Title
Equitable Housing Project Update
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Provide feedback and guidance as needed.
BACKGROUND:
In an effort to promote more equitable housing options, the City Commission identified equitable housing as a City goal and priority to be addressed.
What is Equitable Housing?
Equitable Housing is housing that provides diverse, quality, physically accessible, affordable housing choices with access to opportunities, services and amenities.A broad definition includes choices for homes:
-To buy or rent
-Accessible to all ages, abilities and incomes
-Convenient to meet everyday needs, such as transit, schools, childcare, food and parks.
Why is Oregon City doing this?
Oregon City wishes to promote more equitable housing options, and, in January 2016, the City Commission identified equitable housing as a priority to be addressed. Since that time the City Commission and Planning Commission have met multiple times to discuss equitable housing, and have been working with Clackamas County to reach solutions. As the county seat of Clackamas County, many social services reside in Oregon City and it is critical that proper housing be provided for all our residents. A landslide caused the necessary evacuation of a significant number of apartment units in December 2015. Despite strong collaboration between FEMA, Clackamas County and Oregon City, the difficulty of re-locating families during this time highlighted the limited availability of equitable housing options.
The City of Oregon City applied for, and was awarded a grant by Metro to review barriers and incentives to facilitating diverse, physically accessible, affordable housing choices within the city with access to opportunities, services and amenities. The grant supports this review of housing related development standards, policies, fees, and procedures. As a result equitable housing would be more accessible by providing greater flexibility in zoning and building policies, a series of maps and background information, and guidance to direct construction of housing units in the best locations throughout the city. Transparency of the review process will be provided with guides for development to remove the uncertainty about the review processes, and amendments to development standards and processes will result in clear paths toward additional housing units within Oregon City.
The project is guided by a broad representation of stakeholders which form the project advisory team. Particular emphasis will be placed on engaging communities of color and low-income populations and positively impacting housing choice and availability for those groups.
How will this project help?
The project will consist of a thorough review of housing related development standards, policies, fees, and procedures. As a result equitable housing would be more accessible by providing greater flexibility in zoning and building policies, a series of maps and background information, and guidance to direct construction of housing units in the best locations throughout the city. Transparency of the review process will be provided with guides for development to remove the uncertainty about the review processes, and amendments to development standards and processes will result in clear paths toward additional housing units within Oregon City.
With the assistance of the consulting firm 3J Consulting, and subconsultants Jet Planning, Orange Splot, ECONorthwest and Wallis Engineering, the project will be guided by a broad representation of stakeholders to form a Project Advisory Team (PAT). Particular emphasis will be placed on engaging communities of color and low-income populations and positively impacting housing choice and availability for those groups.
The community and technical advisory teams have each met on multiple occasions to review multiple strategies for increasing housing. As the advisory groups are through a majority of the project, the purpose of this work session is to provide a high-level update of the work completed thus far as well as a summary of the process moving forward.