LOC News
Cities – Just Say NO to SB 49-1
Next Wednesday, March 5, the Senate Committee on Housing and Development will host a public hearing on SB 49-1. This legislation is being pitched as accelerating infill and expanding local control. In reality, it seeks to remove local control and does nothing to address the key factors in housing under production.
Cities - SB 49-1 is not ready for prime time. Please contact your state Senators to tell them to oppose SB 49-1 and submit testimony by Friday, March 7 at 1 p.m.
SB 49-1 will do the following:
- Require adoption of previously optional model codes from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), removing local control and flexibility. Cities will no longer be able to tailor their zoning to their local needs and implement creative solutions to build housing in their communities, instead having to adopt at least one DLCD model code.
- Remove land use goal planning when creating more density/upzoning land. Cities will no longer be required to plan for Goal 10 (Housing), Goal 11 (Infrastructure), and Goal 12 (Transportation) when increasing the density requirements of a parcel of land, the exact things that cities need to plan for when requiring increased density!
- Change the fundamental makeup of the state’s Building Code Structures Board, the body that decides our statewide building codes. Adding potentially multiple multi-family developers, while removing key experts in contracting, building management, and heavy industry construction.
- Prohibit minimum density requirements. Minimum density requirements are not universally liked, but for many cities they are a key tool to promote desired types of needed housing, to prove that they are meeting Goal 14 (Urbanization), and to meet the requirements of the state-mandated Housing Production Strategies.
- Remove protections for historic districts branded as local control. Expressly prohibiting local historic districts from reducing the density allowed under the zone under any circumstances.
- Change Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) program statutes to require cities to subsidize developments if they want to create an IZ program. There are already a variety of barriers to cities establishing IZ programs, adding additional cost burden to cities is not the answer.
Contact: Alexandra Ring, Lobbyist – aring@orcities.org
Last Updated 2/28/25