Oregon is the fifth least affordable state for housing due to a combination of high home prices and rising interest rates, which have made homeownership increasingly difficult for residents. According to the National Association of Realtors, Oregon’s housing affordability score indicates homes on the market are largely unaffordable to local buyers.

Governor Tina Kotek has thrown her support behind HB 2258 Amendment. The legislation aligns with the Governor’s efforts to cut the bureaucratic red tape by removing local control and the public process for land use. She claims you stand in the way of an affordable home for every Oregonian.

House Bill 2258 would create land use and design standards for the plans, providing predictability for developers, cities, and counties. The bill would also provide a series of pre-approved building plans, streamlining approval processes and eliminating barriers to building small apartments, single-unit dwellings, duplexes, townhomes, and other middle housing options.

What once was feared, that Oregon’s farmland and open spaces would be overrun with urban sprawl, has now become the squeeze that is exploding housing prices. Added to the dilemma is that wages can’t keep up, nor should they. Oregon’s unemployment rate has increased 0.3 percent to 4.4% from 3.6% in November and 3.4% last July. This steady increase seems to indicate a systemic problem with policies in which 80% of businesses are considering leaving the state? Now SB 712 would increase property values by 3% each year for tax purposes.

Governor Kotek reasons, “Families struggling with the high cost of housing are forced to make impossible choices – between staying in the communities they love and finding a place they can afford. This affordability crisis deepens our homelessness crisis. It demands creative, practical solutions to increase the supply of homes quickly. We have to cut red tape and get out of our own way. Pre-approved building plans just makes sense.”

“Solving the housing crisis requires us to be creative, innovative and focused on the end goal — more homes on the ground,” Representative Pam Marsh (D-Ashland), Chair of House Housing and Homelessness Committee, said. “I’m grateful to the Governor and her team for their leadership in cutting through the bureaucracy that imposes years of delay on housing projects. We just can’t keep waiting.”

Currently, housing providers face long, unpredictable permitting processes across different cities and counties. The same building plan is often subjected to local review every time it is submitted, even if it had previously received a permit. This red tape blocks or stalls projects, making them more costly. Under Section 5, DCBS may designation prototype plans for expedited approval. Kotek sees this as increasing the supply of homes quickly, and lowering costs over time.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Land Use Commission may specify approved residential development types allowed, which will restrict local control, nor will local governments need to request an exception under land use laws. The building and land use plans would be applicable to specific sites that are especially suitable for development, such as vacant and relatively flat lots not within environmentally sensitive areas.

One city manager testified in opposition of HB 2258 amendment's elimination of the public’s ability to engage in the process: “Circumventing local regulations that the public has created and supported erodes trust between the city/state and the community we serve. Oregon is a vast and diverse state. Local governments tailor their local codes and zoning to their communities’ needs and concerns; some communities need to address wind and flooding in their building codes while others may need to think more about wildfire. Some have an aging population and may need to think about aging in place, while others may need more homes for growing families or young professionals. A home that may work well for one region may be unsafe or not fit for the community needs in another. This bill creates a one-size fits all model for housing, which does not work for our communities.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-04-02 14:33:58

Last Update: 2025-04-02 18:28:52