Bill would allow childcare centers in residential areas when co‑located with community uses, sponsors say

The House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services held a Feb. 27 public hearing on House Bill 3,560, sponsored by Rep. Pam Marsh, which would permit child‑care centers in specified residential zones when they are co‑located with community institutions or high‑density housing and move the related language into Oregon’s land‑use statutes.

“Child care centers should be part of the fabric of every neighborhood where families live and where they work,” Marsh told the committee. She said zoning barriers prevent providers from locating near families and employers and that the bill builds on prior statutory changes that recognized child care as an important use in commercial and light industrial zones.

Why it matters: Witnesses said the lack of viable physical sites and the land‑use process are major barriers to expanding child‑care capacity. Dana Hepper of the Children’s Institute told the committee that suitability is a “first test” for a…