Reflections from the 2025 NW Oregon Housing Summit

Photo credit: Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash

Over the past five years at the Missing Middle Housing Fund, we've been continually amazed by the passionate community of housing advocates, developers, policymakers, and innovators we've had the privilege to work alongside. Whether we're in Portland, Salem, Bend, or anywhere in between, we consistently run into familiar faces - people who share our commitment to solving Oregon's housing challenges and building more inclusive, attainable housing.

This was on full display again this week when we attended the 2025 Northwest Oregon Housing Summit in beautiful Astoria. Hosted by COLPAC (Columbia Pacific Economic Development District) and Sarah Lu Heath and Lydia Ivanovic, the event brought together housing leaders from across the coastal and Columbia River regions. Once again, we found ourselves surrounded by colleagues, partners, and new connections who make this work so meaningful.

The agenda packed an impressive amount of content into a single day, covering everything from policy updates to innovative construction methods.

Morning Sessions: Foundation Setting

The day began with "Getting the Lay of the Land: State of Housing in Northwest Oregon," providing attendees with crucial regional data and housing need analyses specific to Columbia, Clatsop, and Tillamook Counties. Moderator Steve Faust from 3J Consulting helped us all to better understand that local context is always essential for impactful housing solutions that address barriers particular to each region and jurisdiction. We were impressed with the positive mindset and action of these city housing leaders (Suzie Dahl from Columbia County, Elissa Gertler from Clatsop County, Joh Roberts from City of Astoria, and Parker Sammons from Tillamook County). Particularly inspiring was the work taking place in Tillamook County.

Sammons shared several ongoing efforts to find more innovative middle income housing solutions, including cottage clusters, workforce housing units built under a non-profit structure, and a senior housing strategy to help facilitate single family unit availability. Additionally, Tillamook County is the second county in the state to make use of moderate income revolving loan (MIRL) fund dollars available from Oregon Senate Bill 1537 to address moderate income housing development.

This session was followed by "Oregon Housing Law: What's Changed and What It Means for You," a particularly timely session given Oregon's rapidly evolving housing policy landscape. For those of us working in housing finance and development, staying current with regulatory changes is critical. Nate Stice from Governor Tina Kotek’s office moderated a panel including Ethan Stuckmayer, from the Department of Land Conversation & Development (DLCD), Kieran Turnbull, from the Housing Accountability & Production Office (HAPO), and Alexandra Ring of the League of Oregon Cities. The key takeaway, reinforced multiple times by Stice…Jurisdictions should all be applying for funds from the MIRL!

The final morning session, "Capital Stack Considerations: Matching Funding to Projects," spoke directly to one of our four housing innovation production quadrants: financing and funding. The art and science of piecing together financing from multiple sources—public, private, philanthropic—is an area that is constantly evolving for middle-income housing projects. Panelists here, moderated by Elissa Gertler of Clatsop County, included Kate Allen from Oregon Housing and Community Services, Scott Spence from the City of Astoria, Mary Bradshaw of NW Housing Alternatives, and Seth Hague from Mag-Amb Development. Bradshaw sparked interest in the room when she shared how NW Housing Alternatives was in the process of receiving a bond rating from Standard & Poor’s as a 501c3 to be able to issue bonds for housing development projects.

Afternoon Sessions: Focus on Innovation and Community Outreach

Mass Timber Innovation Panelists: (from left to right): Lydia Ivanovic (COLPAC), Marcus Kauffman (Oregon Department of Forestry), Jonathan Heppner (LEVER Architecture), Adrienne Fainman (CedarStone), Nathan Young (MODSPDX)

The afternoon sessions offered attendees a choice of two simultaneous panels. MMHF attended the track focused on "Innovative Housing Development: Modular Construction & Mass Timber," exploring how new construction methods can help us build faster and more sustainably. It was wonderful to see our innovation partners, Marcus Kauffman from Oregon Department of Forestry, Adrienne Fainman, from CedarStone, and Nathan Young from MODSPDX talk about the inroads mass timber and modular construction are making in the industry. Jonathan Heppner from LEVER Architecture shared more about his background in designing for mass timber and how planned mass timber acoustic and fire testing facilities at Oregon State and Port of Portland’s T2 site will help advance design and construction.

In the second afternoon session we learned about "Engaging the Community in Housing Conversations" and how community engagement and listening sessions are particularly important to fostering local support. Thanks to Steven Wade and Clayton Taylor from Maker Development Studios, Jeff Wong from Anchor 282, and Sarah Absher from Tillamook County who recounted valuable stories and learnings of how to successfully activate community housing projects in the future, including 1) Know your audience, 2) Acknowledge community feedback and fears, 3) Listen to the data, and 4) Present options and get buy-in!

As we left Astoria, we felt energized by the conversations and connections. Events like this remind us why we're so grateful for our community. The housing crisis requires all hands on deck working together with shared purpose. When we can gather in places like Astoria and see familiar faces alongside new ones, all united by a passion for attainable housing, it reinforces our optimism that meaningful solutions are possible.