A large group of residents and community organization representatives told the Oregon City Planning Commission on Oct. 11 that small‑scale farming, urban market gardening and related activities should be allowed inside the city limits with clear, sensible rules and modest compliance costs.

Residents repeatedly urged the commission to reinstate the city's older farm‑use language. Planning staff recommended restoring the pre‑June 18 code as an interim measure while staff works with Public Works and state and county agencies to address stormwater and other technical concerns. Staff read the prior code aloud: "farms, commercial, or truck gardening, and horticultural nurseries on a on a lot not less than 20,000 square feet in area. Commercial buildings are not permitted." That language was included in the staff report the commission approved 5–0.

Speakers and themes: Dan Berg (20122 S. Molalla Ave.) opened the public comments raising partition and farm concerns. Jim Hansen (15688 S. Old Acres Lane) and other speakers asked the commission to allow small‑scale farming with mitigation options (odor, flies, view sheds) rather than an outright ban. Arielle Mars, representing the Kerus Community Planning Organization, urged language that distinguishes "small holders" or small organic operations from larger commercial farms and highlighted educational benefits for children. Several speakers — including Tams Seashultz and Jackie Hammond Williams — thanked the planning commission and staff for recent work session progress and expressed hope that farm uses would be reinstated.

Concerns raised included: how the 20,000‑square‑foot threshold was chosen; whether existing operations would be grandfathered; the cost and administrative burden of licensing for small farms; potential nuisance impacts (odor and flies); and how annexed urban growth boundary parcels will be treated when they come into the city. Staff responded that the 20,000‑square‑foot figure reflects the previous code and that existing, continuous uses would be treated as nonconforming but generally grandfathered unless discontinued for more than a year; staff said they will continue to work on more detailed, permanent code language.

What the commission decided: By adopting the staff report, the commission approved reinstating the prior interim farm language in the R‑10, R‑8 and R‑6 zones (20,000‑sq‑ft threshold) while directing staff to continue drafting refined standards addressing compatibility and stormwater/MPDS issues and to schedule further public and joint City Commission work sessions.

Provenance: farm‑use testimony and staff recommendation appear early in the hearing (first public comment on the issue at about 00:23) and continue through the staff presentation and deliberation; the staff reading of the prior language occurs about 10 minutes into the hearing and the motion that included that language passed during the roll call at 01:13:06.