Update June 14: HB2001 is back with the full Joint Ways and Means Committee. The Committee will vote next week and probably send the bill to the House and Senate floors. The floor votes may be late in the week of June 17, or possibly the following week. To let your senator and representative know your view on HB2001, email and call their offices. You can find your legislator here.
We’ve written about HB2001, the Statewide Residential Infill Project.
HB2001 has just been assigned to the Transportation and Economic Development Subcommittee of the Joint Ways and Means Committee of the Oregon Legislature. The bill may move quickly. The subcommittee may hold a perfunctory public hearing and vote, with as little as one hour notice to the public!
Most legislators still don’t know much about HB2001. They are being told by Speaker Kotek that this bill will solve Oregon’s affordable housing shortage, and being told by the real estate industry that their support will be rewarded. Busy legislators can be pressured to just vote in favor and move to the next bill.
That isn’t how things should work.
The chairs and member of the Subcommittee should all be fully informed about what HB2001 will and will not do, and how their constituents – that’s you! – feel about the bill, before they decide whether to schedule a hearing and vote.
Send Your Email and Testimony on HB2001 Now
If you have a view on HB2001, send an email to every member of the Subcommittee and to the Subcommittee’s “testimony” email. They need to know what you think about HB2001, before they are pressured to a quick vote. Do this right now.
Instead of typing all of the members’ addresses into your email message, you can use the two links below:
If your email application is NOT Microsoft Outlook, Click here. You should get a blank email that is pre-addressed to the subcommittee’s “testimony” email and its members. You can add your own words and message.
If your email application IS Microsoft Outlook, then Click here. You should get a blank email that is pre-addressed to the subcommittee’s “testimony” email and its members.
[Why different links? Most email applications separate multiple email addresses with commas (,), while Microsoft Outlook uses semicolons (;).]
If that doesn’t work, here are all the email addresses. You can copy/paste those addresses into a new email message [replacing commas with semicolons if you use Microsoft Outlook.]
jwmtr.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov, sen.jamesmanning@oregonlegislature.gov, rep.DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov, sen.JeffGolden@oregonlegislature.gov, sen.BillHansell@oregonlegislature.gov, rep.paulevans@oregonlegislature.gov, rep.garyleif@oregonlegislature.gov, rep.billpost@oregonlegislature.gov, rep.rachelprusak@oregonlegislature.gov
Also, add the email address of our own representative and senator. You can find them here.
HB2001 Is A Statewide Bill
This bill is a statewide re-zoning. Most of the members of this subcommittee represent districts outside the Portland area (see list below). Let your friends in those areas know about the re-zoning proposed for their neighborhoods.
Co-Chair Senator James I. Manning Jr. represents District 7 – North Eugene, West Eugene, Santa Clara, and Junction City.
Co-Chair Representative David Gomberg represents District 10 – Central Coast.
Senator Jeff Golden represents District 3 – Ashland.
Senator Bill Hansell represents District 29 – Athena.
Representative Paul Evans represents District 20 – Monmouth.
Representative Gary Leif represents District 2 – Roseburg.
Representative Bill Post represents District 25 – Keizer.
Representative Rachel Prusak represents District 37 – Tualatin / West Linn.
Why We Oppose HB2001
HB2001 will re-zone almost every neighorhood in Oregon.
- Cities larger than 25,000 population will be required to permit duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, clusters of small houses, and rowhouses in every area currently zoned for single family houses.
- Towns with 10,000 to 25,000 population will be required to permit duplexes on every lot currently zoned for single family houses.
HB2001:
- Will eliminate single-family house neighborhoods statewide
- Will increase demolitions of smaller, less expensive houses
- Will redevelop neighborhoods with new, large, expensive infill duplexes and quadplexes
- Will displace vulnerable communities by pricing out lower-income families
- Will replace existing rent-controlled housing with new development that will be exempt from state rent control for 15 years.
- Will encourage developers to outbid families for houses
- Will take away local control of zoning, planning and development
- Will re-zone neighborhoods without allowing public input
- Will overburden local services and infrastructure including schools, sewers, parking and roads
- Will harm our environment by demolishing houses – the greenest house is the house that already exists! – and cutting down trees
- Will NOT mandate any affordability in new infill redevelopment
- Will NOT allow cities to plan for density or growth near transportation or services
- Will NOT result in affordable housing – new construction is more expensive than the existing houses it will replace
- Will NOT fund additional infrastructure needed for infill redevelopment
- Will NOT fund anti-displacement or affordable housing programs
- Is OPPOSED by the League of Oregon Cities, many individual cities and towns, planning organizations, and the great majority of Oregonians whose neighborhoods will be rezoned.