Three state agencies are working together to promote the creation of housing through the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis (OHNA). The OHNA is a new component to Oregon’s statewide land use planning system intended to facilitate housing production, affordability and choice to meet housing needs for Oregonians statewide. House Bill 2001 (2023) directed Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to implement OHNA methodologies, tools, and rules.
In December 2024, the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) unanimously adopted the first set of rules DLCD will use to implement comprehensive housing planning reforms. DLCD aims to shift the implementation of housing planning from a narrow focus on zoning and land capacity towards a more comprehensive framework that considers the state’s specific housing needs.
“Our department looks forward to rolling up our sleeves and working closely with local governments and our partner agencies to implement this critical reform to our state’s land use planning program,” said DLCD Director Brenda Bateman. “The factors that have contributed to our state’s current housing shortage are complex, I am proud of the role that DLCD and our commission is playing to get closer to a future where all Oregonians have access to housing that meets their unique needs.”
This new approach emphasizes the collaboration between state and local governments in promoting the diverse housing needs of all Oregonians. LCDC will adopt additional OHNA implementation rules by January 2026.
The implementation of the OHNA relies heavily on new tools created by DAS and OHNA.
DAS developed a methodology to estimate the state’s total number of housing units needed over a 20-year time period and set housing production benchmarks for cities with 10,000 or more people. DAS published the methodology and first set of production targets in early January 2025 and will do so annually.
“OHNA represents a deeply analytical approach toward statewide land use planning for both housing and urbanization,” said Carl Riccadonna, state chief economist. “This is the first time that a statewide methodology has been implemented and considers more components than prior methodologies enacted at the local level.”
Additionally, OHCS developed a housing production dashboard to monitor local governments’ progress towards its housing production targets. This includes indicators that OHCS established to monitor equitable housing outcomes by local governments. OHCS published the production dashboard and the housing equity indicators on January 1, 2025, and will update them annually.
“We are incredibly proud of the collaboration with other state agencies, local partners, and nonprofit organizations that helped us create these tools to measure housing progress in Oregon,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. “Creating affordable housing is not just about building structures, it’s about communities coming together with the collective goal to help one another.”
