In response to calls for Gov. Kotek’s Housing Production Advisory Council to expedite residential construction by relaxing energy efficiency and climate mitigation building requirements, the ZERO Coalition has submitted a series of policy papers urging the Council to ensure that climate impact remains a key consideration for equitably increasing housing stock. The papers outline recommendations that can be adopted to ensure the state meets both its housing supply and building decarbonization goals.
The ZERO Coalition’s recommendations cover five key categories:
● Air Quality: includes strategies for fostering healthy air quality in multifamily homes through electrification and mechanical system design.
● Resiliency: details approaches to delivering housing that can withstand extreme weather events.
● Workforce: recommends ways to equitably increase the construction workforce to equitably meet housing demand
● Zoning: identifies areas where zoning processes can be expedited without jeopardizing climate considerations
● Costs: centers affordability and equity as the primary driver for adopting decarbonization policies
Coalition members – which include businesses, policy advocates, government agencies, community organizations, and environmental justice partners – strongly believe that adopting the above recommendations will help to more justly balance affordability and equity considerations within the new housing market.
“There’s no question that the housing crisis is one of the most crucial issues facing the state, and we applaud Gov. Kotek for taking swift action to address the lack of housing supply,” said Ashley Haight, manager of the ZERO Coalition. “However, any housing built in response to this crisis is going to last for years to come. It is equally critical to ensure that we keep climate considerations at the forefront of this effort, especially because we know that low-income individuals and BIPOC communities are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. The recommendations outlined in our policy papers will help the state to ensure that new housing supply is efficient, affordable, and resilient, significantly benefiting all Oregonians for years to come.”
More information on equitable and cost-efficient strategies for building decarbonization can be found here.