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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Emergency services, March 4 ... Pot grows illegal on rural residential land in Jackson County ... Oregon lawmakers pass housing bills as session ends ... Emergency services, March 4 ... Pot grows illegal on rural residential land in Jackson County ... Oregon lawmakers pass housing bills as session ends ... OUR VIEW Our View: It's sausage-making time in Salem Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News As the Legislature careens toward this weekend's deadline to adjourn, it's clear the session is well into the sausage-making stage. A case in point is a bill originally intended to lift a statewide ban on cities' ability to require affordable housing in new developments. Oregon is one of only two states in the country that do not allow cities to enact what is known as inclusionary zoning. The other is Texas. To be clear, the bill would not require affordable housing anywhere. It would merely allow cities to require it if they choose. That's known as local control, which used to be considered a good thing, especially among conservatives. As originally written, SB 1533 would have allowed cities to enact mandatory inclusionary zoning to require developers of new single-family or multi-family housing projects to offer up to 30 percent of the units at prices affordable by persons earning up to 60 percent of the median income. In exchange, developers would receive incentives that could include tax breaks, fee waivers, density adjustments and expedited permits This week, the House is considering the bill, which was dramatically scaled back before passing the Senate. The measure now applies only to multi-family structures, and only to structures containing at least 20 units. An earlier version would have applied to 10-unit buildings. Single-family developments are no longer included. The proportion of affordable units a city can require is now capped at 20 percent. And units are now deemed "affordable" if they are within the means of a person earning up to 80 percent of the median income. As amended, SB 1533 now would make little sense for small communities without large apartment buildings, would require a much looser definition of "affordable," and would still bar cities from applying inclusionary zoning to single-family developments. So much for local control. Amending bills to make them more likely to pass is nothing new; it's how the system works. But it can bleed the life out of well-intentioned legislation. Removing the statewide ban on inclusionary zoning is still worth doing, if only to give cities the option of exercising a little more control over their local housing market. But the final version of SB 1533 may be too watered down to be of much use. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501