SB 1537

Abstract

Digest: The Act establishes a housing office to support and enforce housing laws; lets home builders use updated local rules; awards lawyer fees for more housing appeals; assists with infrastructure for housing; creates a fund for grants to developers of affordable housing; makes cities approve changes to housing rules; makes cities expedite applications to build housing; lets cities change their growth boundaries; and gives money to DLCD, BO and OHCS for this Act. (Flesch Readability Score: 62.4). Requires the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the Department of Consumer and Business Services to jointly establish and administer the Housing Accountability and Production Office. Requires the office to assist local governments and housing developers with housing laws. Authorizes the office to take certain actions to enforce housing laws. Becomes operative on July 1, 2025. Allows a housing developer with a pending application to opt in to amended local land use regulations. Expands eligibility for attorney fees on appeal of the approval of a residential development proposal to include local governments and [all] affordable housing or housing within urban growth boundaries. Creates the Housing Infrastructure Support Fund to allow the Oregon Business Development Department to provide capacity and support to local governments in developing infrastructure to support residential development. Requires the Department of Land Conservation and Development to [biennially] report to the Legislative Assembly before 2025 on proposed infrastructure projects that may support residential development. Authorizes cities and counties to adopt a program for awarding grants to developers of affordable housing and moderate income housing projects to finance certain costs associated with such housing projects. Directs the Housing and Community Services Department to develop a revolving loan program to make interest-free loans to participating cities and counties to fund the grants. Imposes an annual fee on each grantee developer in repayment of the loans. Provides for the distribution of the fee moneys first to fire districts for ad valorem property taxes and then to the department in repayment of the loan that funded the grant awarded to the developer. Requires local governments to approve certain adjustments to land use regulations for housing development within an urban growth boundary as a limited land use decision. Establishes an exemption process. Requires reporting to the Department of Land Conservation and Development on the use of adjustments. Requires the department to report biennially to an interim committee of the Legislative Assembly. Sunsets on January 2, 2032. Requires local governments to process certain applications relating to housing development as limited land use decisions. Develops alternative processes to amend urban growth boundaries to include up to 100 net residential acres per city. Provides for limitations and review by counties, Metro and the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the courts. Sunsets on January 2, 2033. Appropriates moneys to the Oregon Business Development Department, Housing and Community Services Department and Department of Land Conservation and Development for purposes of the Act. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.