Restore Oregon’s Advocacy Works:
New Law Now Makes Creating Housing Easier Through Preservation and Reuse
Housing Bill Takes Effect January 1st - Supports Conversion of Commercial into Housing
Above: The old St. Francis Hotel in downtown Albany, Oregon is just one example of a commercial resource ripe for adaptive reuse as housing that may benefit from this new law. Photo Credit: Restore Oregon archives
Good news from the 2023 Oregon legislative session begins with a statewide policy change that took effect January 1st. This new law makes the process of converting commercial buildings into housing easier, thus positioning preservation and reuse as power tools in the push to create housing as quickly as possible.
As reported by the Oregonian:
“ZONING: House Bill 2984 requires cities and counties to allow developers to convert commercial buildings within their urban growth boundaries into residential housing without requiring zoning changes or conditional use permits.”
Restore Oregon strongly supported this bill and provided multiple letters of support through public testimony. We were also featured in a news story by Erika Bolstad at Stateline in April 2023, when the bill was under consideration, that provides more indepth context for these important streamlining changes for owners/developers of commercial properties in Oregon.
This policy change is a perfect example of successful advocacy where varied interests came together in support of a shared cause: the historic preservation voice of Restore Oregon was joined by housing advocates, environmental organizations, climate action groups and environmental justice advocates all seeing the value in repurposing existing buildings to efficiently create housing units through reuse!
Restore Oregon thanks the elected leadership who made this happen, starting with the chief sponsor Representative Marsh and sponsors Reps. Andersen, Dexter, Fahey, Helm, McLain, Senators Anderson, Dembrow, Golden, Jama and Patterson! (Please thank them too!)
You can review the final enrolled bill that is now law:
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/HB2984