By Oregon Business & Industry,
What happened: On March 17, Senior Policy Director Duke Shepard testified before the Senate Committee on Housing and Development in support of SB 6, an anticipated amendment to which would establish a 45-day deadline for officials to issue or deny housing-permit applications.
Why it’s necessary: Housing in Oregon is exceptionally expensive. In the third quarter of 2024, Oregon ranked only 41st nationally for housing affordability, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. And the state’s home-ownership rate in 2024 was the nation’s fifth lowest, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Such costs push Oregonians to move to more affordable states and reduce Oregon’s economic competitiveness.
Prices and policy: The cost of housing is, in many ways, a result of policy choices, Shepard told the committee. SB 6, as amended, “presents an opportunity to establish clear and objective standards, while also providing the speed and certainty that we need to move forward.” Reducing regulatory barriers, as SB 6 would do, is a central component of OBI’s Oregon Competitiveness Agenda.
Meanwhile, in Austin: According to a Feb. 27 article in The Oregonian, Shepard explained, average rents in Austin, Texas, have dropped 22% since August 2023, “largely due to that city taking decisive action to address housing supply through process reforms and a focus on outcomes that benefit the broader community.”
Learn more: Click the video to watch Shepard’s testimony and go here to read his submitted testimony. Go here to learn more about OBI’s Oregon Competitiveness Agenda and here to visit OBI’s Oregon Competitiveness website, which contains data about housing affordability and much more.
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