Planning commission hears update on SB 1537, SB 1564 housing rules and local options

Depot Bay — An outside consultant told the Planning Commission on Aug. 13 that two 2024 state laws, Senate Bill 1537 and Senate Bill 1564, significantly expand developer options and give cities new financing and code tools aimed at speeding housing production across Oregon. Zach Pels, a consultant with AKS, summarized the bills and answered commissioners’ questions.

Pels said the bills include several immediate changes local staff should track. “This creates a new division ... called the Housing Accountability and Production Office,” he said, describing a state office that will provide technical help to both local staff and the development community. He added the bills allow housing applicants to opt in to rules adopted after they file an application, rather than being locked to the rules in place at submission.

That change to the longstanding Oregon “goalpost” approach, Pels said, is voluntary: applicants may choose newer standards that benefit their project or keep the earlier rules if later rules are less favorable. “They can pick and choose which new rules they want to take advantage of,” he said.

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