Legislative Report: Oregon needs 544,000+ housing units by 2042

It has gone largely unreported that the Oregon state legislature received an update on the state’s
housing needs just before Christmas. The report estimated a total statewide need of about 554,000 units by 2043, of which 110,000 units are due to underproduction.

Some highlights from this
51-page report:

• While
  nearly every state is experiencing underproduction, Oregon’s outcomes
  are among the worst. 
• Measured as a share of housing stock, Oregon
  ranks 4th in the country for housing under production just behind California,
  Colorado, and Utah. Washington ranks as the nation’s 5^th worst.

The document provides
an introduction to the housing crisis, followed by recommendations to:

1. Plan
   for what’s needed
2. Build
   what’s needed where it’s needed
3. Commit
   to working together with urgency

Under these three top-tier
goals are the following recommendations:

• Shifting
  focus to leading with production
• Streamlining
  urban growth boundary amendments
• Emphasizing
  housing production strategies
• Establishing
  production targets and equity indicators
• Committing
  sustained and coordinated investment
• Reinforcing
  housing choice for all
• Establishing
  a coordinated governance structure
• Continue
  state and regional policy action

More can be found on the
website here: https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/UP/Pages/OHNA.aspx.