Housing Commission briefed on new production strategies

Will Chappell Headlight Reporter

Tillamook County’s Housing Commission met on March 2, 2023, and was briefed on different strategies that the state government recommends to increase housing.

No decisions were made at the meeting, but commissioners were asked to investigate the strategies further and begin thinking about which would be appropriate for Tillamook.

Tillamook County’s Housing Coordinator Thomas Fiorelli went through five different potential strategies that the state has identified for increasing housing stock.

The first was ensuring that land zoned for high density use is used for highdensity housing rather than single-family homes by enacting minimum density standards. This approach would take time to see the conversion of lower density housing stock, but as buildings went through updates or rebuilds it would help to increase capacity.

The second option Fiorelli discussed was updating the code of ordinances to allow for a wider variety of housing in the county. County Commissioners’ recent decision to allow accessory dwelling units in the county is a good example of this type of change, as would be allowances for micro-units, manufactured housing, multifamily housing or single room occupancy. Changing the code to allow for the redevelopment of large single-family homes into multiunit buildings was the third strategy detailed by Fiorelli.

The final two strategies were ones to financially incentivize development. The first was providing financial incentives and resources directly to developers to induce development, while the final strategy was working with employers to help build accommodation for their employees.

Fiorelli asked commissioners to further consider the strategies ahead of their next meeting so that they can choose which to begin working towards.

Commissioners also had a brief discussion on the possibility of expanding county support to the development of single-family homes. Currently, the county offers grants to developers of multifamily housing units, funded by short-term rental license operator fees. Commissioners agreed that it was a good idea to promote a wider range of development types. They generally favored grants to developers rather than home buyers as a more effective way to stimulate new building.

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