Work continues on duplex zoning

By Terry Murry on Wednesday, March 24th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

HERMISTON – The Hermiston City Council and the city’s planning commission continue to work on changing the R-1 residential zone to allow duplexes Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan says the main concern is the strain that could put on existing utilities and infrastructure.

“You theoretically could double the amount of utilization in some of those zones,” he said. “You may see twice as much toilet flushing and twice as many cars on the roads.”

The Oregon Legislature is requiring the changes be made by the end of June.

The council is also moving ahead with the reconstruction of the apron at the city airport. The Federal Aviation Administration had approved funding 90 percent of the cost but Morgan said talk is that an infusion in COVID-19 stimulus funds could mean the FAA will pay for the whole thing.

“We have the funds,” he said. “We’ve been planning for it and saving up to meet that local obligation. We’ll be ready to handle it, but it’s looking like we may be able to divert those funds somewhere else.”