Oregon Oregon’s state legislature passed what is essentially a ban on single-family home zoning in 2019, implementing a measure that requires cities with more than 10,000 people to allow duplexes to be built in areas zoned for single-family homes. The law goes a step further in the Portland metro area, requiring cities and counties to allow the building of housing such as quadplexes and “cottage clusters” of homes, or small homes built around the same yard, to be permitted. The law is one of the first statewide measures to greenlight the type of housing known as “missing middle” housing, which is buildings between single-family homes and mid or high-rise apartments. Buildings such as quadplexes, three-flats, or courtyard apartments used to be more commonplace, but many communities made them illegal under single-family zoning policy, a decision that has come under new scrutiny amid housing shortages, racial equity movements, and climate concerns. The legislation was a step toward increasing housing production, and in February of 2023, state legislators are trying to further speed up housing construction by simplifying local rules. The proposal wants to annually estimate the amount of new housing needed in cities with populations of 10,000 or more and would hold cities accountable if they don’t take steps to cut the red tape and boost development. Key Facts Status Most Impact Approach Legislation passed State and Local and in effect Avg. House Price 2023 Population Growth From 2010-2020 $485,000 up 10.6% or 406,182 people 16