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Last week, the Oregon City Planning Commission advanced a set of proposed annexation code amendments to the city commission. The amendments violate clear and objective standards for housing pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute 197.307(4). Importantly, this housing statute applies to all residential land inside an urban growth boundary and does not include an exception for residential land that is outside city limits. As such, an annexation of residential land is not beholden to subjective criteria. Unfortunately, the proposed annexation code amendments would allow the city unfettered control to deny annexations, which are critical to providing land to accommodate the city’s housing needs. The proposed amendments are a direct response to a recent Court of Appeals ruling, which upheld Senate Bill 1573, and requires cities to process certain qualifying annexation applications without a vote. Unfortunately, the city’s current annexation policy still requires voter-approved annexation notwithstanding SB1573, and continues to stymie housing production. No land has been annexed into the city since the commission implemented its restrictive process last year. As reported in a recent Portland Tribune article, HBA encouraged the city to remove its voter-approved annexation policy. To learn more about HBA’s involvement in Oregon City, contact Roseann Johnson at roseannj@hbapdx.org.