Hello,
Thank you for your continued interest in the City’s work addressing HB 2001 & HB 2003!
As a reminder, the City is currently undergoing a multiyear project to align Lake Oswego housing needs and neighborhood context with new requirements passed by the state legislature in 2019. HB 2001 is an Oregon state law that requires cities in the Portland Metro area with a population of over 1,000 (including Lake Oswego) to allow “middle housing” – including duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, townhouses, and cottage clusters – in areas where single family housing is permitted currently.
In order to thoughtfully and strategically address these changes, the Planning Department is currently carrying out a two-phase approach. The first phase was to review current neighborhood plans and Community Development Code, as well as to gather community input through a communitywide survey and meetings with Neighborhood Association Chairs to understand which neighborhood characteristics the community values most. Thank you to everyone who participated!
The resulting Neighborhood Character Report and Middle Housing Opportunities Report can be found on the City’s website at www.lakeoswego.city/planning.
The second phase will explore options for potential code changes with input from a Middle Housing Code Advisory Committee (MHCAC), which was appointed by City Council last month. The MHAC is tasked with providing high-level policy guidance to the Planning Commission on middle housing implementation. The MHCAC will be meeting from July through September of this year; materials prepared in advance of each meeting will be accessible in the project folder located here.
Note that this folder now includes an agenda and other materials prepared for the Committee’s first meeting, which will be on July 27th: click here to view the meeting packet. All MHCAC Meetings will be held via Zoom, with videos of the meeting to be recorded and posted to the City website following the date of the meeting. Members of the public may also register in advance to view the meetings live – click here.
Once the Committee’s process concludes, the City will seek feedback from the Neighborhood Associations and the broader community regarding their updated recommendations in the fall. This will also include opportunities for Neighborhood Associations to schedule informational sessions with City staff and/or project consultants to receive project updates, provide community input, and ask questions. Stay tuned!
If you have any questions, please contact Erik Olson, Senior Planner, at eolson@lakeoswego.city.
Lake Oswego,
