Oregon Statutes 197A.025 – Policy; rulemaking principles
(1) In adopting rules under ORS Chapter 197A and statewide planning goals relating to housing or urbanization, or administering the rules or statutes, the Land Conservation and Development Commission and Department of Land Conservation and Development shall be guided by the following principles:
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 197A.025
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
- Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
- local government: means all cities, counties and local service districts located in this state, and all administrative subdivisions of those cities, counties and local service districts. See Oregon Statutes 174.116
- public body: means state government bodies, local government bodies and special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.109
(a) Housing that is safe, accessible and affordable in the community of their choice should be available to every Oregonian.
(b) Building enough equitable housing must be a top priority.
(c) The development and implementation of the housing production strategy should be the focal point by which the department collaborates with local governments to address and eliminate local barriers to housing production.
(d) Expertise, technical assistance, model ordinances and other tools and resources to address housing production should be provided to local governments, using cooperative planning tools embodied in ORS § 197A.103 and 197A.130, but not to the exclusion of the expedient use of enforcement authority, including compliance orders under ORS § 197.319 to 197.335.
(e) Housing production should support fair and equitable housing outcomes, environmental justice, climate resilience and access to opportunity.
(f) Housing production should not be undermined by litigation, regulatory uncertainty or repetitive or unnecessary procedures.
(g) Local governments, to the greatest extent possible, should take actions within their control to facilitate the production of housing to meet housing production targets under ORS § 184.455.
(2) Each public body, as defined in ORS § 174.109, shall use its authority to remove barriers to, and to create pathways for, the development of needed housing and shall collaborate with the department and local governments to identify and implement strategies to support housing production where there is insufficient housing production and choice.
(3) In adopting rules implementing ORS Chapter 197A and statewide land use goals relating to housing and urbanization, the commission may approve a range of methodologies, policy options or assumptions that a local government may adopt in determining:
(a) Needed housing;
(b) Housing production strategies or housing coordination strategies;
(c) Buildable lands or housing capacity;
(d) Amendments to urban growth boundaries, including under ORS § 197A.215, 197A.270 (5)(a), 197A.285 to 197A.325, 197A.350 (6)(a) and 197A.362; or
(e) Adoption or amendments to urban reserves or rural reserves under ORS § 197A.230 to 197A.250. [2023 c.13 § 8]
Section 9, chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023, provides:
(1) The Land Conservation and Development Commission shall adopt rules and amendments to rules related to urbanization as follows:
(a) On or before June 30, 2024, adopt a schedule by which cities, as defined in ORS § 197.286 [renumbered 197A.015], in Tillamook County shall demonstrate sufficient buildable lands;
(b) On or before January 1, 2025, to implement ORS § 197.290 [renumbered 197A.100], 197.291 [renumbered 197A.103], 197.293 [renumbered 197A.130], 197.319 (4), 197.320 (13) and 197.335 (6); and
(c) On or before January 1, 2026, to implement ORS § 197.286 to 197.314 [series became ORS Chapter 197A], except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection.
(2) In adopting rules under this section, the commission shall prioritize:
(a) Facilitating and encouraging housing production, affordability and housing choice on buildable lands within an urban growth boundary;
(b) Providing greater clarity and certainty in the adoption and acknowledgement of housing capacity analyses, urban growth boundary amendments, urban growth boundary exchanges or urban reserves to accommodate an identified housing need;
(c) Reducing analytical burden, minimizing procedural redundancy and increasing legal certainty for local governments pursuing urban growth boundary amendments, urban growth boundary exchanges or urban reserves where a housing need is identified, especially for smaller cities, consistent with the appropriate protection of resource lands; and
(d) Supporting coordinated public facilities planning, annexation, and comprehensive plan amendments to facilitate the development of lands brought into an urban growth boundary.
(3) In adopting rules under subsection (1)(b) of this section, the commission shall:
(a) Consult with the Housing and Community Services Department, Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of State Lands, Oregon Business Development Department and Department of Consumer and Business Services;
(b) Provide clear parameters on the types and extent of actions needed or allowed under ORS § 197.290 (3) that are consistent with the technical and resource capacities of varying sizes of local governments; and
(c) Recognize actions already taken by local governments to support the development of all types of needed housing.
(4) To avoid interference with current planning activities or to avoid unjust or surprising results, the Land Conservation and Development Commission may postpone, for cities specified by the commission, the applicability of section 13 [197A.210], 21 [197A.280], 22 [197A.270] or 23 [197A.018], chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023, and the amendments to ORS § 197.286, 197.290, 197.296 [renumbered 197A.350], 197.297 [renumbered 197A.335] and 197.303 [renumbered 197A.348] by sections 12 and 25 to 28, chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023, until a date that is not later than January 1, 2027.
(5) To provide for flexibility and coordination of county resources, the commission may adopt any policies or rules necessary to allow cities, as defined in ORS § 197.286, in Tillamook County to cooperate with the county in fulfilling any of the cities’ duties under ORS § 197.286 to 197.314 or coordinating the distribution of any funds to the cities for such purposes. [2023 c.13 § 9; 2023 c.283 § 7; 2023 c.326 § 7]
Section 6, chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023, provides:
(1) No later than March 1, 2024, the Department of Land Conservation and Development shall adopt a housing production target schedule under section 3 (3)(c), chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023 [184.455 (3)(c)].
(2) No later than January 1, 2025, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services shall:
(a) Conduct the initial statewide housing analysis and the initial estimate and allocation of housing need under section 2, chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023 [184.453].
(b) Establish the initial housing production targets under section 3, chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023.
(3) No later than January 1, 2025, the Housing and Community Services Department shall:
(a) Publish the statewide housing production dashboard under section 4, chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023 [456.601]; and
(b) Publish statewide housing equity indicators under section 5, chapter 13, Oregon Laws 2023 [456.602].
(4) The schedule adopted by the Department of Land Conservation and Development under subsection (1) of this section is not a land use decision and is not subject to appeal. [2023 c.13 § 6; 2023 c.326 § 6]