Oregon legislators clear the way for more residential, farmworker housing in Woodburn
The Oregon Legislature passed HB 4035, allowing Woodburn to expedite its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion to build 600 homes, including affordable farmworker housing, with Gov. Tina Kotek’s signature still needed. The bill streamlines timelines while maintaining compliance with SB 100 (1973)’s land use protections, after an earlier proposal (Senate Bill 1564) that would have bypassed the process entirely stalled following opposition from land use watchdogs like 1000 Friends of Oregon. The unique agreement requires private developer Mountainview Land Company to donate five acres for farmworker housing, marking an unprecedented collaboration between private development and community organizations in addressing housing needs for Woodburn’s majority-Latinx agricultural workforce.