LOC News
Action Alert: Contact Your Legislator Today to Oppose HB 3414 Unless Amended
City voices are still needed to support the -5 amendment to HB 3414 and oppose the -6 amendment. Contact your legislators today and urge them to oppose the -6 and support the -5.
HB 3414 is the governor’s housing bill, which requires cities to approve variance requests for residential development standards and establishes a new state Housing Accountability and Production Office (HAPO) to provide technical assistance and support for local development and investigate local violations and enforcement of housing laws.
HB 3414: contradicts adopted state housing production priorities; removes important local tools to meet new state requirements; will increase litigation; and adds new layers of bureaucracy that will prevent already limited city resources and staff from focusing on encouraging and approving housing development applications and meeting state housing production goals.
The LOC has shared extensive feedback with Governor Kotek’s office, including specific suggestions on how to resolve local government concerns. The governor’s office has introduced a -6 amendment, which makes some improvements from previous versions of the bill, but does not resolve the LOC’s core concerns:
- The variance requirement in Section 2 conflicts with state-mandated development standards and increases red tape and administrative burden for approving housing development; and
- The new Housing Accountability and Production Office needs basic procedural sideboards to prevent increased litigation and delay for housing development projects.
Thanks to the leadership of Representative (and former mayor) Mark Gamba, the LOC has introduced a -5 amendment that meets the goals of HB 3414: to increase housing production, reduce development timelines, and improve affordability – while minimizing red tape and administrative burden on local government.
Specifically, the -5 amendment will:
- Restructure Section 2 of the bill to provide developers and cities a clear administrative path allowing flexibility from a wide range of development standards for middle housing and multifamily development; and
- Narrow the complaint and enforcement function of the HAPO to prevent increased litigation and uncertainty for housing development and reduce red tape and delay to allow local staff to focus on approving housing development applications.
Cities need a process that’s implementable, that protects state housing priorities, and that protects local government’s ability to respond to local housing needs while approving more housing, faster. The -5 amendment works, and the other proposed processes don’t work. The -6 will bury cities in paperwork, red tape, and costly litigation that will prevent cities from meeting state housing production goals.
Additional details to support your advocacy:
Contact: Ariel Nelson, Lobbyist – anelson@orcities.org
Last Updated 5/12/23