A sweeping new housing bill is prancing its way through the Oregon legislature in the name of affordable housing. The bill would greatly reduce the rights of Oregon residents to have a say in the future of their neighborhoods. Instead, it would direct the state’s Office of Economic Analysis to set housing targets for all cities in the state with more than 10,000 residents, and those cities would have six to eight years to meet those targets no matter what the cost.
If House Bill 2889 passes, there may a place for you to live in Oregon as long as you don’t mind living in a tiny apartment in a place like this. Despite promises of affordability, it won’t be cheap unless it is subsidized: 537-square-foot apartments in this building rent for $1,425 a month. Photo from GBD.
When Oregon first passed its land-use regulations back in the 1970s, citizen involvement was the number one goal. Now, anyone who doesn’t think a giant apartment building should be built next their house is a NIMBY and probably a racist and should be ignored. Continue reading
