Bandon to allow duplexes and revise code to meet Oregon 'middle housing' rules

Consultants from Cascadia Partners told Bandon officials at a joint work session that Oregon's middle-housing statutes require duplexes be allowed in the same zones as detached single-family houses and that the city will need concrete code changes to meet the state timeline.

"The city is on track to implement these required changes on the timeline that the state has specified," said Rachel Cotton, senior associate with Cascadia Partners. She said the changes will include allowing duplexes as an outright permitted use in single-family zones, reducing certain lot-size requirements in specific zones and updating design standards to be clear and objective. The consultants also flagged a code change to limit parking for these units to one space per unit under the state framework.

Why it matters: Cascadia said Bandon faces a workforce housing challenge typical of small coastal resort towns, and that legal compliance with state rules is a near-term requirement. Cotton said consultants estimate roughly one-third of future housing need will be for townhomes, plexes and multiunit housing, split between ownership and rental options. Members asked about how those changes would interact with the city's existing design standards and public sentiment about neighborhood character.

Next steps: Cascadia will incorporate feedback from the advisory committee and community sessions into code concepts over the summer and fall, and the city will pursue code amendments to reconcile required legal changes and optional policy choices. The consultants said some legal compliance items are mandatory, while other measures are policy options the city can choose to codify for transparency or local preference.