Relating to Clackamas County community land trust housing; prescribing an effective date.
Summary
HB 3503 directs the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department (OHCS) to send state funds to Community LendingWorks for a targeted housing program in Clackamas County. The money would be used to provide grants to public benefit corporations to acquire housing currently owned by the Housing Authority of Clackamas County, repair and renovate those homes, and operate them as a community land trust. The bill also requires homebuyer education and counseling for prospective purchasers.
The homes assisted under the program must be sold only to first-time home buyers and remain subject to affordability restrictions. Those restrictions are intended to keep the units affordable for low-income households and limit the buyer’s ability to capture the full appreciation in home value, consistent with Oregon’s existing community land trust and affordable housing framework. The bill appropriates $4.2 million from the General Fund for the 2025-27 biennium and repeals the program on January 2, 2028.
Impact
The bill creates a new, temporary statutory program within ORS chapter 458 for a Clackamas County community land trust initiative. It requires OHCS to disburse funds to Community LendingWorks, which then distributes grants for acquisition, rehabilitation, refinancing readiness, land-trust operation, and homebuyer counseling. It also adds a specific General Fund appropriation of $4.2 million and establishes a sunset date, meaning the new section will expire in 2028 unless extended or reenacted. The measure affects OHCS, Community LendingWorks, the Housing Authority of Clackamas County, public benefit corporations involved in the project, and eligible first-time low-income homebuyers.
Sentiment
The available vote history suggests generally favorable committee support for the bill. It received a 9-1 do pass recommendation in the House committee process, indicating broad agreement on the need for the targeted housing intervention. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to show broader public or legislative sentiment beyond the vote itself.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the use of $4.2 million in General Fund dollars for a geographically limited program and the policy choice to direct funds through a specific nonprofit intermediary, Community LendingWorks, rather than through a broader statewide housing program. Another possible issue is the affordability structure itself: the bill intentionally limits equity gains for buyers and restricts eligibility to first-time, low-income households, which may draw differing views about balancing long-term affordability against wealth-building for homeowners. The 9-1 committee vote suggests these concerns did not prevent strong support, but they remain the most likely areas of disagreement.