Middle Housing in Milwaukie

NEW! Middle Housing Discussion at City Council: At the October 20th City Council Work Session, Council will discuss city code and state law regarding middle housing. The staff report for this work session will be posted by Friday, October 16th.

NEW! Is there construction happening near you? Do you have questions about it? We have posted a document under Community Questions (right hand side) to help residents and neighbors understand the regulations and requirements that apply to residential construction projects. Check it out!

At the City Council meeting on September 15, 2026, the City Manager provided a response to public comments submitted to City Council regarding middle housing. The full text of the response is available under Community Questions and Staff Responses.

Proposed Amendments to the City Code (September 2026 Update)

The City is proposing a limited set of amendments to several sections of the City Code this fall. The proposed amendments are primarily housekeeping, clarification, and other light policy changes intended to improve the clarity, consistency, and administration of existing code provisions.

Some of the proposed amendments relate to middle housing. While these amendments may be of particular interest to community members who are following middle housing issues, they do not represent a substantive change to the City's middle housing policies or development standards.

The City is sharing information about these proposed amendments as part of its commitment to transparency and to ensure that community members have an opportunity to review changes that may be of interest to them.

STAFF UPDATE: Per City Council direction, most of the middle housing-related amendments are being removed from the Policy Lite package so that the city can have a broader middle housing discussion in October (see above).

What is being proposed?
The amendments address a number of City Code sections and topics. The amendments related to middle housing and housing in general are summarized here:

Housekeeping housing-related code amendments

• Reorder previously grouped definitions (including various housing types) to enable easier locating for users.
• Clarify the exception to lot size requirements for single dwelling and middle housing development after June 3, 2022.
• Correct the number of units considered for multi-unit development and the minimum number of cottage cluster units to match state law.
• Remove the minimum slope requirement for accessory dwelling units.

Policy-Lite housing-related code amendments

• Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
  • Simplify attached ADU design standards and provide greater design flexibility.
  • Clarify how attached ADU additions relate to existing dwelling design standards and nonconformities.
• Plex Housing
  • Expand flexibility for converting existing accessory structures into detached plex units.
  • Clarify design standard applicability for conversions, additions, garages, and carports associated with plex development.
• Cottage Cluster Housing
  • Streamline and clarify cottage cluster parking, site layout, and orientation standards without changing core requirements.
  • Remove outdated parking provisions and align standards with the number of spaces provided.
  • Reduce bicycle parking requirements and eliminate long-term bicycle parking requirements for cottages.
• Density Standards in the R-MD zone
  • Simplify density standards by establishing a consistent minimum density and removing maximum density limits for state-exempt middle housing.
• Residential Accessory Structures
  • Clarify fence standards for back lots and downtown commercial fencing to improve consistency.

• Downtown Design Standard Applicability

• Clarify that downtown design standards apply to building facade changes, including buildings with residential uses.
  

• Density Standards (R-MD)

• Simplify R-MD density standards by establishing a consistent minimum density and removing maximum density limits for state-exempt middle housing.
  

• Land Division Procedures

• Provide greater flexibility for minor changes between preliminary and final plats without requiring additional preliminary review, while maintaining code compliance.
  
  

The proposed changes are primarily intended to clarify existing provisions, correct or reconcile code language, improve consistency, and address administrative or implementation issues.

Public review and participation
Community members are encouraged to review the proposed amendments and provide comments through the City's public process.

To view the full text of the proposed amendments and public hearing and meeting information, please visit the application webpages:

• Housekeeping Amendments (ZA-2026-004): https://www.milwaukieoregon.gov/staff_detail_T37_R300.php
• Policy-lite Amendments (ZA-2026-001): https://www.milwaukieoregon.gov/staff_detail_T37_R304.php

Middle Housing Discussion - 2025

On Monday, July 28, 2025 City Council and staff hosted an educational town hall at City Hall to share information about how we got to the middle housing policies of today and what the development process for middle housing looks like.

You can watch the town hall here and view the questions people asked at the event along with responses from staff here.

Questions were also submitted on Engage Milwaukie prior to the town hall. Those questions and staff responses can be viewed here.

You can also learn more by reading through the Middle Housing FAQs posted in the column to the right or by visiting the Middle Housing page on the city website.

Thanks so much to all of you who engaged in this important conversation!