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Taylor Morrison recently broke ground on their Innovate at Eastridge project, a planned community envisioned by HB2001, a bill designed to promote the construction of middle housing. Two years ago, the Oregon legislature passed the bill, supported by HBA and OHBA, requiring cities of 10,000 or more residents to permit missing middle housing in virtually all residential areas. “Middle housing” is defined in the law as: duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, cottage clusters, and townhouses. Although the law requires cities to update their code to allow for “middle housing” by June 30, 2022, understanding the need for a diversity of housing to address affordability, Tigard began working to codify these changes before the act even passed. This first of its kind project is the culmination of those efforts. "Taylor Morrison has been a valued partner in developing the River Terrace area, and we applaud their efforts to expand housing opportunity. We are glad they have chosen Tigard as the place to build these new homes, and I believe their work is a validation of the housing reforms the City Council have enacted in previous years to expand housing supply and opportunity,” says Tigard Mayor Jason Snider. This project not only provides a clear picture of what is possible when private developers, a city, and the support of HBA and OHBA come together, it also provides a path forward to address concerns of residents reluctant to welcome “middle housing” into their neighborhoods. The new duplexes and triplexes will be designed to look like single-family homes to fit into this upmarket neighborhood, maintaining the look and feel desired by residents of the area. Creative ideas such as this will be instrumental in developing these housing types over the next decade. Read more about this project here and look for the feature article in the June issue of Home Building News. To learn more about HBA involvement in Tigard or middle housing, contact Ryan Makinster at ryanm@hbapdx.org.