The Hermiston City Council will hold a 90-minute work session about zoning rules for duplexes on Monday, March 22, before its regular meeting.

A law passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2019 requires all cities with a population of between 10,000 and 25,000 to allow duplexes in all zones that also allow single-family homes. Hermiston’s R-1 zone does not currently allow duplexes.

According to a memo from City Planner Clint Spencer in the agenda packet, the state is also requiring that cities not impose additional restrictions on duplexes beyond what is required for single-family homes. That means the city will need to make decisions on standards, such as lot sizes, about whether to hold single-family homes to the current duplex standard, hold duplexes to the current single-family home standard, or create a new standard somewhere in the middle.

The work session on zoning will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Hermiston Community Center, 415 S. Highway 395. The regular city council meeting will take place afterward, starting at 7 p.m. Both meetings will also be livestreamed on the city of Hermiston YouTube page.

During the regular council meeting, councilors will discuss acceptance of a Federal Aviation Administration grant of up to $2.5 million for reconstruction of the Hermiston Municipal Airport’s apron for aircraft parking. The city has access to a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation to cover most of the 10% local match, according to the agenda packet.

The council will also review and adopt the report of the council’s 2021 goal-setting session.