The city of Battle Ground is looking to implement a handful of rezoning moves to bring up its density requirements for residential housing as part of an overarching planning process executed last year.
During its Nov. 21 meeting, the Battle Ground City Council heard from city staff about five potential rezones across the city, four of which will move forward to a formal vote at the council’s Dec. 5 meeting.
The changes were city-initiated based on an analysis from staff in the city planning department, said Battle Ground Community Development Director Sam Crummett.
The city adopted a “Housing Action Plan” in 2021. Citizens surveyed through the plan’s work voiced affordability as the top issue in regards to housing in the city.
One of the strategies to meet that request was the strategic rezoning of areas to allow for more housing options.
“I know affordability is multifaceted … but to increase density and allow for more housing types is one tool in the toolbox,” Crummett said.
The sites up for consideration were identified as easy first steps to implement the plan.
“If we want to actually do something with this action plan and not let it collect dust, this is a small step, and we can come back with other things in there in the future years,” Crummett said.
Most of the rezones would take existing property zoned for a maximum of 10 units per acre and increase it to a maximum of 20 units per acre. Crummett noted any potential development would require on-site parking with 1.5 spaces per unit.
Although single-family detached homes remain the most desirable, having access to different types of housing is an important part of city planning, Crummett said.
“I think what the Housing Action Plan showed us was we first of all need to get people just into a home,” Crummett said.
The council agreed to move forward on a rezone to that higher density on properties on the east side of Northwest 20th Avenue to the south of Northwest Ninth Street and to the west and southwest of Florence Robison Park. The higher density would match the current amount of units at the Meadow View Apartments which makes up the southern portion of the area. The northern area includes a triplex building and a vacant property at the corner of the intersection.
Another rezone that is moving forward is on Southeast Sixth Street, which is bounded by Southeast Clark Avenue and Southeast Grace Avenue. The area is already mostly developed with lower-density housing.
A third rezone is located east of Northwest 20th Avenue, south of houses located on Northwest Fifth Street. That rezone includes a lesser density than most of the others, with a maximum of 16 homes per acre.
Currently the site is zoned for commercial use. Crummett said the site was “inundated with wetlands,” which made its current zoning infeasible. There was, however, the potential to build housing on the higher elevations to meet the city’s needs.
“Whether it’s commercial or residential, wetlands are always an encumbrance, but I think there’s more potential to, in terms of where the market is, to have a residential project in here,” Crummett said.
The last rezone to move forward focuses on properties north of Onsdorff Boulevard and west of state Route 503. The eastern half would go to the higher density proposed in most of the other changes while the western half would be rezoned at the 16 unit per acre maximum.
The properties are currently five-acre lots, though their owners have supported the change. Steve Morasch, an attorney who represents those property owners, said the location has access to schools, infrastructure and open space — three elements indicated in the city’s housing plan.
“So the site has access to all three things that the Housing Action Plan says it needs to be considered for one of these … rezones,” Morasch said.
The one rezoning measure that was rejected would have affected properties on the east side of Northeast Fairgrounds Avenue between East Main Street and Northeast Sixth Street. It, too, would have brought the density maximum to the 20 unit per acre level.
Crummett said the area is a good fit for the zoning change because of the mobile home park the area surrounds, which has the same zoning as what was proposed.
Councilor Shauna Walters noted the upcoming realignment of Grace Avenue, which would bring the street’s northeast and southeast sections to a single signalized intersection at Main Street.
“That’s exactly the route that people would need to take to get in and out of there,” Walters said. “Until we get that intersection fixed at Main and Grace, I just don’t see that that is a good idea to start packing a bunch of homes in there with a lot more traffic going in and out.”
The realignment project isn’t scheduled to break ground until late 2024, according to city staff.
Councilor Troy McCoy agreed with Walters’ reasoning to keep the Grace Avenue properties off of the rezoning slate.
“I’m just hesitant to add more volume to the Grace (Avenue) intersection,” McCoy said.
Crummett didn’t mention any specific projects that are planned for the areas that were included in the rezoning. He said the change in zoning wouldn’t necessarily specify what those projects would look like.
Councilor Shane Bowman said some of the areas would be easier to develop than others. Bowman noted a change in zoning doesn’t mean development will occur.
“Just because we rezone this doesn’t mean we’re going to have a flood of (high density) apartment complexes going up. It just changes the places that they can go up,” Bowman said.
