The Senate Committee on Housing and Development held an informational meeting on May 21 on the concept of allowing housing development on or around existing golf courses. Bridal Iverson, chief of staff to Senator Anderson, presented the concept and several case studies, and senators asked questions about land-use, infrastructure, traffic, floodplain and destination-resort rules.

What was proposed: Iverson outlined that Oregon has some 213 golf courses totaling over 20,000 acres, several of which sit adjacent to urban growth boundaries (UGBs) or in non-prime farmland and already have infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer. She suggested an opt-in approach allowing a percentage of a golf-course tract (she referenced 30% as a working number) to be used for housing, with lot sizes suggested between one-quarter acre and two acres, required community water systems, and provisions for middle housing (duplexes, triplexes, and small condos).

Examples cited: Warrenton (a 103-acre course within about a mile of the UGB), Mallard Creek outside Lebanon (about 200 acres with existing RV park and utilities), Charbonneau (a 400-acre development offering mixed-density housing), and Portland-area courses including Rose City and Eastmoreland. Iverson also referenced Bend Golf & Country Club and River’s Edge as examples where partial infill or sale of course land had supported course viability.

Questions and concerns raised by committee members: Senators asked whether existing local land-use reviews — traffic studies, floodplain analysis and other permitting — would still apply; Iverson and other members said local rules would continue to apply. Senators raised potential “nimby” opposition for infill inside UGBs, the need to tether eligible golf courses by distance to UGBs to avoid opening remote destination-resort areas, and whether course owners typically hold contiguous leasable land. Iverson said many courses do not lease contiguous farmland and that in some cases courses have marginal revenue-generating uses (seasonal RV parks, wedding venues) and could benefit from partial redevelopment to sustain operations.

Next steps: Presenters said slides would be uploaded to the committee system and that staff hoped to develop a draft bill for the short session incorporating guardrails such as opt-in county participation, acreage limits, community water systems, and middle-housing requirements.

Attribution: Presentation and examples by Bridal Iverson, chief of staff to Senator Anderson; procedural remarks and questions from Chair Pham and several senators are recorded in the committee transcript.