WALDPORT – The city of Waldport has received state grants totaling $53,000 to help it determine its future housing needs and at the same time help update the city’s zoning codes and land-use map.
The grants come from the state Land Conservation and Development Commission, which is offering dozens of such “housing needs assessments” to cities around Oregon.
Much of the assessment work will be done by the Angelo Planning Group of Portland, which also helped develop a countywide housing study in 2019.
Waldport city planner Holly Hamilton will put together a local stakeholders group made up of representatives of the City Council, Planning Commission, and community representatives including builders, business owners, the chamber of commerce and residents.
“For the first time Waldport is going to do a deeper-level review of housing,” Hamilton said.
The study will help identify the amount and location of buildable land for housing, including single-family, multi-family and workforce housing. It should also help determine if the city needs to expand its urban growth boundary – extend its city limits – to accommodate more housing.
The city plans to form the task force in January and begin meetings to gather comments. Hamilton said the study should be completed by September for council approval.
“Waldport has a lot of buildable land,” Hamilton said. “We just need to convince people to do it.”
North of the golf course there is acreage, and also near the recycle station. Bare land. All within 3/4 of a mile of the schools .And, it’s out of the Tsunami Zone. There must not be enough profit for a developer to do it. Why hasn’t Waldport looked into housing before this? Lincoln City has succeeded.