La Grande Housing Production Strategy

La Grande, OR | 2021

Cascadia Partners was selected to lead one of four pilot projects statewide to test the application of new Housing Production Strategy (HPS) requirements under Oregon House Bill 2003 for the City of La Grande. Cascadia proposed an approach that would both meet the newly adopted state Oregon Administrative Rules while also tailoring our work and process to best meet the needs of the City and the community.Cascadia’s approach to the HPS was unique and effective in several ways:

• The firm used a variety of data sources and visualizations to effectively highlight equity implications of segments of the community with unmet housing needs.
• The firm conducted an in-depth audit of the City’s zoning code to identify a number of specific changes that could have a measurable impact on housing production.
• Each strategy was evaluated qualitatively for not only its ability to produce housing at certain income levels, but also to meet the needs of target populations, tenure types, and housing types.
• A virtual open house walked the community through potential strategies and solicited their input early in the process, allowing the firm to refine strategies to most effectively meet key needs.

The HPS was adopted by the City Council in the summer of 2021.DLCD staff commended the La Grande HPS for its focus on equitable housing outcomes and for building consensus support for significant policy and zoning changes.