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OHCS previews ORCA mid-year update, adds project-size standard and new applicant processes
Summary
Oregon Housing and Community Services staff briefed the Housing Stability Council on mid-year ORCA changes: a new project-size standard for 45+ unit tax-credit projects, updated architectural guidance (OAS/CDM split), a 90-day transition for waitlisted projects, and expanded technical assistance. Staff said the full package launches July 13.
Oregon Housing and Community Services staff presented a mid-year update to ORCA, the agencyprogram that governs how state housing subsidy and financing are layered for affordable rental projects. Natasha Detwiler Davie, who led the briefing for the affordable rental housing division, said the update packages new program lines and process changes intended to improve access for smaller projects and streamline design and application work.
"We're launching several new resource offerings as well as updating streamlining," Detwiler Davie said, explaining ORCA's three primary capital-stack buckets (equity, debt and public subsidy) and how the update aligns financing approaches with production goals. Staff said one new policy introduces a project-size standard that prioritizes small projects: projects over 45 units that leverage tax credits will be treated under a clear size-based standard to help funnel resources appropriately and create pathways for smaller projects to access subsidy.
The update also splits the decade-old Core Development Manual (CDM) into two documents: an OHCS Architectural Standards (OAS) with interactive checklist forms and a slimmer Architectural Index as a supporting reference. Olivia Ball, an operations and policy analyst, said the OAS will be administered through ORCA work centers similar to the CDM forms and that projects already approved by the council will continue under the CDM until recertification. "OAS forms will take the place of the current CDM forms," Ball said.
Staff outlined a 90-day transition window for projects affected by the new size standard, retention/removal rules for the ORCA wait list, and an exception process allowing applicants to request relief or show a highest-and-best use justification. Roberto Franco, deputy director for development and production, told the council the ORCA updates and funding lines are scheduled to launch on July 13 and that teams are preparing to support partners through office hours and technical assistance.
The presentation included operational changes intended to reduce application friction: updated LOI requirements (all parties must be listed), prequalification enhancements to better capture nonprofit capacity, and a resident-services plan guide designed to reduce avoidable revisions during review. Staff will publish formal guidance and provide help sessions to assist applicants switching to the new forms and processes.
No formal action was taken; staff asked council members to provide feedback and identify topics for deeper follow-up sessions.
