Portland poised to create new sustainability commission

If the approval of the Portland City Council is secured next month, Portland will have a new 11-member Planning and Sustainable Development Commission sworn in by September.

The new commission will result from the merger of the Portland Planning Commission and the joint City/Multnomah County Sustainable Development Commission.

The move in intended to "explicitly integrate concepts of sustainability into land use planning and development, as well as in program and policy implementation," according to the city's website.

"Mainly the new commission will be working on implementing the Portland Plan and the Climate Action Plan," said Sandra Wood, project manager for the city. "Its main charge will be development and maintenance of the zoning code, ensuring effective public involvement and looking at land-use issues."

The Portland Daily Journal of Commerce reports the merger will save the city between $10,000 and $15,000 per year.

Nine members of the new commission have already been named — the eight members currently sitting on the Portland Planning Commission and one person from the Sustainable Development Commission. There will be two vacancies on the new board. The city was accepting applications for those slots, but the application window closed on July 16.