Nestled between the Columbia River and mountains, Rainier is hemmed in, and land available to build on is steep.
That leaves less room for developers to build, and fewer options for people to find housing.
Only one new building permit was issued in the city last year, said City Administrator Scott Jorgensen, and it was for a single-family home. Some have left the city for shelter.
“Rainier has no assisted living facilities,” said Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole. “Lifelong residents have had to move out.”
All of that is likely to change, as a bill to expand cities’ buildable land is waiting Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s signature. If signed, the process to add land to the roughly 5-square-mile city would speed up, and its housing crisis could be averted.
“It’s like ‘Field of Dreams’, hopefully,” Cole said. “Build it and they will come.”
A quicker route
Senate Bill 1537 would allow cities to make a one-time expansion to the areas they plan to build over the next two decades, areas the state call urban growth boundaries. For Rainier, that means 50 more acres, or a little less than 1 square mile — enough space to build on for the next 20 years, city officials say.
A 50-acre city expansion hasn’t been seen in decades, Cole said. Plus, the city can continue to work on the one-to-one land swaps for even more acreage.
Oregon law requires cities to plan where they will build to avoid urban sprawl and the destruction of natural areas.
But Rainier’s boundaries were drawn decades ago when the city was first founded, and those original boundaries leave little room for growth, said Jorgensen. A significant portion of the land within this boundary is unbuildable, he added.
Jorgensen said he realized one day when he was driving through the outskirts of the city that an entire slough fell within this building able area. That would be the type of land swapped out of the city in exchange for flatter, higher and buildable land.
“Maybe there are some areas that are better for land use than a slough,” he said.
What will be built?
While the city waits for Kotek’s signature, a Portland-based land-use consulting firm, Winterbrook, is reviewing what 1-acre land the city should swap.
In the next two months, Winterbrook is making a land inventory, analyzing which properties are potential sites. The process will continue through the first part of this year, ending with a council decision.
Jorgensen said during Monday’s meeting that there are “no preconceived notions, no predetermined outcomes,” for what is to be built on those lands that end up being swapped. “Just whatever makes the most sense.”
Development is applicant driven, Jorgensen said, so there is no guarantee that a developer will want to move in and build right away once land-swaps are initiated, or if the development will be commercial or residential, single-family houses or apartments. But having the land is the first step to attracting new builders.
Under Kotek’s bill, there are rules for the city’s 50-acre expansion; 30% of housing units would be required to be affordable housing. That’s in an area where 20% of the residents live in poverty, the Census Bureau reports.
As for setting aside land specifically for affordable housing, Cole said he was hesitant to tell private property owners what to do with the land they buy, but he’s open to creative ideas.
“Maybe the school district could develop some kind of affordable housing project for families,” Cole said. “Maybe it’s a little premature for me to say that, but maybe it’s because I’m excited about this opportunity.”
