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12/10/2019 Member News

HBA Weighs All Options in Response to Lake Oswego’s $15,000 Demolition Tax


Last week, the Lake Oswego City Council passed a new tax on demolitions by a 5-2 vote. In a recent Lake Oswego Review article, HBA explained its opposition to the $15,000 tax, which is intended to raise approximately $400,000 annually in parks maintenance revenue. Throughout months of advocacy (see our letters here and here), HBA reiterated to City Council and staff that the tax is glaringly anti-housing. House Speaker Tina Kotek shares our concerns and voiced her opposition to the tax in a recent Wall Street Journal article. Not only does the tax raise a significant barrier against the implementation of House Bill 2001 - which encourages duplexes, triplexes and quads - it lowers existing property values and raises new home prices. In passing the tax, Lake Oswego is discriminating against discrete groups of residents to pay for a city-wide public service. HBA strongly encouraged the city to consider a parks maintenance utility fee or option levy that would distribute the costs of parks upkeep across all city residents, as Corvallis, Hillsboro, Tigard, and West Linn have done. HBA continues to oppose the demolition tax and is currently exploring all options. To learn more about our work in Lake Oswego, contact Roseann Johnson at roseannj@hbapdx.org.

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