Todd Stephens

The City Council adopted the 2025 Downtown Parking Management Strategy Action Plan to improve parking management for residents, businesses, and visitors. The plan includes actionable recommendations to ensure a functional and accessible parking system. The council directs city staff to implement the actions described in the plan.

The proposed amendments to the comprehensive plan focus on integrating open space protection with recreation, maintaining an inventory of historic landmarks, and ensuring environmental regulations are met. Key areas include encouraging vegetative coverings, protecting creeks and wetlands, and enhancing the Columbia River waterfront. The plan also addresses renewable energy, urban aesthetics, and the preservation of historic buildings and archaeological sites. Further, it aims to manage floodplain functions, promote economic growth through targeted employment, support tourism, and coordinate with regional entities, while also enhancing public facilities and services to meet community needs.

The Housing Production Strategy (HPS) for The Dalles focuses on addressing the city's housing needs over the next 8 years, as mandated by Oregon for cities with populations over 10,000. The strategy aims to facilitate the development of needed housing by identifying actionable strategies, addressing a 20-year housing need of 505 units with an emphasis on affordable and denser options. It involves engaging community members and stakeholders to inform these strategies, considering factors like market sensitivity, the need for smaller units, and the unique characteristics of The Dalles' population, including its higher percentage of Latino residents and individuals with disabilities.

The Housing Production Strategy (HPS) for the City of The Dalles outlines a plan to promote housing creation to meet the needs identified in the City's 2023 Housing Needs Analysis (HNA). The HPS includes 19 actions divided into five categories: Partnership, Regulatory, Incentives, Investments, and Land-Based. The plan aims to improve housing production, availability, and affordability across the income spectrum and for protected classes, addressing the city's need for 505 new housing units over the next 20 years, including 208 affordable units. It emphasizes community engagement, fair and equitable housing outcomes, and methods for measuring progress.

The Planning Commission and City Council held a joint work session to discuss the 2024 Housing Production Strategy (HPS). The HPS aims to outline specific tools, actions, and policies to address housing needs and affordability, building on the recently adopted 2023 Housing Needs Analysis and Residential Buildable Lands Inventory. Key discussion points included housing needs for all income levels, strategies to address density, the lack of buildable land, and the absence of multi-family unit development over the past three years. The commission also discussed priorities for housing types, regulatory and incentive strategies, and funding tools for raising revenue for housing programs.