No matter if you are a renter or looking to own, housing in Oregon is becoming less affordable, available, and attainable. The City of Independence is no exception. Currently, there are limited housing options to meet the needs for both existing and future residents , and there is no established roadmap for understanding and determining the types of housing that are most needed, and to what degree.

Luckily, the City of Independence has been awarded funding through the State of Oregon to create a Housing Needs Analysis to begin to address this problem. The project will:

  • Evaluate the city’s housing needs and
  • Identify actions and solutions to address those housing needs.

The City of Independence Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing on a draft of the document on July 10th at 7:00 PM at the Independence Civic Center.

A Housing Needs Analysis (HNA) is a study of a city’s existing and future housing needs. The HNA is used to determine

  • If the city has enough land zoned for housing to meet projected needs over 20 years.
  • If more land is needed for specific type(s) of housing, such as apartments or single-family detached houses.

Further, the findings of an HNA help the city to identify actions and solutions to facilitate development of needed housing, such as zoning changes or incentive programs.

Oregon cities with a population larger than 10,000 people are now required to conduct an HNA that measures the potential demand for housing and land capacity. Current population projections show that Independence will need over 2,000 new housing units across a range of income levels to meet future housing needs. The analysis will include strategies and recommendations to meet this demand while providing a diverse range of housing options.

If you have questions, please contact Fred Evander, City Planner, at 503.837.1168 or fevander@ci.independence.or.us.