Two Chick-fil-A's, One Landslide Zone, and the City Code Fight Nobody Saw Coming

Two Chick-fil-A's, One Landslide Zone, and the City Code Fight Nobody Saw Coming

I watch a lot of local government meetings so you don't have to, and I have to be honest, most of them are pretty dry. But every once in a while, one throws me a curveball, and this week's Oregon City Planning Commission meeting did exactly that. Buried in a routine work plan discussion was a genuinely entertaining little story about landslide zones, split votes, and yes, Chick-fil-A. Let me walk you through it.

What is the "geohazard code," anyway?

Every city has rules about where and how you can build, and Oregon City is no different. One piece of their code is called the geohazard code. In plain English, it's the set of rules that governs what can and can't be built in areas that are prone to landslides. It sounds like a pretty niche, technical thing, and most of the time it probably is. But recently, it became the center of a real dispute.

The project that tested the rules

A land use decision came up that put this geohazard code to the test. Basically, someone wanted to build something, the project ran into questions about the code, and the case ended up getting appealed all the way to the City Commission. That's a big deal. Most projects don't make it that far. When something gets appealed to that level, it usually means there's real disagreement about how the rules should be applied.

Two boards, two different answers

Here's where it gets interesting. The Planning Commission looked at this project and had a very split vote among its members. In the end, they approved the application, but they did it by sticking to a strict, black and white reading of what the geohazard code actually said.

The City Commission, however, looked at that same code and came to a different conclusion. Their vote was 4 to 1 the other way. So you had two separate city bodies, looking at the exact same piece of code, landing in two very different places. That kind of disagreement matters, because it usually means the code itself needs to be clarified so this doesn't keep happening project after project.

Enter the Chick-fil-A joke that turned out to be kind of true

In the middle of this whole conversation about zoning interpretation and discretionary review processes, one of the commissioners just said it out loud. Something along the lines of, "they just wanted a Chick-fil-A." It got a laugh, but then staff followed up with a detail that made the room perk up even more: Oregon City is actually getting two Chick-fil-A locations.

I love this kind of moment because it's such a perfect reminder that behind every dry zoning conversation, there's usually something people actually care about. Nobody tunes into a planning meeting for the code language. They tune in because it eventually turns into the restaurant on the corner, the new development down the road, or the building you drive past every day.

So what happens next?

Because of this whole situation, the city isn't just letting it go as a one-time decision. They're actually working on new code language so future projects in these geohazard areas have a clearer, more consistent path forward. From what was discussed, the plan is to keep things simple for basic projects, but if a developer wants to pursue something in a more sensitive area, there will be a new discretionary review process available.

A draft of that new code language is already in the works, and a follow-up work session to review it is expected sometime in October or November. So this isn't the last we'll hear about it. I'll be keeping an eye on that timeline and will update you when there's more to share.

Why I think stories like this matter

I know zoning code and geohazard rules aren't exactly a thrilling topic on paper. But this is exactly the kind of thing that shapes what our communities actually look like over time. Where development is allowed, how disagreements between city boards get resolved, and how quickly the rules adjust when something unexpected comes up, all of that quietly determines what our neighborhoods and commercial corridors turn into over the next five or ten years.

Most people never watch these meetings. I get it, they're long, they're technical, and most of the agenda is genuinely not exciting. But every so often there's a moment like this one, where a small joke about chicken sandwiches ends up connected to a real conversation about how a city interprets its own rules. Those are the moments I love pulling out and sharing with you.

Jennifer Schurter serves buyers, sellers, and investors throughout South Clackamas County and the North Willamette Valley — including Canby, Oregon City, Wilsonville, Aurora, Hubbard, Molalla, Woodburn, Newberg, Sherwood, Tualatin, West Linn, Lake Oswego, and the greater Portland metro south. Her goal is simple: to be the most knowledgeable, most responsive, and most genuinely helpful real estate agent in the area — every single time. Jennifer is a licensed Oregon real estate broker with Real Broker LLC.

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