NEWBERG, Ore. — The city of Newberg is moving forward with a package of Development Code amendments that would reduce how many neighbors are notified about certain housing projects and limit who can appeal them, part of a broader set of changes to zoning, housing, and sign rules. A Planning Commission hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8, with City Council votes expected in November and December, according to a notice posted on the city’s website.
The proposal, filed by the city as Case No. DCA-26-0001, is the Community Development Department’s annual review of Newberg Municipal Code (NMC) Title 15, meant to keep the code aligned with state and federal law. Amendments follow a Type IV, or legislative, process under NMC 15.100.060: the Planning Commission will recommend action through a resolution, then the City Council will hold its own hearing and vote on whether to adopt the changes as an ordinance.
Community-supported journalism
This article was made possible by the generous support of Newsberg readers and advertisers. Independent local news takes real resources to produce. If Newsberg is valuable to you, please consider joining us — for as little as $1 a month, or with a one-time gift in any amount.
Fewer Appeals, Smaller Notice Areas
The most consequential changes are driven by state law taking effect July 1, 2026. Under the proposal, most housing developments of fewer than 20 units could be appealed only by the applicant, not by neighbors or other parties. The city, rather than the applicant, would also take over mailing appeal notices.
Notice requirements would shrink as well. For residential proposals of fewer than 20 units, and for applications to upzone existing residential land, the radius the city must notify by mail would drop from 500 feet to 100 feet.
New Housing Types Required by State Law
Separately, two state house bills passed in 2023 and 2025 require Newberg to allow single-room occupancy (SRO) housing — single-room, locked-door units with shared cooking facilities generally seen as an option for low-income housing — in residential zones by Jan. 1, 2027. The proposal adds SROs to the city’s use tables, definitions, lot-size standards, parking requirements, and design-review procedures.
A separate 2025 law bars cities from holding manufactured homes to stricter standards than site-built houses. The proposal removes “manufactured home on individual lot” as its own zoning category, treating manufactured homes as single-family dwellings wherever dwellings are otherwise allowed.
Other Changes in the Package
The package also includes smaller adjustments: correcting a 2025 oversight so most design reviews for single-family homes through quadplexes go straight to a building permit, with cottage clusters still requiring Type I review; loosening a rule that currently requires nonconforming signs to be brought into full compliance whenever their copy changes, so it would apply only when a sign’s height, dimensions, materials, or location change; letting all zoning districts have one major freestanding sign per property plus one for every 600 feet of street frontage; and giving property owners more flexibility to count driveway parking toward requirements when adding an accessory dwelling unit or remodeling.
It would also create a new adjustment process allowing landscaping buffers between a parking area and street to shrink to 10 feet if at least half a property’s frontage still meets full buffering standards, and would remove a rule requiring houses of worship in industrial zones to use removable seating — a requirement the city said could conflict with federal protections for religious institutions. Roughly a dozen additional technical corrections, covering topics from airport safety zones to water meter sharing, are detailed in the city’s full draft language.
What’s Next
Two Planning Commission work sessions on the proposal took place Aug. 13 and Sept. 10, and the city notified the state Department of Land Conservation and Development of the proposal Sept. 2, as required at least 35 days before the first hearing. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold its public hearing Oct. 8, followed by a City Council study session Nov. 2, a first public hearing and reading Nov. 16, and a second hearing and reading, if required, Dec. 7. The city said all dates are tentative.
The full draft code language is posted on the city’s website.
