The 15^th annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference was held in Portland from February 11-13, 2016.  1000 Friends staff and Board members played key roles in organizing and presenting in several of the conference workshops, trainings, and tours.  The NPSG conference exists to integrate issues of smart growth, health, equity, environment, active transportation, climate change, affordable housing, cultural resources, and more.  It brings together non-profit groups and elected officials; professionals in many fields; realtors, developers, bankers; advocates for e

Legislative Update: February 24, 2016

Sam Diaz recently sat down with Allison Giffin and Jerry Chia-Rui Chang to get an inside scoop on this year’s Gerhardt and Duke Engage Interns. 

The Paul Gerhardt Jr. Internship

Housing affordability has become a focal concern for many Oregonians. Across communities, finding a place to live that fits within a family's budget has become much more challenging in recent years. Cities throughout Oregon have reported historically low vacancy rates, a common measure for the health of the housing market. Higher vacancy rates indicate more housing options – and often lower rents as a result. While those looking to buy a home are seeing the highest list prices on record in Oregon. 

The 2015 Oregon legislative session proved to be quite active on land use issues. 1000 Friends staff tracked over 300 bills and testified on dozens of them. Your financial support enabled us to be in Salem, working closely with allied groups and legislators to defend and improve the land use program. This support also meant we could keep in touch with all of you, letting you know when your voice was critically needed in Salem. Together, we were able to pass a few improvements and defeat many threats to the land use program.

Land Use Goal 10 requires that all cities provide residential land zoned to meet the housing needs of all Oregonians. During the 2015 legislative session, 1000 Friends worked with a coalition of organizations, individuals, local governments, and businesses that care about affordable housing in an attempt to pass House Bill 2564, which would have enabled local governments to use inclusionary zoning to provide housing opportunities for all, in every neighborhood. Local governments from Hood River to Lincoln County and Corvallis to Milwaukie supported HB 2564.

If you are taking off in July or August, three books hitting the shelves this summer may give you a deeper appreciation for the work of land use planning in Oregon.
 

Today was another busy day in Salem – we're excited to share three legislative updates with you: 

When it comes to building a compact, affordable city, the sticking point often tends to center on aesthetics. Sure, “density” is somewhat of a dirty word, but the dirtiest phrase is often “high-rise apartment building.” Many a neighborhood group has organized around banning this development option in their communities.

At 1 pm on April 29, 2015, Governor Kate Brown signed SB 333 into law in the Governor's ceremonial office. From this day forward, March 22 will be Tom McCall Day in Oregon. Tom McCall Jr. attended the signing.