FAQ

QuestionAnswerLink
Can the County give away land?Yes. Per ORS 271.330, they can give away land to a municipality or a nonprofit for a) low income housing, child care or social serviceClick Here
Does the County have a due diligence process for giving away land in exchange for affordable housing development, and making sure housing actually gets built?It doesn’t appear as though they do.

However, we just discovered that in June 2021 County Staff made recommendations to the Board of Commissioners outlining a 5 step due diligence process – very similar to what we are suggesting.

Except for assessing some parcels of land for housing suitability, none of the other recommendations appear to be followed.
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Has the County ever done this before?Yes. It appears as though the County has given away 4 parcels of land to Seaside. No housing will be built on at least 2 of the parcels. There is no clear timeframe for housing being built on the other 2 parcels.

It doesn’t appear as though the County has ever given away land to a nonprofit developer.
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Does the County evaluate the degree to which housing on the land they give away has any social benefit?It does not appear that they do.
Does the County evaluate whether the land they give away is environmentally suitable to build housing?For some parcel of land, they do evaluate.

For the Arch Cape parcels, there has been no evaluation.
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How long have North Coast Housing Solutions been in existence?
What housing projects has North Coast Housing Solutions completed? What housing projects does North Coast Housing Solutions have in development (ground broken)?
North Coast Housing Solutions was formed as a not-for-profit in Sept 2022 in order to qualify for the free land. They have not completed any development, nor do they have any underway.
Does the County have criteria for evaluating the qualifications of the developer?No
What is this developer’s qualifications and experience in building low income housing?None

From his bio; Chet Moritz is a Professor of Engineering with extensive experience winning and managing large federal, state, and foundation grants. He has experience leading large teams, and stewarding private philanthropy to accomplish grand challenges such as developing treatments for brain and spinal injury. Chet has also secured federal funding to support social justice work, and looks forward to contributing his expertise toward affordable housing near his home on the north coast.