Why Is Rivergrove's City Council Taking Over Planning Powers From Its Own Citizens?

On July 13, 2026, the Rivergrove City Council voted 4–1 to direct staff to draft an ordinance shifting the Planning Commission's land-use duties to the City Council for about two years. Councilor Leah Silber cast the only "no" vote.

The Planning Commission is a five-member volunteer board that reviews building and development requests and lets neighbors weigh in before decisions are made. Under the proposal, that authority would shift to the elected officials voting on whether to make the change.

If adopted, the ordinance would:

• Move land-use decisions from the Planning Commission to the City Council

• Remove the current step where a Planning Commission decision can be appealed to the City Council, since the City Council would be making the decision directly

• Shift the code-rewrite process, normally done with Planning Commission and public input, to the city’s staff

Why is this happening?

City officials say the Planning Commission has been unable to hold meetings because it can't reach the three-member quorum required, and that state law sets deadlines for processing land-use applications that the city risks missing without a functioning Commission. Planning Commission Chair Alan Stonewall told the City Council that only the most recent meeting actually lacked quorum; the two meetings before that were canceled by the city’s staff rather than held to see if there were enough members.

Why weren't the vacant seats filled?

Two of the five Planning Commission seats have been vacant since two commissioners resigned in January 2026. Planning Commission Chair Alan Stonewall raised the vacancies at City Council meetings each month since, and told the City Council he knew of residents willing to serve who had not been contacted. Resident Joan Joyce said she had volunteered and did not receive a response. Silber's motion to appoint Joyce to a vacant seat did not receive a second and did not proceed.

Could the vacancies have been addressed without this change?

The city's code already allows the City Council to declare a seat vacant and appoint a replacement if a member misses three consecutive meetings, and to remove a member for not performing their duties after a hearing. Neither step was taken before the July 13 vote, raising the question of why the City Council moved to take over the Planning Commission's authority rather than use the tools it already had to keep the Commission running.

Has the ordinance been adopted?

The July 13 vote directed the city’s staff to draft the ordinance; it did not adopt it. More public hearings and notice to the residents are still required before it can take effect, giving residents additional opportunities to weigh in.

Will residents speak up, and will the city listen?

This proposal would change how Rivergrove has operated since it was founded, with no clear reason given for why now.