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THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2022
Hopefuls for governor outline approaches to housing
State could be short 111,000 units
By LAUREN DAKE
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of
Oregon’s land use system.
The idea behind the rules for where growth can happen
was straightforward: preserve rural lands for rivers, farms
and forests and save the development for urban areas within
what are now called urban growth boundaries.
Signs of the system’s success span the state: farmland in
Madras that stretches to the horizon, massive Douglas fi rs
that dominate the Willamette National Forest and an urban
core in Portland that is dense enough to allow commuters to
bike or ride mass transit to work.
But Oregon’s unique approach to growth also created
unintended consequences: it’s been overly burdensome and
bureaucratic, discriminatory or simply failed to deliver.
One of its stated goals, for example, is to have enough
homes at a range of prices and rent levels that meet the fi nan-
cial capabilities of Oregonians.
Today, the housing shortage is evident in every corner of
the state: skyrocketing single-family prices homes in Bend
and Hood River, a dwindling middle class and thousands of
people who are without a home.
Josh Lehner, a state economist, said some estimates show
the state is short 111,000 housing units, primarily those that
would help lower-income families.
Pro-development groups point to the housing crisis as
proof it’s time to overhaul Oregon’s land use system. Allow-
ing more land to be developed — putting more land inside
the urban growth boundaries — would, the argument goes,
decrease the cost of single-family homes by increasing the
amount available. Conservation groups argue, however, that
plenty of land exists inside the urban growth boundary that
could be developed. The answer is more density, they say,
not less.
In the next 50 years, as the population of the state contin-
ues to surge, Oregon will inevitably start to look very diff er-
ent. The next governor will be instrumental in determining
how much money is spent on housing. S he will appoint the
agency heads and key commissioners charged with imple-
menting housing policies, and she will have the power to
convene those who determine what land is developed and
where.
“The housing policy in this state is really the prime
responsibility of the governor,” said Dave Hunnicutt, pres-
ident of the Oregon Property Owners Association. “We are
not a state that tolerates local control over housing decisions
and delegates that to the cities and counties; the state has
assumed that role and the governor as the chief executive
offi cer of the state sets that policy.”
When it comes to how we manage our land in Oregon,
the three leading candidates for governor have very diff er-
ent perspectives and, depending on who is elected, the state’s
landscape could look very diff erent in the next half-century.
Kotek promises more aggressive state action
No lawmaker in recent history has been more infl uen-
tial when it comes to statewide housing policies than Tina
Kotek.
While serving as speaker of the Oregon House, Kotek
Tina Kotek, a Democrat; Betsy Johnson, an independent; and Christine
Drazan, a Republican; are the leading candidates for governor.
ushered through legislation to pass the nation’s fi rst state-
wide rent control bill, preventing landlords from raising
rents beyond a certain percent each year. She pushed through
a measure to allow cities with a population of more than
10,000 people to build duplexes and triplexes to increase
housing stock, despite neighborhood zoning restrictions.
More recently, she helped secure $75 million of state funds
to turn motels into emergency shelter beds to increase the
state’s supply of beds for people experiencing homelessness
by 20%.
If elected governor, Kotek said she would issue an execu-
tive order on her fi rst day that would create a plan and even-
tually a legislative package to create more housing. She
would push to streamline the permitting processes, expand
the construction workforce and put state money toward
funding aff ordable housing developments.
“We simply have to get more serious about building a lot
more housing,” Kotek wrote in an email in response to ques-
tions from Oregon Public Broadcasting . “The goal will be to
build enough housing to meet the need for people currently
experiencing homelessness, address the current shortage of
housing, and keep pace with future housing demand over the
next decade.”
Kotek also promised to reduce the racial homeownership
gap by 20% by 2027.
Oregon has a history of discriminatory and racist prac-
tices, such as banks denying loans, hiking interest rates and
not renting or selling homes to people of color. Kotek said
she would help increase down payment assistance programs,
crack down on discriminatory practices and partner with cul-
turally specifi c organizations to reach Black, Indigenous and
p eople of c olor households across the state to close the gap.
Johnson says politicians need to get out of the way
Former Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson, who is try-
ing to gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot as
an unaffi liated candidate, promises a diff erent approach. She
says Kotek has been heavy handed in her approach to hous-
ing. Sometimes, Johnson said, state lawmakers simply need
to get out of the way.
“The most important thing Salem needs to realize is that
politicians don’t build aff ordable housing, and every time
they pass legislation to mandate it, all they do is add costs
that make housing more diffi cult to build and more likely not
to be built at all,” Johnson wrote to Oregon Public Broad-
casting . “This is a market phenomenon that can be met by
market forces if the liberal extremes would get out of the
way.”
Johnson said it’s time to consider ways to reconsider the
state’s land use laws and create quicker, less burdensome
ways to expand urban growth boundaries. The process can
be quite lengthy and includes cities proving to state regu-
lators there needs to be more developable land. Cities also
have to go through a public involvement process, which
includes holding public hearings, and it’s not unusual for the
end product to end up in the court system.
“ ... The housing shortage requires us to reconsider the
process so that we can allow planned development while
still protecting the same essential goals,” Johnson said. “As
governor, I would not seek to dictate specifi c land use provi-
sions but would instead lead to bring stakeholders together
to establish shared values and drive the process to outcome.”
Johnson has her own personal history of relying on fl exi-
bility when it comes to the state’s land use laws.
Johnson’s family has long owned property in Camp Sher-
man, in c entral Oregon, along the pristine Metolius River.
Johnson and her family hired a lobbyist and were instrumen-
tal in using their positions to help block development in the
area. Two developers who proposed resorts in Camp Sher-
man were ultimately prohibited from doing so when then-
Gov. Ted Kulongsoki implemented a never-before-used
designation to declare the area one of critical state concern,
blocking all future development.
Drazan said government
should help the private sector
In 2020, Christine Drazan, the former House m inority
l eader and Republican candidate for governor, led her party
on a walkout to Reno to block Democrats’ signature climate
change bill.
Partly as a response, Gov. Kate Brown issued an exec-
utive order directing 19 state agencies and commissions to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including when creating
new housing. The order directs agencies to change building
codes to prioritize energy effi ciency and it updates energy
effi ciency standards for appliances and has directives for
reducing food waste.
Drazan contends the executive order will drive up costs
and lead to little tangible environmental benefi ts. Johnson
was more direct, saying she would “crumple it up, throw it in
the trash, and light the trash can on fi re in a controlled burn.”
And Kotek said she would work to get more money to local
governments so they can implement the executive order.
Drazan believes part of the solution to the state’s housing
crisis is protecting programs that are already on the books,
like the mortgage interest deduction, which allows home-
owners to reduce their taxable income by the amount of
interest they pay on their mortgage, and the fi rst-time home-
buyer program, while also keeping property taxes low.
Democrats in the Legislature have pushed to end or scale
back the mortgage interest deduction program. An audit
from Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, a Democrat, found
the deduction primarily benefi ts white wealthier Oregonians
in urban parts of the state and in the next biennium would
remove more than $1 billion from state coff ers.
Overall, when it comes to housing, Drazan, like Johnson,
said sometimes politicians’ involvement makes it worse.
“We must also recognize that the regulatory environ-
ment on buildings directly impacts costs, and we need to
stop mandating homes that, by their own nature, will be
expensive due to the regulations in place on them,” Drazan
wrote to Oregon Public Broadcasting . “If we want aff ord-
able housing, we can’t continue with business as usual when
it comes to increased restrictions and regulations that drive
up costs.”
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KNAPPA SCHOOL DISTRICT SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR PROGRESSIVE
DESIGN BUILD SERVICES FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION AND REMODEL
PROJECTS. Proposals due September 1st, 2022 at 2:00 PM local
time. Knappa School District (KSD) is requesting proposals (RFQ)
for Progressive Design-Build services for the design, construction
and start-up at KSD property located at 41535 Old U.S. Highway
30, Astoria, OR 97103. A general description of the project includes
the design, construction and commission of the following: a new
gym, replace existing portables with classrooms and science lab,
Middle School learning hub, pre-school, renovate areas of Hilda La-
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plumbing and weather sealing. Owner’s Rep, Ann Gyde (sole point
of contact), will receive proposals until September 1st, 2022 at 2:00
PM local time, late proposals will not be accepted. Proposals should
be emailed to William Fritz, Superintendent (fritzw@knappak12.
org) and Ann Gyde (ann@kloshgroup.com). A pre-proposal confer-
ence will be held on August 19th, 2022 at 10:00 AM. All questions/
communications during the solicitation phase shall be directed in
writing to KSD’s sole point of contact. Proposals will be evaluated
using a best-value selection process. RFQ documents by going to
OregonBuys.gov/bso. All addenda will be posted at this location. All
Design-Builders must comply with the provisions required by ORS
279C.800 to ORS 279C.870 regarding payment of prevailing wage.
KSD may cancel this procurement or reject a proposal that does not
comply with the prescribed public contracting procedures and re-
quirements, including the requirement to demonstrate the bidder’s
responsibility under ORS 279C.375 (3)(b). KSD may reject for good
cause all bids after finding that doing so is in the public interest.
Sole Point of Contact: Ann Gyde, Owner’s Rep., Phone: (503) 468-
9970 Email: ann@kloshgroup.com