Sen. Anderson: Land-use, housing, solutions

By Oregon Senator Dick State Anderson,

As Vice-Chair for the Senate Housing Committee, some of my main responsibilities this session include collaborating with other members to draft legislation, advocating for constituents, working alongside state agencies, local governments and others on housing initiatives and monitoring the progress of housing-related bills ensuring they align with the needs of the state’s residents.

Oregon’s population continues to grow, and we find ourselves grappling with a pressing issue: housing. All types of housing at every income level. From rising costs to a lack of available properties, timelines on building permits, the challenges are only deepened with the complex web of land-use regulations and the growing demand for more housing.

It is clear the current approach to housing in Oregon is not working and has not met the needs of our communities. We have a deficit of 100,000 homes of what currently is needed in the state. Each month we get further and further from meeting the yearly goal of 36,000 units being built.

The solutions fall under three things: Land, Regulations, and Infrastructure.

LAND: The availability of land at an affordable price is the main driver of the cost of a home. Costs of buildable land in Urban Growth Boundaries (UGBs) is at an all-time high.  However, there are groups in Salem focused on not allowing for more land to build. It is stifling.

REGULATIONS: We are working in this area a lot with cities and counties. Some of the areas we are focusing on are timelines on building permits, land use decisions, more inspectors, infill accelerators, and land splitting. We have some good bills moving forward, but regulations are only a minor dollar driver in the cost of a home. However, time is money and the cost of waiting around to be able to build is costing us more in the long run.

INFRASTRUCTURE: In 2024 the state was able to get 100 million dollars to cities for their housing projects. This is unsustainable in Oregon; we do not have millions laying around for these costly projects. Water, sewer and roads cost a lot of money—this is a huge driver to the cost of homes. I do not see a path in which the state is going to be able to fund the needed projects across Oregon.

I am committed to exploring common-sense policies that can improve land access, streamline regulations and modernize our infrastructures to ensure every Oregonian has a place to call home. I am welcome to hearing your ideas if you have any!

In this newsletter and future issues, I will dive into key factors of our housing crisis, outline potential policy solutions and highlight the steps we are currently taking to address this issue and many others in Salem head-on.