June 23, 2023 4:00 a.m.
On Thursday, the Oregon Senate passed legislation that proponents say would increase housing options in rural parts of the state.
Senate Bill 1013 allows for the siting of one recreational vehicle on a rural residential zoned property. It is currently awaiting a signature from the Governor.
Senator Cedric Hayden, a Republican from Fall Creek said, “One of the greatest responsibilities the Legislature was tasked with this session was finding ways to increase the supply of housing and stabilize Oregon’s workforce. We often struggle to find employees to fill essential jobs in rural communities in part because there is nowhere to rent”. Hayden said, “Senate Bill 1010 is a low-cost opportunity to provide suitable housing options for people looking for employment while boosting Oregon’s rural workforce. I appreciate the efforts of Commissioner Tootie Smith who brought this concept to my office”. Hayden introduced and co-chief sponsored the bill.
Senator David Brock Smith, Republican from Port Orford was the other co-chief sponsor of the legislation. Brock Smith said, “We must remove barriers that keep family-wage jobs from being filled in my community and across the state. Senate Bill 1013 gives our counties and opportunity to do this without a significant price tag”.
A release from the Oregon Senate Republicans said current regulations limit rural residential properties to a single dwelling and define “rural use” as one dwelling per ten acres. Recreational vehicles are defined in statute as vehicles with or without motive power that are designed for use as temporary living quarters.
The release said according to the Department of Land Conservation and Development, Oregon needs to develop more than 550,000 new housing units across income levels to accommodate twenty years of population growth and account for current underproduction.
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