Oregon legislation · 2025 Legislative Measures
Oregon HB2964: Relating to affordable housing; and declaring an emergency.
Status: Chaptered, July 25, 2025
Digest: This Act makes OHCS provide loans for costs of low cost housing predevelopment. (Flesch Readability Score: 69.9). [ Digest: This Act creates a temporary program for OHCS to award grants and loans for housing prep. (Flesch Readability Score: 74.2). ] Requires the Housing and Community Services Department to award [ grants ] loans for the predevelopment costs of affordable housing [ and a grant to assist nonprofits receiving grants or loans under this Act. Sunsets January 2, 2028 ]. Requires the department to adopt initial rules by June 1, 2026, and to combine other existing predevelopment loan programs. [ Establishes the Affordable Housing Predevelopment Loan Fund. Continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department to award loans for predevelopment costs of affordable housing. ] [ Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the department for grants and loans. ] Declares an emergency, effective on passage.
What the bill says
From the enrolled text, June 12, 2025:
83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session House Bill 2964 Sponsored by Representatives GAMBA, JAVADI; Representatives ANDERSEN, BOICE, CHAICHI, CHOTZEN, DOBSON, FRAGALA, HARTMAN, HUDSON, MANNIX, MCLAIN, NERON, PHAM H, SOSA, Senators FREDERICK, HAYDEN, PATTERSON, TAYLOR (Presession filed.) CHAPTER ................................................. Relating to affordable housing; and declaring an emergency. SECTION 1. Section 2 of this 2025 Act is added to and made a part of ORS chapter 458. SECTION 2. (1) The Housing and Community Services Department shall award loans to be used for the predevelopment costs of developing new housing. (2) Eligible predevelopment costs that may be funded by loans under this section include: (a) Professional services, including architectural, engineering, land use planning or legal services; (b) Studies, including site feasibility, market, environmental, traffic, land, zoning, geotechnical, arborist or capital needs assessments; (c) Development fees, including entitlement, permitting or state application fees; (d) Community engagement efforts; or (e) Other costs that can be directly connected to and assist with specific development projects and meet standards developed by the department. (3) Loans provided under this section may not be used to purchase land. (4) To be eligible for loans under this section, the new housing must be subject to an affordability restriction making the property affordable to rent or own by a low income household, as defined in ORS 456.270, for a minimum …