ORS Chapter 197a — Land Use Planning: Housing

ORS 197a.270. Determination of housing capacity and accommodation of needed housing by cities with population of 25,000 or greater. (1) This section applies only to local governments with jurisdiction over lands inside the urban growth boundary of: (a) Cities located outside Metro with a population of 25,000 or greater; and (b) Cities that meet factors established by Land Conservation and Development Commission in consideration of the citys size, rate of population growth or proximity to another city with a population of 25,000 or greater or to Metro. (2) A local government shall determine its needed housing under ORS 197A.018 and inventory its buildable lands and determine the lands housing capacity under this section: (a) At periodic review under ORS 197.628 to 197.651; (b) As scheduled by the commission at least once each eight years; or (c) At any other legislative review of the comprehensive plan that concerns the urban growth boundary and requires the application of a statewide planning goal related to buildable lands for residential use. (3) For the purpose of determining housing capacity and inventory of buildable lands under subsection (2) of this section: (a) Buildable lands includes: (A) Vacant lands planned or zoned for residential use; (B) Partially vacant lands planned or zoned for residential use; (C) Lands that may be used for a mix of residential and employment uses under the existing planning or zoning; and (D) Lands that may be used for residential infill or redevelopment. (b) The local government shall consider: (A) The extent that residential development is prohibited or restricted by local regulation and ordinance, state law and rule or federal statute and regulation; (B) A written long term contract or easement for radio, telecommunications or electrical facilities, if the written contract or easement is provided to the local government; and (C) The presence of a single family dwelling or other structure on a lot or parcel. (c) Except for land that may be used for residential infill or redevelopment, the local government shall create a map or document that may be used to verify and identify specific lots or parcels that have been determined to be buildable lands. (4)(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection, the determination of housing capacity must be based on data related to land within the urban growth boundary that has been collected since the last review under subsection (2)(b) of this section. The data must include: (A) The number, density and average mix of housing types of urban residential development that have actually been developed; (B) Trends in density and average mix of housing types of urban residential development; (C) Market factors that may substantially impact future urban residential development; (D) The number, density and average mix of housing types that have been developed on buildable lands; (E) Consideration of the effects of the adopted housing production strategy and measures taken and reasonably anticipated to be taken to implement the strategy; and (F) Consideration of factors that influence available housing supply, including short-term rentals, second homes and vacation homes. (b) A local government shall make the determination described in paragraph (a) of this subsection using data from a shorter time period than the time period described in paragraph (a) of this subsection if the local government finds that the shorter time period will provide more accurate and reliable data related to housing capacity. The shorter time period may not be less than three years. (c) A local government shall use data from a wider geographic area or use a time period longer than the time period described in paragraph (a) of this subsection if the analysis of a wider geographic area or the use of data from a longer time period will provide more accurate, complete and reliable data related to trends affecting housing need than an analysis performed pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection. The local government must clearly describe the geographic area, time frame and source of data used in a determination performed under this paragraph. (5) If the needed housing is greater than the housing capacity, the local government shall take one or both of the following actions to accommodate allocated housing need for which there is insufficient housing capacity to accommodate over the next 20 years: (a) Amend its urban growth boundary to include sufficient buildable lands to accommodate allocated housing need for the next 20 years consistent with the requirements of ORS 197A.285 and statewide planning goals. As part of this process, the local government shall consider the effects of actions taken pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection. The amendment must include sufficient land reasonably necessary to accommodate the siting of new public school facilities. The need and inclusion of lands for new public school facilities must be a coordinated process between the affected public school districts and the local government that has the authority to approve the urban growth boundary. (b) Take any action under ORS 197A.100 (3), whether or not the action was described in an approved housing production strategy, that demonstrably increases housing capacity or produces additional needed housing. Actions under this paragraph may include amending a comprehensive plan or land use regulations to include new measures that demonstrably increase the likelihood that residential development will occur at densities sufficient to accommodate needed housing for the next 20 years without expansion of the urban growth boundary. (6) A local government that takes any actions under subsection (5) of this section shall: (a) Demonstrate that the comprehensive plan and land use regulations comply with goals and rules adopted by the commission. (b) Adopt findings regarding the changes in housing capacity assumed to result from actions adopted based on data collected under subsection (4)(a) of this section. The density expectations may not project an increase in residential capacity above achieved density by more than three percent without quantifiable validation of such departures. A quantifiable validation must demonstrate that the assumed housing capacity has been achieved in areas that are zoned to allow no greater than the same authorized density level, as defined in ORS 227.175, within the local governments jurisdiction or a jurisdiction in the same region. (c) In establishing that actions adopted under subsection (5) of this section demonstrably increase housing capacity, ensure that buildable lands are in locations appropriate for needed housing, are zoned at density ranges that are likely to be achieved by the housing market and are in areas where sufficient urban services are planned to enable the higher density development to occur over the 20-year period.