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Last week, HBA members and staff met with senior City of Lake Oswego staff to advise against the City’s proposed $25,000 demolition tax. The subsequent staff report, prepared for the Council’s second study session on the topic, describes the tax’s potential negative consequences for housing affordability, equity and sustainability. Unfortunately, City Councilors have already expressed support for this steep housing penalty on demolition, and are currently debating how to spend the proposed revenue. Importantly, while the Council has discussed using the tax revenue for parks maintenance, it has not proposed any funding mechanisms that align with its policy objective to preserve existing housing stock. The Council has also previously considered a Construction Excise Tax, which would add thousands of dollars to the cost of new housing. HBA believes that the demolition penalty is an inappropriate way to raise revenue and will only lead to higher home prices and rental costs in Lake Oswego. As part of our advocacy against the proposed tax, HBA will offer public comment and discuss with City Council members pro-housing points to discourage this unsustainable tax. To learn more about our work in Lake Oswego and to join the conversation, please contact Roseann Johnson at roseannj@hbapdx.org. Next Article Previous Article