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Governor Kotek Announces Landmark Office to Spur Housing is Open for Business
Housing Accountability and Production Office will assist local governments and developers to meet housing production goals
Salem, OR – Today, Governor Tina Kotek announced the full launch of the Housing Accountability and Production Office (HAPO), a joint office between the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) and the Building Codes Division (BCD), part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). HAPO is an essential piece of the Governor’s ongoing work to build the homes Oregonians need. “My North Star is for every Oregonian to be able to afford a home. Our economic prosperity depends on it. I believe that we can get this done. And, it is still a monumental task,” Governor Kotek said. “Many counties, cities, and builders have leaned in to tackle this generational crisis, and the state should do everything possible to make it easier. I designed HAPO to be a missing catalyst in the equation, and I’m excited to see what we’ll get done. HAPO was created through Senate Bill 1537 (2024), designed to work in tandem with policy and funding bills signed by the Governor since taking office to urgently address the lack of housing in Oregon. The office will bolster Oregon’s housing production by creating a more predictable regulatory environment for builders and supporting local governments in meeting their housing goals. Specifically, HAPO will unlock housing units at risk of not being built across the state by:
- Starting with technical assistance but ultimately enforcing state housing production laws by investigating complaints of non-compliance and working with local governments to address issues.
- Identifying and streamlining available state resources for developers and local governments by acting as a liaison between state agencies and creating more efficient collaboration.
- Conducting research and providing guidance to inform how the state and local governments can achieve Oregon’s housing production needs.
“HAPO will play a vital role in delivering on the state’s housing obligations — that exist in Oregon’s Statewide Planning Goals — for cities and counties,” Director of DLCD, Brenda Bateman, said. “This is a massive step towards making sure that our community members have a safe and affordable place to call home.” The office is jointly managed by Joel Madsen and Tony Rocco. “Governor Kotek and the Legislature’s vision for HAPO is coming into focus,” Madsen said. “Coordination of Oregon’s state and local processes connected to housing production creates exciting opportunities for change.” “The Housing Accountability and Production Office will serve as a bridge between our local government partners and our housing developers and builders across the state,” Rocco said. “We have the tools to support collaboration on the foundational goal we all share of building more safe, efficient, and cost-effective housing for all Oregonians.” View HAPO’s website here.
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Oregon’s statewide land use planning program —originated in 1973 under Senate Bill 100 — protects farm and forest lands, conserves natural resources, promotes livable communities, facilitates orderly and efficient development, helps coordination among local governments, and enables community engagement.
The program affords all Oregonians predictability and sustainability to the development process by ensuring allocation of urban land for industrial, commercial, and housing development. The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) administers the program. A seven-member volunteer citizen board known as the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) guides DLCD.
Under the program, all cities and counties have adopted comprehensive plans that meet mandatory state standards. The standards are 19 Statewide Planning Goals that address land use, development, housing, transportation, and conservation of natural resources. Technical assistance in the form of grants to local jurisdictions is a key element of the program.
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