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HBA has released its 2023 Local Policy Priorities (see below). With the vision of improving both immediate, short and long-term building conditions locally, these public policy recommendations were developed directly from member engagement and feedback. Having been voted and approved by HBA’s Government Affairs Committee, these goals will serve as our industry’s official political and policy framework for 2023 in the greater Portland region. HBA’s Government Affairs staff will tailor lobbying efforts and messaging around these goals in order to achieve the industry’s overarching vision – to significantly increase housing supply production and affordability across the region. If you would like to learn how to support our advocacy efforts, please reach out to HBA’s Government Affairs Director, Preston Korst at prestonk@hbapdx.org. Full Housing Production Priority details here: In 2023, HBA will work to bring together builders, elected officials, government staff, and local non-profits to deliver localized solutions that will bring our housing stock into the 21st century. The proposals below reflect our industry’s top housing priorities for 2023. HBA’s 2023 Local Policy Recommendations: #1: Get Housing Built Now. Eliminate land use and building permitting delays to move planned housing from concept to constructed. From submission to approval, no residential housing permit should take longer than 40 days to complete. We encourage every single permitting entity (cities and counties) to assess their permitting process in 2023 and remove unnecessary touchpoints in the approval process to meet this practical target. Tools that reduce construction timeframes, like concurrent reviews and early addressing, should be prioritized. Additionally, we support a Metro-led effort to conduct regional analysis of permitting timeframes and efficiencies across every jurisdiction. #2: Expand Affordability. - SDC Reform. We recommend that every jurisdiction collect payments for System Development Charges at the point of impact (rather than at the beginning of construction). Doing so will allow builders of all sizes to save on carrying interest costs on financing of such expenses. Over time this small change would have a big impact on affordability and supply. - Affordability Waivers. Adopt or expand local affordability waiver programs to support housing construction for purchase at or below 120% AMI. We support cities’ discretionary choice to waive building-related fees for projects incorporating affordability requirements. - Tax Exemptions. Remove arbitrary unit caps and expand the success of Portland’s Home Ownership Limited Tax Exemption (HOLTE) program to encourage the construction and accessibility of new middle housing types. We implore every county in our region to lead the way in working with cities to establish or improve property tax exemption programs. #3: Plan for the Future. We support Metro’s proposed designation exchange for River Terrace 2.0 in Tigard and we applaud Sherwood’s well-planned expansion for Sherwood-West, both of which would develop new lands for housing and employment in the coming years. The next, most rational lands for close-in expansion is in and around the Stafford area. We urge involved parties to begin planning to bring this valuable and logical swath of buildable land into the UGB to ease the region’s housing shortage. To advance these goals, cities should explore innovative funding strategies to install infrastructure in newly expanded areas. HBA also recognizes the need for state-driven reforms to local Housing Needs Analysis and Buildable Lands Inventory methodologies—cities should all play by the same rules to get new housing built statewide. Combined, these policy proposals will result in more housing starts in the greater Portland area in the coming years, increasing affordability and access to homeownership. The shared effects will help begin to close the troubling racial homeownership gaps that have persisted for far too long. Our association strongly believes that 2023 will be a defining year for housing and a significant turning point for our industry’s collective efforts to deliver housing affordability to the region.
HBA has released its 2023 Local Policy Priorities (see below). With the vision of improving both immediate, short and long-term building conditions locally, these public policy recommendations were developed directly from member engagement and feedback. Having been voted and approved by HBA’s Government Affairs Committee, these goals will serve as our industry’s official political and policy framework for 2023 in the greater Portland region. HBA’s Government Affairs staff will tailor lobbying efforts and messaging around these goals in order to achieve the industry’s overarching vision – to significantly increase housing supply production and affordability across the region. If you would like to learn how to support our advocacy efforts, please reach out to HBA’s Government Affairs Director, Preston Korst at prestonk@hbapdx.org. Full Housing Production Priority details here: In 2023, HBA will work to bring together builders, elected officials, government staff, and local non-profits to deliver localized solutions that will bring our housing stock into the 21st century. The proposals below reflect our industry’s top housing priorities for 2023. HBA’s 2023 Local Policy Recommendations: #1: Get Housing Built Now. Eliminate land use and building permitting delays to move planned housing from concept to constructed. From submission to approval, no residential housing permit should take longer than 40 days to complete. We encourage every single permitting entity (cities and counties) to assess their permitting process in 2023 and remove unnecessary touchpoints in the approval process to meet this practical target. Tools that reduce construction timeframes, like concurrent reviews and early addressing, should be prioritized. Additionally, we support a Metro-led effort to conduct regional analysis of permitting timeframes and efficiencies across every jurisdiction. #2: Expand Affordability. - SDC Reform. We recommend that every jurisdiction collect payments for System Development Charges at the point of impact (rather than at the beginning of construction). Doing so will allow builders of all sizes to save on carrying interest costs on financing of such expenses. Over time this small change would have a big impact on affordability and supply.
- Affordability Waivers. Adopt or expand local affordability waiver programs to support housing construction for purchase at or below 120% AMI. We support cities’ discretionary choice to waive building-related fees for projects incorporating affordability requirements.
- Tax Exemptions. Remove arbitrary unit caps and expand the success of Portland’s Home Ownership Limited Tax Exemption (HOLTE) program to encourage the construction and accessibility of new middle housing types. We implore every county in our region to lead the way in working with cities to establish or improve property tax exemption programs.
#3: Plan for the Future. We support Metro’s proposed designation exchange for River Terrace 2.0 in Tigard and we applaud Sherwood’s well-planned expansion for Sherwood-West, both of which would develop new lands for housing and employment in the coming years. The next, most rational lands for close-in expansion is in and around the Stafford area. We urge involved parties to begin planning to bring this valuable and logical swath of buildable land into the UGB to ease the region’s housing shortage. To advance these goals, cities should explore innovative funding strategies to install infrastructure in newly expanded areas. HBA also recognizes the need for state-driven reforms to local Housing Needs Analysis and Buildable Lands Inventory methodologies—cities should all play by the same rules to get new housing built statewide. Combined, these policy proposals will result in more housing starts in the greater Portland area in the coming years, increasing affordability and access to homeownership. The shared effects will help begin to close the troubling racial homeownership gaps that have persisted for far too long. Our association strongly believes that 2023 will be a defining year for housing and a significant turning point for our industry’s collective efforts to deliver housing affordability to the region.