Housing Production Strategy

Gresham needs more housing. The housing production strategy project will create a six-year plan to address Gresham's unmet housing needs:

Gresham doesn't have enough housing for its population of over 114,000.
The City is expected to grow by another 6,229 households by 2041.
Housing is not affordable for many of Gresham's residents.

This project is part of the City's overall housing efforts.

The project includes a focus on housing equity with public input.
The plan will include tools, policies and actions.

Project information

Status and Updates
Project Schedule
Project Background
Project Documents
Contact

Status and Updates

The Housing Production Strategy project is nearing adoption. The Planning Commission held a hearing on the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments on Monday, April 10. They forwarded a recommendation for approval to the City Council.

City Council held hearings on the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments and the proposed Housing Production Strategy on June 6. City Council approved both documents. Adoption of the changes to the Comprehensive Plan and the Housing Production Strategy will be on the July 11 City Council meeting agenda.

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Project Schedule

Project schedule

Winter 2022: Project kick-off: Refining the schedule and recruiting a project advisory group.
Spring/Summer 2022: Gathering data and feedback: Collecting and analyzing data and public engagement.
Summer/Fall 2022: Strategies to meet future housing needs: Using what we learn to develop action measures.
- Community liaison led focus groups with key underserved communities about their experience with housing.
  Project advisory group made up of housing developers and service providers formed and met about community contexts and strategy formation.
- Consultants interviewed housing developers and service providers to identify barriers to housing production.
Fall/Winter 2022: Draft and final housing production strategy report.
Spring/Summer 2023: Housing production strategy review and adoption.

Project Background

There is a housing crisis. Not just in Oregon, but nationwide.

To address this, the Oregon State legislature passed House Bill 2003 in 2019 to help local communities meet the diverse housing needs of Oregonians. The law requires Gresham to study future housing needs of its residents and develop strategies to encourage production of needed housing.

The bill requires Gresham to analyze what housing is needed every six years for both current and future residents (Housing Capacity Analysis).
The bill then requires every city to adopt a Housing Production Strategy (HPS). The strategy includes specific tools, actions and policies to promote the development of all identified housing needs – such as revising regulations or providing financial incentives.

The HPS overlaps with the City's housing priorities in Gresham's Strategic Plan. And it directly relates to the Council’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion project.

Public involvement efforts

Interviews and focus groups with:
- Housing developers: people who design or build housing or land developers.
- Housing consumers: owners and renters; also including property managers.
- Housing service providers: organizations that run shelters or provide transitional, supportive, affordable, cooperative or special housing.
Public open houses
Project advisory group meetings
Planning Commission work sessions and hearings
Council round table meetings and hearings

Why this work is important

Gresham will need more than 6,000 new dwelling units in the next 20 years and a wider variety of housing types than is currently being built.

Based on census estimates, about 44% of Gresham’s households are paying more than 30% of their income on rent (cost burdened) and 21% are paying more than 50% (severely cost burdened).

These percentages are higher in Gresham than elsewhere in Multnomah County.
The cost burden of Gresham residents varies by ownership status.
About 64% of Gresham renters are cost burdened, and about 28% of Gresham homeowners are cost burdened.

Cost burden also varies by race and ethnicity. In the Portland metro region, the percentage of households paying more than 30% of their income in rent are:

American Indian or Alaska Native: 54%
Asian: 39%
Black or African American: 53%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 25%
White: 46%
Hispanic or Latino (of all races): 57%