Restore Oregon v. City of Portland

458 P.3d 703, 301 Or. App. 769
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJanuary 23, 2020
DocketA172000
StatusPublished

This text of 458 P.3d 703 (Restore Oregon v. City of Portland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Restore Oregon v. City of Portland, 458 P.3d 703, 301 Or. App. 769 (Or. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

Argued and submitted October 28, 2019, affirmed on petitions and cross- petition January 23, 2020

RESTORE OREGON, Bosco-Milligan Foundation/ Architectural Heritage Center, Oregon Nikkei Endowment, Portland Chinatown History Foundation/ Portland Chinatown Museum, and Peggy G. Moretti, Respondents Cross-Petitioners, v. CITY OF PORTLAND, Respondent below Cross-Respondent, and GUARDIAN REAL ESTATE SERVICES, LLC, Petitioner Cross-Respondent. Land Use Board of Appeals 2018072 OSB2LAN IVON, LLC and Haithem Toulan, Petitioners, v. CITY OF PORTLAND, Respondent. Land Use Board of Appeals 2018073, 2018086, 2018087; A172000 459 P3d 703

This case is on judicial review from a Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) order addressing the City of Portland’s adoption of its Central City 2035 Plan (CC2035). That plan, among other things, established new building height lim- its within the 10-block area of New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District (the district) and, to protect a scenic view of Mt. Hood, established new build- ing height limits in an area on the east side of the Willamette River referred to as the Southern Triangle. LUBA affirmed the city’s decision to adopt the plan 770 Restore Oregon v. City of Portland

with respect to the challenges brought before LUBA, with one exception. LUBA remanded for the city to adopt findings that explain how the new height lim- its in the district comply with Portland Comprehensive Plan (PCP) Policy 4.48. Petitioner Guardian Real Estate Services, LLC, owner of property in the district, challenged on review LUBA’s remand of the city’s decision. Cross-petitioners challenged on review LUBA’s rejection of their argument that the city failed to comply with the city’s citizen involvement program in adopting the height limits in the district. Petitioners OSB2LAN and Haithem Toulan, owners of property in the Southern Triangle, challenged on review LUBA’s rejection of their arguments that the city’s Economic, Social, Environmental, and Energy (ESEE) analysis was inadequate to support the building height limits in the Southern Triangle. Held: (1) LUBA correctly applied its own standards of review in concluding that a remand was necessary for the city to adopt findings that explain how the new height limits in the district comply with Policy 4.48 and, thus, did not err; (2) LUBA did not err in concluding that the city had complied with its citizen involvement program when it adopted the new height limits in the district; and (3) LUBA did not err in concluding that the city’s ESEE analysis was adequate to support the city’s decision to protect the scenic view of Mt. Hood. Affirmed on petitions and cross-petition.

E. Michael Connors argued the cause for petitioners. Also on the brief was Hathaway Larson LLP. Timothy V. Ramis argued the cause and filed the brief for petitioner-cross-respondent. Daniel H. Kearns argued the cause for respondents- cross-petitioners. Also on the brief was Reeve Kearns, PC. Linly F. Rees argued the cause for respondent-cross- respondent. Also on the brief was Lauren A. King. Kenneth P. Dobson filed the brief amicus curiae for Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association, Downtown Neigh- borhood Association, Irvington Neighborhood Association, King Neighborhood Association, Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association, Northwest District Association, Pearl District Neighborhood, and Pearl Neighbors for Integrity in Design. Before Ortega, Presiding Judge, and James, Judge, and Mooney, Judge. ORTEGA, P. J. Affirmed on petitions and cross-petition. Cite as 301 Or App 769 (2020) 771

ORTEGA, P. J. This case is on judicial review from a Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) order addressing the City of Portland’s (city) Central City 2035 Plan (CC2035). To enact parts of CC2035, the city adopted Ordinance 189000 and Ordinance 189002. Those ordinances, among other things, established new building height limits within the 10-block area of New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District (the District) and, to protect a scenic view of Mt. Hood, established new building height limits in an area on the east side of the Willamette River between the Tilikum Crossing Bridge and the Ross Island Bridge (the Southern Triangle). Petitioners OSB2LAN IVON, LLC and Haithem Toulan (OSB), owners of property in the Southern Triangle, and cross-petitioners Restore Oregon1 appealed the city’s decision to LUBA, and petitioner Guardian Real Estate Services, LLC (Guardian), which owns property in the District, intervened. LUBA affirmed all of the parties’ assignments of error, except for one. With respect to one of Restore Oregon’s assignments of error, LUBA remanded Ordinance 189000 for the city to adopt findings that explain how the new height limits in the District comply with Portland Comprehensive Plan (PCP) Policy 4.48. On review to this court, Guardian, Restore Oregon, and OSB each assign error to different parts of LUBA’s order. Guardian argues that LUBA erred in remanding Ordinance 189000. Restore Oregon argues that LUBA erred in rejecting its assignment of error that the city failed to comply with the PCP citizen involvement program goals. OSB argues that LUBA erred in approving the Economic, Social, Environmental, and Energy (ESEE) analysis the city prepared to support the building height limits in the Southern Triangle. We review LUBA’s order to determine if it is “unlawful in substance or procedure,” ORS 197.850 (9)(a). Under that standard, we conclude that LUBA did not

1 Cross-petitioners include Restore Oregon, Bosco-Milligan Foundation/ Architectural Heritage Center, Oregon Nikkei Endowment, Portland Chinatown History Foundation/Portland Chinatown Museum, and Peggy G. Moretti. For ease of reference, cross-petitioners are referred to throughout this opinion as Restore Oregon. 772 Restore Oregon v. City of Portland

err with respect to the disparate issues raised by petitioners and cross-petitioners. Thus, we affirm. I. BACKGROUND FACTS We take the following background facts from LUBA’s order, which the parties do not dispute. “The challenged ordinances [189000 and 189002] adopted amendments to the Central City Plan, which was originally adopted in 1988 as part of the Portland Compre- hensive Plan (PCP). CC 2035 made a number of changes to the existing Central City Plan. * * * “A. New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District “As relevant here, * * * CC 2035 amended the height limits that apply to new buildings in the New Chinatown/ Japantown Historic District (District), a ten square block area located west of the Willamette River and north of the downtown area that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its cultural and historical significance. “The District was established in 1989. The base zoning of property in the District at the time it was established and today is Central Commercial Zone with a downtown development overlay. At the time the District was estab- lished in 1989, the maximum allowed building height in the District under the Portland City Code (PCC) was 350 feet plus a possible 75 feet of bonus height. New develop- ment in the District is subject to discretionary Historic Resources Review under PCC 33.846 and the city’s adopted New Chinatown/Japantown Historic Design Guidelines (Guidelines), first adopted in 2017. “CC 2035 decreased the existing height limits for four blocks on the northern edge of the District, located between NW Everett and NW Glisan Street and NW 5th and NW 3rd Avenue (North Blocks), from the previous limit of 425 feet (base 350 feet plus 75 feet of bonus height) to 200 feet of base height with no bonus height available.

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Bluebook (online)
458 P.3d 703, 301 Or. App. 769, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/restore-oregon-v-city-of-portland-orctapp-2020.