City Taking Steps to Increase Housing Options

City Taking Steps to Increase Housing Options

Roseburg OR – The City of Roseburg is taking steps to improve housing options within the community. The Community Development Department, supported by a grant from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), is pursuing changes in the Roseburg Municipal Code that will support greater opportunities for middle housing development.

Middle housing is defined by the state as types of housing that are more affordable and meet the needs of low-income households who do not require the large space of a single-family detached home. Common examples of middle housing include duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and cottage clusters. In 2019, the state passed House Bill 2001, which allows Oregonians to develop middle housing in cities based on population criteria.

“This law couldn’t come at a more opportune time,” says Stuart Cowie, Community Development Director. “We did a Housing Needs Analysis in 2019, and what we found is that our city is growing at a considerable rate. Roseburg’s population will increase by over 5,500 people in the next 20 years. That means we will need to build over 2,600 new homes in order to meet demand. The question now is…what can we do at the City level to make sure we are on track to meet the housing demand? These code changes will help encourage more affordable housing options to occur in the City.”

Currently, the Roseburg Municipal Code does allow some, but not all middle housing options to be developed within the City. Of the middle housing options that are allowed, new guidelines and revisions will be required by the state to ensure that these options are more attainable to residents and developers.

To assist in the process of adopting changes in the Roseburg Municipal Code, the City has created a Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC). The Committee consists of housing industry professionals, whose knowledge and experience will help guide City staff to adopt code changes that are compliant with House Bill 2001.

As part of the public outreach process, the SAC is hosting a virtual Open House, via Facebook Live, to update the community about the committee’s progress on the project. The Open House will be held on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, on the City’s Facebook page. To access the City’s Facebook page, please go to Facebook.com/CityofRoseburg. Questions and comments will be encouraged by the public during the live feed.

For more information about the Middle Housing SAC project, please visit the Community Development Department Special Project’s page HERE. Questions can also be directed to the Community Development Department at cdd@cityofroseburg.org or 541-492-6750.

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