Salem panel OKs bill to bring 485 homes to Redmond

(Update: Quotes from state Sen. Tim Knopp, state Rep. Jack Zika)

A bill that passed a committee unanimously in Salem Monday would expand an affordable housing pilot program and bring 485 homes to Redmond, state Rep. Jack Zika, R-Redmond, said.

“House Bill 2336 will help Redmond develop more affordable housing,” Zika said.

A committee voted 9-0 on the bill, which will now head to the House floor for a final vote.

“Oregon’s land use system is badly broken, and is playing a key role in our high cost of housing in Central Oregon,” Zika said. “Today’s work session is an important step to giving Redmond the ability to bring more much-needed affordable housing. The passage of HB 2336 would bring an additional 485 new homes to Redmond. Half of those homes would be deed restricted at 80% AMI (Area Median Income).”

HB 2336 removes the population requirement for affordable housing pilot program if no qualifying nomination is received for a city with population under 25,000. The affordable housing pilot program is intended to expedite development of affordable housing units outside urban growth boundaries.

The program, created by lawmakers in 2016, encouraged cities to compete for two pilot projects to develop affordable housing in areas outside their urban growth boundaries. It would streamline the long process cities must go through to expand their UGB.

“It’s getting to be expensive, and the house prices have gone up about 50 percent in the last few years,” Zika told NewsChannel 21. “Our wages are only going up about 2-3 percent each year. So it’s becoming more difficult to afford housing in Central Oregon.”

Only two cities applied for the pilot project – Bend and Redmond, with Bend’s project the top-ranked, nearly 400 units between Highway 20 and Bear Creek Road. But Redmond’s plan, while supported, couldn’t be awarded, as the legislation required one of the projects had to go to a city with fewer than 25,000 residents.

A public hearing for HB 2336 took place during the House Human Services and Housing Committee meeting a week ago. The unanimous committee vote came during a work session Monday afternoon, sending the bill to the House floor, an aide to Zika said.

Zika is a chief sponsor of HB 2336 and member of the House Human Services and Housing Committee. He is a former member of the Redmond Planning Commission, where he made decisions about local housing and land use policies, and is a real estate broker.

Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, who is also on the committee, issued the following statement on HB 2336:

“Conversations on Oregon’s lack of affordable housing tend to focus on the needs of Portland, Salem, and Eugene. HB 2336 is a refreshing change from that, with the potential to bring nearly 500 new homes to Redmond, with half of them set at 80% of Area Median Income.

“There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to the affordable housing crisis in Oregon, and HB 2336 is a critical tool to address the lack of affordable homes in Central Oregon.

“Attempts to address the affordable housing crisis often ignore its root cause, which is a lack of supply. Rather than tacking new regulations on builders and property providers, this legislation will lead to new units being built and affordable options available to renters,” Knopp said.

“I’m proud to be working on this bill with Representative Zika and Mayor Endicott and encourage our colleagues to support its passage.”

Zika represents House District 53, which includes the communities of Redmond, Tumalo, Sunriver and portions of Bend and unincorporated Deschutes County.