OHBA collaborating on pro-housing House Bill 2007
Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland·Thursday, April 20, 2017
Our state association, OHBA, is working with Speaker Kotek and 1000 Friends of Oregon on HB 2007, a bill that will help increase the supply of affordable and market rate housing, as well as limit permit delays.
Our state association, OHBA, is working closely with Speaker Kotek’s office and 1000 Friends of Oregon on a bill that would alleviate many of the barriers to development in order to increase the supply of housing, both affordable and market rate. According to OHBA CEO Jon Chandler, these are the key components of HB 2007:
  • Requiring cities and counties to process affordable housing (defined in the bill) permits in 100 days, without slowing down other permit processing.
  • Directing (and funding) the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) to analyze what the average development timeline is and to develop ways to reduce barriers and to speed up the approval process for consideration by the 2019 legislature.
  • Dramatically tightening up the existing Clear & Objective standard requirement by saying that cities and counties cannot deny an application if it complies with the C&O standards OR if the application would have been approved but for design review problems.
  • Closes the “surplus housing” loophole that Corvallis and other cities have been using by making it clear that clear and objective standards applies to all housing, including mixed use, not just “needed” housing or housing on the jurisdiction’s buildable lands inventory.
  • Limiting the ability of cities and counties to reduce density below the zoned density, unless necessary for health and safety reasons.
  • Prohibiting the use of historic district designations from being used to reduce density or prevent infill and redevelopment.
  • Require cities and counties to allow Accessory Dwelling Units and duplexes as outright uses in every single-family zone.
  • Allowing religious organizations to build affordable housing on their land.
HBA is optimistic about this bill and will continue to follow it and update members as it moves throughout the process. For more information about the other bills OHBA is working on, contact James Adkins at JamesA@hbapdx.org for a more detailed report.