New urban growth boundary expansion criteria helps Woodburn, statewide affordable housing efforts
Two bills passed this session to expand Oregon’s 2024 urban growth boundary expansion law for affordable housing: HB 4035 (2026), which broadened eligibility to “rent burdened” cities and allows use of resource land, and HB 4082 (2026), requested by Gov. Tina Kotek, which enables expansions for manufactured housing for seniors. The legislation particularly benefits Woodburn, a rent-burdened city surrounded by farmland that can now pursue development of a 120-acre site outside its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), though concerns remain from 1000 Friends of Oregon about prioritizing development within existing boundaries. The bills aim to address Oregon’s housing crisis by streamlining the expansion process while maintaining local land-use requirements and public input procedures.