News

ARTICLE
Date ArticleType
6/2/2020 Member News

With HBA Support, Clackamas County Adopts Transportation SDCs and Postpones Other Development Fee Increases


Clackamas County adopted a resolution last month that will implement a new tiered residential Transportation System Development Charge (TSDC) fee schedule, effective July 1, 2020. The tiered schedule is a result of HBA and other stakeholder recommendations for single family residential homes and accessory dwelling units. In a letter of support, HBA underscored the proposal’s significance to housing affordability at a variety of income levels. Importantly, the changes do not affect homes between 1,700 and 2,999 square feet. Homes smaller than 1,700 square feet will receive a 12.5 percent rate decrease. Homes 3,000 square feet or larger will see a nominal 5 percent rate increase.

HBA thanks the board of commissioners for acknowledging the economic impact of current events and delaying the statutorily-allowed TSDC cost indexing at its policy session last month. Additionally, county commissioners postponed development fee increases for land use and engineering applications until at least January 2021. In response to general fund pressures, county transportation and development staff have proposed a variety of land use fee increases in order to enhance programmatic cost recovery within the county’s land use planning division, thereby decreasing reliance on the general fund.

As we learn the COVID-19 pandemic's medium and long-term econoimic impacts, access to housing at all income levels will be essential to stabilizing families within the region. HBA will continue to engage with transportation and development staff on the role of residential development fees in the county’s overall budget, including the long-term benefits that home ownership affords communities and households across the income spectrum. To learn more about HBA involvement in Clackamas County, contact Roseann Johnson, roseannj@hbapdx.org.