City Seeks Applicants For Equitable Housing Advisory Team; Applications Due Sept. 15

OREGON CITY, OR — Residents interested in city policies and codes related to housing and development have until Sept. 15 to submit their applications for a spot on the city's Equitable House Policy Project Advisory Team.

The team is designed to represent a wide swath of Oregon City constituents, who while on the team will advise city officials on the types of housing that should be available in Oregon City, discuss the best ways to remove barriers to establishing equitable housing for all, and help implement strategies to incentivize more residents to get involved in the community and participate with policy-minded groups.

"City Commission and staff are excited to hear from the community and citizens throughout Oregon City about how to provide more types of housing options," Pete Walter, Oregon City Planner, said in a statement. "The first step is forming a Project Advisory Team that represents a range of interests and perspectives. Particular emphasis will be placed on engaging communities of color and low-income populations and positively impacting housing choice and availability for those groups."

A grant from Metro is reportedly how the city was able to create the team, which will be assisted by Portland-based consulting firm Cogan Owens Greene.

The team is expected to meet roughly five times between Fall 2017 and Spring 2018, city officials said.

According to the city's team overview, prospective team members should come from one (or more) of the following categories:

• City Commission (1)
• Planning Commission (1)
• Citizen Involvement Committee (2)
• Oregon City Resident (2)
• Single-Family Developer Interest (1)
• Multi-Family/Mixed Use Developer Interest (1)
• Business Community (OC Chamber, Main Street or OC Business Alliance) (1)
• At large (Youth, Elderly, Working Family) (3)
• Technical Advisory Team member (1)
• Developer of regulated affordable housing (1) and,
• An organization representing low income families and/or communities of color (1), and
• Additional at-large position to be filled if needed based on any additional needs (1)

Interested applicants can contact Walter by calling 503-496-1568, or emailing pwalter@orcity.org. For more information, or for a link to the application, click here to visit the project website.

Photo Courtesy: City of Oregon City