Talent planning commission reviews proposed zoning updates to encourage prefabricated and mass-timber housing

Brandon Crawford, a land-use planning consultant with MIG, presented proposed zoning-code updates to the Talent Planning Commission on Dec. 10 aimed at removing barriers to prefabricated and modular mass-timber housing and ensuring local rules align with recent state law.

Crawford said the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition received a $41,000,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Agency and that part of the grant funded technical assistance to 10 jurisdictions, including Talent, to revise local zoning and support community engagement. “We’re hired by the state to help a handful of cities throughout the state update their zoning codes to reduce barriers and encourage prefabricated and modular mass timber housing,” Crawford said.

The recommended updates fall into two categories, Crawford told commissioners: changes required by state legislation and additional, recommended measures to encourage prefab and mass-timber housing. He named House Bill 4064 (passed in 2022) as the primary state rule that requires cities to allow manufactured and prefabricated dwellings on lots where single-family homes are permitted and to treat those dwellings consistently with single-family definitions.

Among the state-alignment items, Crawford said the draft code would update Talent’s definitions for “manufactured dwelling” and…