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Metro develops regional housing coordination strategy; staff prioritize actionable items, fair‑housing outcomes
Summary
Metro staff reported progress on a regional housing coordination strategy required by state law. After screening more than 100 action ideas, staff have a working list of about 36 candidate actions and are prioritizing items that Metro can implement within six years and that advance fair housing and production targets.
Metro staff updated the Washington County Coordinating Committee on July 14 about work to develop a Regional Housing Coordination Strategy, a strategy the agency is required to prepare under the statewide housing needs analysis framework.
Erin Key, manager in Metro’s Planning, Development and Research department, said Metro started with more than 100 suggested actions, consolidated and refined that list to about 36 candidate actions, and evaluated them against operational viability, likely impact on housing needs, and alignment with fair‑housing goals. Actions that scored well and that Metro staff and city implementers believed were feasible include exploring a regional land bank for land acquisition for affordable housing, an affordable‑housing bond, a coordinated regional legislative agenda on housing, and an SDC (system development charge) assistance fund to help jurisdictions or projects with upfront infrastructure costs.
Key described the project schedule: Metro will present a draft strategy to advisory committees in fall and aims to have a draft for public review in September, with Metro Council adoption required by December under state deadlines.
Committee members asked how Metro will avoid creating new mandates for cities and how Metro sees its role: Key said the strategy emphasizes Metro’s role as a convener and funder of programs rather than a prescriptive set of mandates; many proposed actions are programmatic tools Metro could lead or fund. Several committee members praised ideas that would reduce project costs for cities and requested detail on funding sources and how items would affect city budgets.
Key encouraged jurisdictions to comment through MPAC and MTAC and said implementer work‑group feedback led staff to elevate items — like the SDC assistance fund — that scored lower on initial feasibility but drew strong practitioner support.
