Real Estate
Housing Hillsboro: House Bill 2001
Community outreach, primarily focused on education, will introduce the project to the community.
June 3 , 2021
The Housing Hillsboro project aims to meet the growing need for housing choices that are accessible, affordable, and fit the diverse needs of our community now and in the future.
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The project carries forward the City’s commitment to affordable and accessible housing reflected in past and current City Council Priorities, the Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan, and the Hillsboro Comprehensive Plan. It will also help fulfill the need for 16,040 new housing units by 2036, as forecasted by the 2016 Housing Needs Analysis.
Housing Hillsboro has expanded to bring the City's regulations and procedures into compliance with House Bill 2001, also known as the Housing Choices Bill, which the Oregon State Legislature passed in 2019. The new statewide law requires cities to allow middle housing such as duplexes, triplexes, and cottage clusters to be built in areas traditionally zoned for single-family homes. During the project, staff will also explore ways to encourage middle housing development and reduce regulatory barriers.
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Project Phases
Phase 1: Code Development
November 2020 through June 2021
The first phase will focus on developing code concepts for the Community Development Code that suit the needs of the Hillsboro community and meet the requirements of House Bill 2001.
- Staff will work with the project Advisory Committee to gain clear direction about the scope of code amendments, community outreach, policy development, and infrastructure planning that will be needed in the Code Refinement Phase.
- Community outreach, primarily focused on education, will introduce the project to the community.
Phase 2: Code Refinement
July 2021 through December 2021
Community outreach will take place and drafts of the code and comprehensive plan amendments will be shared with the public.
- Middle housing siting and design standards and land use procedures will be drafted and refined.
- The community will have the opportunity to provide input on the draft amendments.
- Technical analysis and recommendations will advise facility and infrastructure planning to support anticipated housing.
Phase 3: Code Adoption
January 2022 through June 2022
This phase will focus on the regulatory findings, public hearings, and adoption process necessary to meet the State mandated adoption deadline of June 30, 2022.
Timeline
Fall 2020*
- Rulemaking
- Code Assessment
- Public Engagement Strategy
- Project Information
Winter 2020*
- Code Concepts
- Infrastructure Analysis
- Public Event
- Advisory Committee Meetings
*These activities are funded by an Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development Planning Assistance Grant.
Spring and Summer 2021
- Code Drafting
- Public Events
- Advisory Committee Meetings
- Council Updates
Fall and Winter 2021
- Text Amendments
- Public Events
- Commission and Council Hearings
Spring 2022
- Council Hearings
- Text Adoption
Fact Sheets in English and Spanish
English
Download and print the fact sheets for detailed information on the Housing Hillsboro project.
Español
Descargue y imprima las hojas de datos para información detallada sobre el Proyecto de Vivienda en Hillsboro.
Community Engagement and Events
As these code changes will impact many community members in Hillsboro, we will ensure that timely, accurate, and accessible information is shared on this project webpage, during virtual community events, and at public hearings and work sessions.
Submit Questions or Comments
Advisory Committee Work Sessions
Members of the Planning Commission will serve as the project’s Advisory Committee and will provide key feedback and review at each stage of the project.
The Advisory Committee work sessions will be hosted virtually and are open to the public to listen in. For meeting dates, materials, and information, visit the Planning Commission page on our CivicWeb portal. There will not be an opportunity to provide verbal testimony during these meetings.
Community Events
Our community survey is open now through June 18, 2021.
Our first virtual community event is anticipated this summer. Please check back for updated information.
Planning Commission Public Hearings
During the Code Adoption Phase, the new regulations will be presented to the Planning Commission at a series of public hearings. Public testimony will be taken during these hearings. For meeting dates, materials, and information, visit the Planning Commission page on our CivicWeb portal.
House Bill 2001
By June 30, 2022, Hillsboro must amend our Community Development Code to allow:
- Duplexes in all residential zones on all lots or parcels where a detached a single-family dwelling is allowed.
- Triplexes, quadplexes, cottage clusters, and townhomes in all residential zones that allow single-family detached dwellings.
- Conversions of existing detached single-family dwellings to middle housing types, subject to applicable standards.
Most zones that allow single-family housing in Hillsboro are likely to see a loosening or removal of middle housing limitations to comply with these requirements. House Bill 2001 does not ban single-family dwellings. To learn more about the recommended changes to Hillsboro's current housing code, read the 2019 Housing Code Audit.
Details
In response to House Bill 2001 and its companion bill House Bill 2003, Oregon's Land Conservation and Development Commission developed and adopted Oregon Administrative Rules Division 46 and model code standards for large cities like Hillsboro in December 2020.
The City of Hillsboro must comply with the new law and associated Oregon Administrative Rules by June 30, 2022. Jurisdictions that do not adopt new standards on time must use the state’s model code standards instead of their own.
The Housing Hillsboro project will result in new regulations that comply with the State rules, yet are customized to our community’s unique vision and needs.
- These new regulations apply to all zoning districts in which residential dwellings are the primary use and which implement a residential comprehensive plan map designation.
The City of Hillsboro does not contain any historic districts, but House Bill 2001 will apply in historic districts in other jurisdictions.
Requirements
Lot Standards
Middle housing must be allowed on lands zoned for residential use. A duplex must be allowed on a lot that allows a detached single-family dwelling. Other middle housing types are allowed based on lot size:
- Triplex: allowed on a lot at least 5,000 square feet in size
- Quadplex: allowed on a lot at least 7,000 square feet or the same as a detached single-family home, whichever is greater
- Cottage Cluster: allowed on a lot at least 7,000 square feet in size
Townhouses must be allowed as well. The average minimum lot or parcel size for a townhouse project may not be greater than 1,500 square feet. Separate minimum sizes for internal, external, and corner lots or parcels may be provided if they average 1,500 square feet or less.
A city is not permitted to extend its existing maximum density standards to middle housing.
Design Standards
In order to further remove barriers to the development of middle housing, the City can choose to apply the same design standards it applies to detached single-family dwellings or choose an approach that meets or is less restrictive than the adopted model code. In situations where detached single-family units are converted into middle housing, the application of design standards must not be applied.
Parking standards for middle housing may not exceed one space per dwelling unit.
Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions
Commonly called CC&Rs, these are rules established by a developer or homeowners association that governs residences in a particular neighborhood — typically a subdivision or planned development.
House Bill 2001 prohibits the establishment of new CC&Rs or similar instruments that would prohibit building middle housing in a residential neighborhood. However, Hillsboro and other cities do not have the authority to eliminate, or enforce, existing CC&Rs.
Middle Housing
Middle housing is designed to accommodate more residents than single-family homes, but less than large multifamily complexes. Nearly every single-family zone in the City allows some form of middle housing. The City’s regulations aim to maintain the look, feel, and scale of the surrounding neighborhood while allowing for a variety of housing options.
- Learn about the different types of middle housing in the State of Oregon's Housing Choices Guide Book.
- Type your address into our Hillsboro Maps tool to see what types of housing development are currently allowed in your neighborhood.
- Learn which zones in Hillsboro currently permit each middle housing type below.
Duplex
A duplex is a middle housing type with two separate attached or detached dwelling units on a lot with their own entrances.
Currently, duplexes are permitted in the SFR-4.5, SCR-LD, SCR-DNC, and Multi-Family residential zones, depending on density and minimum lot size requirements, and in many Mixed-Use zones. Duplexes may also be constructed in limited cases in large subdivisions in the SFR-10, SFR-8.5, SFR-7, and SFR-6 zones.
Triplex and Quadplex
- A triplex is a middle housing structure with three distinct attached or detached dwelling units on one lot.
- A quadplex is a type of middle housing that contains four attached or detached dwelling units on one lot.
Currently, triplexes and quadplexes are considered “multiple dwelling structures” and are permitted housing types in SCR-DNC and Multi-Family residential zones, depending on density and minimum lot size requirements, and in many Mixed-Use zones.
Triplexes and quadplexes may be constructed through the Planned Unit Development process in the SFR-10, SFR-8.5, SFR-7, SFR-6, SFR-4.5, and SCR-LD zones.
Townhouse
Also commonly referred to as a “row house,” this housing type is characterized by attached units each on a separate lot and its own entry from a public or shared street or common area.
Currently, two-unit townhouses are considered similar to duplex dwelling units and permitted in the same residential zones (see above).
Townhouses with three or more dwelling units are permitted in the SCR-LD, SCR-DNC , and Multi-Family residential zones, and in many Mixed-Use zones. In lower density Single-Family Residential zones, these larger townhouses may be constructed through the Planned Unit Development process.
Cottage Cluster
According to HB 2001, a cottage cluster is no fewer than four detached dwelling units per acre with a footprint of less than 900 square feet each that includes a common courtyard.
This housing type is currently not recognized in the Community Development Code.
Accessory Dwelling Unit
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are small, secondary housing units constructed on the same property as a single-family house.
ADUs have been allowed on single-family residential lots in Hillsboro since the 1990s. In early 2020, the Community Development Code was amended to ease architectural standards and remove the off-street parking requirements.
Hillsboro is currently in compliance with HB 2001 requirements for ADUs. Staff will look for additional ways to reduce regulatory barriers for ADUs.
This press release was produced by the City of Hillsboro. The views expressed here are the author’s own.