Status (overview) of bill: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB2258
Ways & Mans appropriated $631,806 for rulemaking.
HB 2258 removes all local decision making. Cities need to be responsive to our constituents. The public process for Land Use creates Comprehensive Plan Policies and Zoning Laws that are supported by the people, should remain in place. Planning is about addressing community needs and desires. Local plans and regulations reflect what the community has requested and values. Oregonians want cities to reflect their community’s character; local regulations, like design standards in Zoning codes, make sure that happens.
Oregon is a vast and diverse state. Local governments tailor their local codes and zoning to their communities’ needs and concerns; some communities need to address wind and flooding in their building codes while others may need to think more about wildfire. Some have an aging population and may need to think about aging in place, while others may need more homes for growing families or young professionals. A home that may work well for one region may be unsafe or not fit for the community needs in another. This bill creates a one-size fits all model for housing, which does not work for our communities.
The red tape could be eliminated by revising the rules causing the red tape. The patch work in this bill doesn’t resolve the underlying problems.