West PDX Today

Hillsboro is a growing community with more than 109,000 residents of all ages, incomes, and abilities. The City’s population has increased significantly over the past 20 years, and with it, the need for a variety of housing to meet our community’s diverse needs.  

Now, the City is looking towards the future and forecasting the community’s housing needs over the next 20 years.  

• What will the future housing needs of Hillsboro’s growing population look like?  
• Is there enough residential land to meet these needs?  
• And will the supply of housing meet the needs of community members at all income levels?  

These are some of the questions answered by the 2023 Housing Needs Analysis, which aims to help Hillsboro meet the housing needs of its residents. 

Listening & Engaging Our Community

Over the past year, the City listened and engaged with a wide-cross section of Hillsboro’s community members to inform the Housing Needs Analysis. The City partnered with community-based organizations to engage Historically Marginalized Communities through focus groups in both English and Spanish speaking   receiving valuable insight into housing needs.  

In addition, a Community Advisory Committee — made up of a diverse range of community members, housing professionals, and local nonprofits — was formed to assess whether there is an adequate supply and variety of housing for Hillsboro community members at all income levels.

Outcomes  

Completed in June 2023, the Housing Needs Analysis looked at the amount of buildable land available for housing and forecasts the need for additional housing units over the next 20 years.  

The analysis concluded that by the year 2043: 

• There will be a need for approximately 2,300 additional housing units beyond what is already planned — or the equivalent of 175 acres of land.  
• Of the 2,300 additional units needed, just over half are projected for homeownership, with the remainder available as rental units.  
• The greatest need for rental units is for those below market rate, to maintain housing costs that are affordable.  
• Income trends suggest that the largest demand for homeownership will remain in the $300,000 to $600,000 price range.    

With a clearer picture of Hillsboro’s future housing needs, the focus shifts to finding strategic ways to address those needs. 

What’s Next? 

Planning Commission  

On July 12, Hillsboro’s Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing on the Housing Needs Analysis. Community members are encouraged to attend and provide testimony on this technical analysis.  

Housing Production Strategy  

There is a lot of work ahead to ensure that the supply of housing meets the needs of Hillsboro’s growing and diverse population. The Housing Production Strategy is a strategic and flexible tool that can assess policies, strategies, programs, funding tools, equity, partnerships and more. 

Community input — and quantitative analysis — have helped identify high-level policy themes that will serve as the starting point for discussion in the upcoming Housing Production Strategy. 

The work in this area will follow the adoption of the Housing Needs Analysis and could include looking at different policy areas such as:  

• Increasing housing development in multi-dwelling zones, and along TV Highway corridor's future bus rapid transit line.  
• Ensuring Hillsboro has enough land, public infrastructure, utilities and services to support a variety of housing types and choices.  
• Increasing affordable housing in new residential areas to foster mixed income neighborhoods. 
• Supporting homeownership opportunities for homebuyers, including low-income and first-time buyers. 
• Increasing rental housing development for large households.   
• Increasing development of accessible housing for seniors and people with disabilities.  

To learn more about how you can get involved in efforts to meet the community’s housing needs, connect with City of Hillsboro planning staff by visiting www.Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/HNA

Original source can be found here