Habitat Friendly Practices—
  City of Beaverton Program

Habitat Friendly Practices Home

City Program

Metro

Tualatin Basin Partners

Program Background

Program Elements

Public Involvement

Currently, City staff is drafting a guidance manual for city staff, property owners, developers and neighbors to use to learn about the overall program and how to implement it. The guidance manual is one component of the Basin program.

Removal of Barriers

City staff, as part of the TBSC, reviewed the Comprehensive Plan, the Development Code, the Engineering Design Manual and Standard Drawings, and the City Code to determine where barriers to use of the different HFDPs existed. The result is the City’s Gap Analysis (PDF). It is this Gap Analysis that helped staff start the process of modifying the documents in order to remove, where possible, existing barriers.

Encouragement

Finding ways to encourage use of HFDPs is also an important element of the program. Changes to the Comprehensive Plan include direction for implementation of HFDPs and educational opportunities, as well as adoption of the Comprehensive Plan Volume III Habitat Benefit Area Map. The Habitat Benefit Area Map depicts areas that were determined to have a habitat benefit through Metro’s inventory process. A proposed new section of the Development Code is specifically created to allow options that provide for flexibility in site design when proposed in conjunction with preservation of Habitat Benefit Areas (HBAs) and/or use of Best Management Practices (BMPs). The Engineering Design Manual and Standard Drawings may also receive a new section that is specific to BMP designs; yet, many options will continue to require separate approval of a modification by the City Engineer to vary from the standards. City Code changes generally provide clarification for use of BMPs; however, proposed reductions to SDC fees associated with reductions to Effective Impervious Area (EIA) are also proposed.

• View Adopted changes to the Comprehensive Plan (PDF)
• View the Comprehensive Plan Volume III Habitat Benefit Area Map (PDF)
• View Adopted changes to the Development Code (PDF)

Adoption of a guidance manual is proposed as part of the City’s program. The guidance manual will bring all elements of HFDPs and use of BMPs together in one document so that citizens, property owners, developers and industry professionals will have a better understanding of how separate practices work together. The proposed guidance manual may either be the product of the City, alone, or may be the product of the Tualatin Basin Partners for Natural Places as a base line for all jurisdictions in the Basin.

Education

The City will work to provide multiple educational opportunities to people who are interested in HFDPs and BMPs. Initially, staff throughout the City will receive informational packets and will participate in tours to locations in the metropolitan area that have BMP techniques implemented in the site design. Further outreach materials will need to be created and distributed to citizens, property owners, developers and industry professionals. The proposed guidance manual should be a good educational base.