Public Works & Community Development Department

Building Codes Division

Building permits ensure that construction meets minimum building standards to ensure safe workmanship. You need a permit if you’re making structural, plumbing, mechanical, or electrical changes to an existing building or if you're building something new. Permits are also required for any work in the right of way (ROW), demolition, sewer connections and repairs, curb cuts, site development, and signs.

Additional information and applications.

All electrical and plumbing permits are processed and issued by the Oregon State Building Codes Division (BCD). The Coos County BCD office is located in Coos Bay City Hall, phone is 541-266-1098, fax is 541-266-1146.

Codes Enforcement Division

The Codes Enforcement Divsion is dedicated to working in cooperation with city officials, property owners and citizens to preserve the beauty and value of property and lands as well as promoting the safety, health and general well-being of all citizens and visitors to our city. Codes Enforcement provides information to the general public and to individuals affiliated with specific development projects. We investigate complaints and enforce compliance in the areas of nuisance standards, including:

• Accumulation of junk
• Animal permits
• Dismantled and junk vehicles
• Encroaching vegetation
• Personal storage on a public right-of-way
• Shrubbery and vision obstructions
• Signs
• Substandard dwellings
• Unauthorized dumping of garbage
• Zoning

We rely primarily on requirements from the City's Municipal Code, which is available online. Public health and safety are priorities as we work to gain compliance with existing code and administrative rules. We aim to provide exceptional customer service by emphasizing a cooperative, problem-solving approach with professionalism and respect.

Through education and enforcement, we work with community members to:

• Maintain and improve community livability
• Support healthy neighborhoods
• Enhance community beautification
• Protect natural resources
• Ensure compliance with state and local codes, policies and goals

To report a concern, please call the Codes Enforcement Officer at 541-269-1181 extension 2267.

Planning Division

The Planning Division provides a range of responsive services for the citizens of Coos Bay and the development community for matters pertaining to land development and community planning. We are the primary source for public information on development in the City. Although not all development activity necessarily requires direct involvement with the planning staff and support services, we can usually guide inquiries and questions to the right person or entity.

We implement the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Development Code. The Comprehensive Plan identifies the community's land use vision. The Development Code implements the community vision by identifying the regulatory side of land use and development activity. For example, we give information on where to build or add on to structures to ensure compliance with zoning, property setbacks, lot coverage, parking, and other regulations. This helps the City develop in a coordinated and organized manner that benefits not only individual property owners but adds to our community’s vitality. The Development Code is available online as Title 17 of the Coos Bay Municipal Code.

The Planning Division is responsible for project management on land use applications that propose new or modified development in the City. This includes conducting pre-application conferences, the in-take of proposed development applications, providing public notification and information on proposed development projects, reviewing projects for compliance with the adopted Development Code, making decisions or recommendations on those projects (depending on their level of review), and scheduling and conducting public hearings. Ultimately, our purpose is to guide each project through the approval process in a timely manner when all development requirements are satisfied.

The City of Coos Bay is also a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program since areas within the City have been subject to periodic flooding. We have adopted land use control measures to reduce flood hazards and assure that city residents will continue to benefit from the national program.

Collaboration with Federal and State agencies

As a local planning agency, the Planning Division can be a local resource for participation in Federal and State Planning efforts.  Currently the City is working with the State Office of Historic Preservation to share information about the Nomination Application to the National Register of Historic Places for a Traditional Cultural Property Historic District proposal by the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw, (CTCLUSI); also known as Q’alya ta Kukwis shichidii me (Jordan Cove and the Bay of the Coos People).  The CTCLUSI submitted the draft nomination to the State Historic Preservation Office on November 1, 2018 for consideration at the February 22, 2019 meeting of the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation.

The proposed Q’alya ta Kukwis shichdii me Traditional Cultural Property Historic District is a 20-square mile area that follows the general horseshoe shape of the Coos Bay Estuary. The proposed district includes portions of the cities of Coos Bay and North Bend and Coos County. It contains 158 historic "contributing" properties associated with the history, culture, and beliefs of the Coos people, including two buildings and 156 places, or "sites." Non-historic "non-contributing" properties include roads, the airport, bridges, commercial properties, residential buildings, outbuildings, yards, gardens, agricultural lands, and industrial operations, etc. are not specifically identified in the nomination document. These types of properties are not associated with the history, culture, and beliefs of the Coos people.

The proposed district is eligible for listing in the National Register for the resource’s association with the continued use of the estuary since time immemorial to present, as demonstrated by archaeological sites, named places in Hanis and Miluk dialects of the Coosan Language, and the presence of prehistoric and historic burials of peoples at former villages and subsistence sites of Native Americans.

Key dates in the nomination process include:

December 21, 2018 - Public comment period opened.

January 8, 2019 - Coos Bay Landmarks Commission reviewed the nomination document and developed an initial recommendation. 

January 17-18, 2019 - Oregon SHPO staff hosted informational meetings.

February 19, 2019 - the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians Tribal Council and the City Council held a joint meeting to discuss the nomination.

February 22, 2019 - State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) reviewed of the nomination document for the proposed Q’alya ta Kukwis shichdii me Traditional Cultural Property TCP Historic District. The SACHP recommended to forward the proposed nomination as is with no required revisions.

March 4, 2019 - Coos Bay Landmarks Commission revisited their initial recommendation and continued their meeting for additional review.

March 12, 2019 - the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians Tribal Council and the City Council will hold a second joint meeting.

March 15, 2019 - Coos Bay Landmarks Commission will review the nomination document and develop a final recommendation that will be relayed to the Oregon SHPO and the National Park Service.  

May 10, 2019 - Requested last day to submit notarized objections to the Oregon SHPO for the proposed historic district. Any notarized objection received after this date will be forwarded to the National Park Service before they make a final decision.

May 23, 2019 - Nomination for the proposed Q’alya ta Kukwis shichdii me TCP Historic District is forwarded by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to the National Park Service for a final decision. This date will change if the SACHP does not recommend that the district be listed in the National Register at its February 22nd meeting.

July 2019 - Expected date that the National Park Service will make a final decision regarding listing the proposed Q’alya ta Kukwis shichdii me TCP Historic District in the National Register. This date will change if the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) does not recommend that the district be listed in the National Register at its February 22nd meeting.

More information can be found at the State Office of Historic Preservation Web site at:

https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/NATREG/Pages/Jordan-Cove-TCP.aspx

Maps identifying City of Coos Bay locations that would be in proposed district include:

TCP Overall Map

Map 1,  Map 2,  Map 3,  Map 8,  Map 9,  Map 10,  Map 11,  Map 12,  Map13,  Map 14,  Map 15

notable projects

When the City receives large or unusual land development or land use law amendment applications, we strive to share this information with the public. Below is information on the following upcoming project applications:

Hollering Place – Proposed in the coming months is a multi-use land use development application for the Hollering Place property located along the waterfront in the Empire area. The project applicant will be the Confederated Tribes; they have developed information on the project at https://ctclusi.org/hollering-place. Stay tuned; when a complete application is submitted to the City, it will be posted here.

Jordan Cove Application - The Jordan Cove Energy Project L.P. has applied to the City for a  Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to the Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan to 1) change the designation of approximately 3.3 acres from 52-NA to DDNC-DA; 2) change text in the Comprehensive Plan to take a reasons exception to statewide planning goal 16 to authorize the proposed map amendment; 3) an Estuarine and Coastal Shoreline Uses and Activities Permit for “New and Maintenance Dredging” in the DDNC-DA Estuarine Zone; and 4) an Estuarine and Coastal Shoreline Uses and Activities Permit to allow an accessory temporary dredge transport pipeline in the 52-NA, 53-CA, 54-DA and 55-CA Estuarine Zones.

The Planning Commission will review the application on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 6 PM in the Coos Bay City Council chambers at 500 Central Avenue in Coos Bay. The following is a link to the application completeness letter and the staff report for the Planning Commission’s review. The Planning Commission’s review is for advisory purposes; their recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council. The City Council will review the application at a public hearing in the City Council chambers as previously noted on May 7, 2019 at 7 PM.  

Planners Henry Hearley and Jake Callister have prepared the staff report and are available to accept your written comments at hhearley@lcog.org or jcallister@lcog.org  or  by US mail at 859 Willamette St #500, Eugene, OR 97401. All written comments will be provided to the Planning Commission and the City Council. 

Henry and Jake work for the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG); the City has contracted with LCOG for planning permit processing services related to the project. They can also be reached by phone, Henry is at 541-682-3089 and Jake is at 541-682-4114. Carolyn Johnson, Community Development Administrator, can be reached at 541-269-1181 ex 2287 or cjohnson@coosbay.org. 

FREQUENT LAND USE INQUIRIES

Accessory Dwellings - The City provides standards and a process for securing authorization for an accessory dwelling unit. An accessory dwelling unit is an interior, attached or detached residential structure in a single-family residential neighborhood. An application for an accessory dwelling unit begins in the Planning Division, and a building permit is also necessary. This brochure provides additional information.   

Comprehensive Plan

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3 - Estuary Management Plan

Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan Map

Comprehensive Plan Map

Development Code

Development Code, Title 17 of the Coos Bay Municipal Code

Zoning Map

Applications

Land Use Development Review Pre-Application

Land Use Development Review Application

Design Standards

Empire Waterfront Settlement Design Standards

Economic Development

Economic Development promotes and revitalizes the Downtown and Empire Urban Renewal Districts by coordinating with the city’s economic development partners to attract, retain, and promote expansion of local business opportunities, managing the façade improvement grant program, and coordinating urban renewal projects.

The goal of economic development is to create a downtown that is a quality of life asset for the entire community, bringing unique spaces, recreation, excitement, history, social opportunities and cultural resources to all residents and visitors.

Economic Development includes programs for Urban Renewal, Façade Improvement, and specific development and re-development projects.