BN 2019/21 Adopted Budget

Community Development

​Department Overview

The Community Development Department is comprised of two divisions – Planning and Building Safety. The Planning Division is responsible for carrying out the community’s vision for land use planning as presented in Ashland’s Comprehensive Plan and other adopted supporting documents. To this end, staff evaluates new programs, creates long-range plans, crafts implementing standards, and conducts design review for development proposals all with an eye toward fulfilling the aspirations of the community. Administration of Ashland’s Housing Program is another priority for the Planning Division. The Housing Program is involved in all aspects of planning, organizing, and directing affordable housing related projects and activities, which include the annual management and award of Community Development Block Grants, Social Service Grants, and Housing Trust funds. Additionally, the Planning Division manages city-wide code compliance activities that include enforcement of conditions of approval for all land use applications, follow-up on building code and land use violations, and seeking voluntary compliance with other sections of Ashland’s Municipal Code. The Building Safety Division provides complete building plan review and inspection services, as well as offering comprehensive, pre-development conferences and code explanations.


Community Development Walk in Customers

Goals

The Community Development Department’s two divisions – Planning and Building Safety – provides a variety of services. The Planning Division strives to build a community of lasting value by working with citizens to develop a unique vision for Ashland accomplished through local Comprehensive Plan policies, long range plans and programs, and application of community design standards. The Building Safety Division implements Oregon’s statewide building codes program by administering a comprehensive building plan review and inspection program. A key objective of the Building Safety Division is to make certain that fire and life safety measures are met for the citizens and visitors within our community.


Accomplishments

Implementation of a New Permit Processing System

In an effort to improve communication throughout the development process, Community Development replaced its 20-year-old building permit system with a new permit processing program. The system, known as EnerGov, helps streamline and automate building and public works permitting, code enforcement, and planning development review processes.


Adoption of Key Legislation

Wildfire Lands Overlay and Code

The City’s Wildfire Lands Overlay was extended to cover the entire City of Ashland and development standards that focus on responsible fuel management for Wildfire Lands were updated.


Accessory Residential Units

The land use standards for accessory residential units (ARUs) were amended to create a streamlined approval process for ARUs less than 500 square feet in size that are located within

or attached to a single-family home. The amendments exempt these small ARUs in the single-family zones from the planning application process and allow a property owner to obtain a building permit to convert existing floor area or construct an ARU attached to a home.


Cottage Housing

Land use standards were established that allow the construction of cottage housing developments, consisting of moderately-sized homes approximately 800 square feet in size, within single-family residential zones.


Transit Triangle – An Infill Strategy for Housing and Local Business Development

The “Transit Triangle (TT) overlay” and supporting codes were put in place, targeting locations adjacent to bus routes along Ashland Street and Siskiyou Boulevard with the objective of encouraging construction of moderately-sized housing units and businesses.


Planning Division

The Planning Division works with residents and business owners to develop a unique vision for Ashland implemented through comprehensive goals, long range plans, and design standards. The Planning Division is also responsible for administering the community’s land use policies by reviewing current development proposals, building permits, and a variety of ministerial permits (e.g., sign permits, street tree removal, home occupation and fence) for consistency with Ashland’s development standards.


The Planning Division provides a wide range of professional planning services that play an important role in shaping the city now and in the future. Staff continually explores new opportunities to engage citizens in local planning initiatives, while routinely providing staff support for the Planning Commission and other advisory commissions including the Historic, Tree, Public Art, and Housing and Human Services Commissions.


This division has five programs: long range planning, current planning, housing, community development block grant (CDBG), and code compliance.

Long Range Planning Program

The Long Range Planning Program section assists the community in creating innovative land use codes, development standards and plans that reflect the values of its citizens, anticipate changes that will likely affect the future of the city, meet policy objectives, and respond to changes in state and federal legislation. This work includes periodically updating the document that symbolizes Ashland’s vision of land use for the community, the Comprehensive Plan, amending the land use ordinance, and crafting specific plans for neighborhoods.


Current Planning Program

The Current Planning Program reviews planning applications and building permits to ensure compliance with Ashland’s development standards and the Oregon Statewide Planning Program. These proposals include a wide range of requests, such as land divisions, the design and layout of multi-family housing, as well as commercial building and mixed-use projects. City land use codes aim to address a variety of complex issues, such as impacts associated with development adjacent and within floodplains, wetlands, riparian zones and on hillsides, protection of significant natural areas, integration of multiple forms of transportation in development projects, and protection of Ashland’s four nationally recognized historic districts by encouraging compatible development and redevelopment.


Housing Program

With a specific focus on affordable housing activities, administration of the Housing Program includes working closely with the Community Development Director, the

Housing and Human Services Commission, the Planning Commission, and the City Council to accomplish the objectives identified by Council Goals and the Consolidated Plan for use of Community Development Block Grants. One full-time Housing Specialist is employed to carry out these activities. The Community Development Department’s Housing Program administers the award and distribution of Community Development Block Grants, Ashland Housing Trust Funds, and Social Service Grants.


Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program

The City of Ashland is an entitlement city for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The City has received this federal funding annually since 1997. The City awards CDBG grants to community partners to carry out a wide range of community development activities that directly benefit low and moderate income neighborhoods and households.


Social Service Grant Program

The City of Ashland established the Social Service Grant Program in 1986 to support the activities of nonprofit and social service agencies that provided services to vulnerable Ashland citizens. Since that time the City of Ashland has committed a portion of the general fund in support of activities that address the health and social service needs of the Ashland community. The Community Development Department’s Housing Program administers the award and distribution of the Social Service Grants awarded by the City Council each biennium.


Code Compliance Program

The Code Compliance Program spends time coordinating efforts with other city departments and participates in the Police Department’s sponsored quarterly area command meetings. A significant portion of the code compliance specialist’s time is directed at land use issues, with a notable increase in nuisance complaints consuming a significant share of resources. Short-term rental properties that were operating in violation of the Ashland Municipal Code have been reduced and are currently handled as they are reported. Problem solving a wide range of citizen complaints and assisting other departments as needed resulted in over 806 calls for service in 2018.


Building Safety Division

The Building Safety Division implements Oregon’s statewide building codes program by administering a comprehensive municipal building inspection and plan review program. The enforcement of state building codes assist in ensuring building fire and life safety measures are met for the citizens and visitors within our community.

In an effort to increase the commitment to our customers, the Building Division continues to explore ways to sponsor code related training and continuing education classes. These classes are in cooperation with other neighboring jurisdictions in the Rogue Valley, with the intent of providing a consistent and uniform approach to the latest construction methods, technology, and building code enforcement practices to homeowners and members of the local construction industry.


Community Development Building Permits

Community Development Construction Valuation

Performance Measures