Citing an increase in vandalism within the city’s business districts, Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan and Mayor Ted Wheeler have teamed up on a rule that would clear the path for businesses in commercial areas to install security gates and extra lighting.
Currently, businesses in Design Overlay Zones — high-density areas that include many of the city’s commercial districts — that are looking to install these security measures need to go through a lengthy design review as part of the permitting process.
The new rule, which will go in front of the City Council Wednesday, would temporarily cut this red tape. It would waive the requirement for such changes to go through a design review in the overlay zones through the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency.
Portland’s design review process is intended to preserve the aesthetics of an area. According to the city’s website, the process ensures the “conservation, enhancement, and continued vitality” of the area.
But some officials feel the time-consuming process is now hurting more than it’s helping.
The mayor’s office said the rule was crafted in response to businesses that sought to amp up their security measures after increased vandalism but were facing long wait times. Ryan said he believed it would help businesses fully reopen after the pandemic had devastated their profits.
“We must make it easier and safer for businesses to stay open and be profitable,” Wheeler wrote in a joint statement with Ryan. “This ordinance removes barriers to improving building security. It’s a step in the right direction.”
Willamette Week reported earlier this month that the downtown shopping center Pioneer Place, which was looking to install security gates, was facing an approval process of up to 103 days. The downtown Apple store reopened this week surrounded by a tall fence, which some on social media were quick to compare to a military checkpoint. The Bureau of Development Services said it did not receive a permit for the fence. It’s not clear if one was required.
Ken Ray, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Development Services, said the point of the resolution is to temporarily speed up the permitting process, not to abolish it altogether. All businesses looking to the extra security measures will still need to go through the rest of the process.
“It’s not a free-for-all,” he said. “They still have to apply for a permit. They still have to show what it is they’re doing. We still have to inspect the work.”
The draft ordinance lays out a few rules governing what the security features can look like, including requirements that lighting has to be directed downward and gates need to be mostly transparent. The ordinance does not apply to historic landmarks.
The rule would take effect immediately if passed Wednesday by the City Council.