Measure for Measure
An Oregon bill fast-tracks small projects but reins in large developments.
A land-use bill that went into effect in Oregon on Dec. 8 shouldn't have a major impact on residential development there. But in a state where land is a “theological” issue, no measure can ever completely settle the debate about its use.
That's the assessment of Jon Chandler, CEO of the Oregon HBA, about Measure 49, which Oregon voters approved in November to fix flaws in another bill, Measure 37, which voters had overwhelmingly approved in 2004. Under Measure 37, local governments have to compensate property owners if zoning restrictions devalue land purchased prior to the adoption of those regulations. That law turned into a litigious free-for-all, generating more than 7,500 claims on 750,000 acres. Measure 49 expedites approval for landowners with valid claims that want to build one to three houses. It also makes construction of four to 10 houses more complicated and prohibits landowners from putting more than 10 units on any one parcel.
The land in question falls outside of Oregon's urban growth boundary, and most of it is farms, forests, desert, or underpopulated to the point where large-scale development would be untenable. “The pro-49 people made it sound like developments were sprouting like mushrooms under 37, but in fact very little development actually happened,” says Chandler. He notes, too, that environmental and other land-use restrictions beyond these measures keep residential development in Oregon hemmed in.
Chandler is watching whether passage of 49 results in the refunding of what's known as “The Big Look,” a task force that's charged with conducting a review of the Oregon Statewide Planning Program and making recommendations for needed changes to the 2009 legislature. “It would be a mistake if 49 passed without looking at where [agriculture] and timber fit in the future.” - John Caulfield
Parts and Labor
Old houses create new jobs.
One man's teardown is another man's treasure. At least that's how Mark Foster is rephrasing the saying. Four years ago, the Baltimore native left the restaurant development business to create Second Chance, a nonprofit that rescues reusable building materials from soon-to-be-demolished homes and resells the goods in warehouses around the city.
Saving vintage transoms, beams, and crown molding from the landfill is just one aspect of the organization's good work. Second Chance also trains displaced workers (mostly individuals who have lost their jobs to corporate downsizing or overseas outsourcing) to become “deconstruction” experts on the crews that mine said houses for treasure. Sales of salvaged materials provide funding for workforce development.
It's a winning proposition. Teardown builders and homeowners reduce their demolition and waste removal expenses, get a tax write-off for charitable giving, and do their part to save the planet. Reclaimed building materials are given a second lease on life. Unemployed workers learn a new trade and get a chance at a new career.
With sustainability concerns top of mind among builders, Second Chance now gets three or four calls per month to harvest properties slated for the wrecking ball. Teardown homes serve as classrooms for new trainees, who, upon becoming skilled in the art of deconstruction, go on to dismantle more historically significant buildings.
“Roughly 60 percent to 70 percent of the average house can be salvaged, and we may take up to 30 percent of that material [for resale],” Foster says. Remaining materials such as concrete, wood, and metal debris can be segregated on site for recycling—a practice that is gaining traction among demolition subcontractors, he says.
The nonprofit's five Baltimore warehouses have become gold mines for unique finds. Jim Smith, a Second Chance sales associate, recalls one homeowner who discovered that her 19th-century row home had once been graced by an ornate stoop railing. “She found a similar railing in our warehouse and had it installed on her steps to re-create the home's original historic look.”- Jenny Sullivan