COASTAL OREGON HOUSING WORK

Coos and Curry County, OR

how can a remote market with insufficient housing supply get itself unstuck?

SUMMARY

In 2017, a group of housing advocates and stakeholders in Coos County, Oregon began to ask why housing had ceased to be built in any meaningful volumes and why the housing that was being built was too expensive for the local workforce to afford.

The United Way of Southwestern Oregon retained czb to analyze the county’s housing market, determine the reasons that housing was not being built as quickly as desired, and craft strategies to help prompt construction of new housing for the region’s workforce.

Following the initial project in Coos County, czb was retained again:

  • By the United Way of Southwestern Oregon to complete a similar analysis for Curry County, located immediately to the south of Coos County.

  • By Coos County to update the housing element of its comprehensive plan.

  • By the United Way to provide organizational and implementation support to the Coos County Housing Action Team as they implement the county's housing action plan.



Data to Inform Policy Decisions


Throughout the multiple years of work in this remote two-county region of Oregon’s coast, czb worked extensively with local and county governments as well as non-profits and private sector organizations. The work has been built upon solid analysis and strategy, but brought to life by czb’s facilitation skills and hand-in-glove collaboration with a diverse cross section of community stakeholders.



A multi-pronged approach to fully address the housing issues in Coos County


Strategies to Spur New Housing for the Region's Workforce


TAKING ACTION TO ADDRESS HOUSING DYNAMICS IN CURRY COUNTY


Planning Leads to Action

As a result of czb's work, Coos County has established an affordable housing trust fund and local employers in the two counties have begun to plan for direct investments in new housing. Community leaders and county officials are working on plans for the trust fund's long-term financial viability.

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