Clatsop County Housing Information and Resources

LAWDUC Changes to facilitate housing production

While most housing is developed in cities, Clatsop County is also updating and changing development codes and standards to facilitate housing production in the unincorporated parts of the county. An extensive public engagement process has brought input from community members. The Clatsop County Planning Commission has recommended that the Board of County Commissioners approve these changes.

Clear and Objective Standards for Housing 

In 2023, HB 3197 was adopted by the Oregon Legislature. The bill requires counties to adopt clear and objective standards for housing in all unincorporated communities and on rural residential lands. Standards must be adopted by July 1, 2025. Clatsop County begin work on this project in December 2023 and to date, has completed a first review of its entire zoning code. Adoption hearings are currently scheduled for February and March 2025.

Housing Planning Assistance Grant

In 2023, Clatsop County was awarded a Housing Planning Assistance Grant from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). This will build on Clatsop County’s 2019 Housing Study and will conduct important research about the buildable land, infrastructure, and housing needs for all five cities and the unincorporated areas in Clatsop County. The Regional Housing Task Force serves as the steering committee for this project, which is managed by county staff. The project will be complete by June 2024. 

OHNA Rulemaking

In 2019, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 2003, establishing the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis (OHNA), intended to update the processes and requirements of Goal 10: Housing, which is part of Oregon’s statewide land use planning program. In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 2001, further directing the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), and Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to estimate housing production needs for the state, to establish housing production targets statewide and for individual communities, and to develop a program to implement the OHNA.

Clatsop County staff have been participating in the OHNA Rulemaking to ensure that the needs of our North Coast communities are considered and addressed in establishing housing production targets for our area, and to ensure that state assistance will be available to help Clatsop County and its cities have the resources needed to produce housing in our communities over the next 20 years.

The OHNA rules are scheduled to take effect January 1, 2025.

OHNA 2022 Legislative Recommendations Report

September 2024 OHNA Update to LCDC

Economic Opportunities Analysis

Clatsop County’s economy is closely tied to housing. For businesses and industries to thrive, they need workers. In Clatsop County, workers often struggle to find housing close to where they work and that is affordable to their families. Because Clatsop County is a recreational community, many of the homes in our area are used as second homes or vacation rentals, making them unavailable for local residents and workers. As required by the state, Clatsop County is preparing an Economic Opportunities Analysis with a range of strategies intended to support the economic health and growth of our area. This includes key goals and strategies to ensure Clatsop County’s workforce has access to the housing they need to be able to live and work in our community.