Oregon Legislature Adopts SB1537 to Accelerate Housing Production

The short 2024 Legislative Session included the adoption of SB1537 (policy) and SB1530 (funding), Governor Kotek’s bills for increasing the development of housing in Oregon. There are several aspects to SB1537:

• It establishes the Housing Accountability and Production Office to provide technical assistance and grants to local governments to help plan and develop needed infrastructure;
• Develop best practices for implementing housing laws;
• Investigate violations of the laws;
• Provide reports to the legislature on improvements to the local processing of housing production.
• It creates a Housing Project Revolving Loan fund for local governments to award grants to developers for affordable housing.
• It allows land use applicants to request local jurisdictions use pending rules and regulations to evaluate their applications;
• To obtain up to 10 deviations to certain land use requirements for developments with affordability covenants in order to reduce cost, increase accessibility and create more housin
• The Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) shall award attorney fees for ANY housing development approved by the local jurisdiction.
• It allows cities to make a one-time request to increase the urban growth boundary:
• The property must be adjacent to the existing boundary;
• It must meet land and affordability eligibility requirements;
• The request must not exceed 100 net residential acres, 30% devoted to affordable housing;
• The city may also request a land exchange for the UGB.

For more information

• SB1537: SB1537 2024 Regular Session – Oregon Legislative Information System
• SB1530: SB1530 2024 Regular Session – Oregon Legislative Information System
• OPB Summary: Lawmakers approve Gov. Tina Kotek’s top priority for the session; funding expected to ease Oregon housing crisis
• 1000 Friend of Oregon Analysis: 2024 legislative overview
• Michael Andersen, Director of Cities and Towns, Sightline Institute Article: The Missing Piece of Oregon’s Housing Package: Legalizing Apartments – Sightline Institute and interview on OPB Think Out Loud.