardless of where staff are housed, and establish customer service standards, ensuring a single point of accountability for systemwide performance;Identifying dedicated staff and resources needed for maximum centralization and streamlining of development processes, including an inventory of existing related positions across City bureaus and a funding strategy that addresses gaps and ensures full cost recovery;An assessment of the benefits and current obstacles of fully centralizing all development review and permitting processes within a single entity; andA list of City Code titles and sections that would require amendment to implement this proposal, with draft Code language as appropriate.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Administrator must report to Council no less than once per quarter on the progress of CAP 2 improvements, and that any additional code change packages will be brought forward for Council consideration on an ongoing and iterative basis.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution is binding City policy.