Boardman Advances Three Major Housing Innovation Projects

The City of Boardman is emerging as a model for how rural communities can tackle housing affordability through innovation, collaboration, and strategic investment. As one of Oregon's fastest-growing cities, Boardman has partnered with the Missing Middle Housing Fund to transform how the community approaches housing development, and the results are already taking shape.

Digital Zoning Goes Live

Today, Boardman launched a groundbreaking digital zoning platform powered by UrbanForm, making all 1,496 parcels in the city instantly accessible to developers, designers, and city staff. The platform translates complex zoning codes into clear, parcel-specific insights that anyone can understand and verify.

"This is about giving our community a clear, shared foundation so every project starts on the same page and with confidence that the zoning rules are accurate and verified," said Carla McLane, Planning Official for the City of Boardman.

The result? Better permit applications, fewer delays, and more confidence for everyone involved in housing development. Explore the platform at boardman.urbanform.us.

A Master Plan for the Future

Behind the scenes, MMHF is working closely with Boardman's Housing Advisory Committee to develop a comprehensive Real Estate Development Master Plan. This will serve as a roadmap for strategic growth that prioritizes workforce housing while preserving Boardman's small-town character.

The plan will tackle everything from land use and zoning to infrastructure and transportation, with special focus on key development sites. Through community workshops and stakeholder engagement, we're ensuring the plan reflects both market realities and resident priorities.

The goal is simple: create more diverse, attainable housing options where Boardman's workforce actually wants to live.

Pilot Community for State Revolving Loan Fund

Boardman is also exploring a pilot project to access Oregon's new revolving loan fund for middle-income housing. This fund addresses a critical gap: financing for workforce housing that serves families earning 80-120% of area median income: the teachers, healthcare workers, and essential employees who keep communities running.

During the "Let's Build Boardman" workforce housing summit in August 2024, local developers identified access to gap financing as one of their biggest barriers, and now Boardman will help prove how state resources can unlock local housing development.

What This Means

Together, these three initiatives create a powerful ecosystem for housing development: digital tools that remove uncertainty, strategic planning that guides smart growth, and financing that makes projects pencil out.

Boardman is showing rural Oregon, and communities everywhere, that solving the housing crisis requires more than good intentions. It requires innovation, partnership, and the courage to try new approaches.

We're proud to work alongside Boardman's leadership, employers, and residents to build a more affordable, vibrant future. Stay tuned as this work unfolds - there's much more to come.