Allure of Oregon Coastal Towns for Tourists is Impacting Availability of Affordable Workforce Housing

The beauty of Oregon’s rugged coastline and charm of its small coastal towns continues to lure visitors from all over the world. However, over the last few decades, the influx of tourists has led to a severe workforce housing crisis. The rising cost of real estate driven by vacation homes and rentals is squeezing the middle-income workforce out of the towns that they serve.

This week’s news coverage by KLCC (While Tourism Is Booming, Many Oregon Coast Residents Struggle to Stay Housed) highlights the plight of the workforce in Newport on Oregon’s central coast. Newport is a popular tourist destination due to its two lighthouses, scenic and lively bayfront, Dungeness crab industry, Oregon Coast Aquarium, and Oregon State’s Hatfield Marine Science Center.

However, the people that serve these industries and others, such as schools and hospitals, which are crucial to the community’s economic growth and sustainability, are increasingly challenged to find affordable housing close to where they work. The result is that these workers are forced to leave towns where they have long lived or make financial sacrifices to stay in place. Consequentially, businesses that drive the local economy struggle to hire and retain talent.

We must think differently about how to create more affordable housing for this middle-income target. Our work in other small and rural communities across Oregon has shown that a collaboration between public, private, and non-profit sectors and the entrepreneurial community can develop out-of-the-box solutions that reduce the time and cost to build.

The Newport community can benefit from innovations in policy and financing that help secure more funding for affordable housing projects. Innovative housing design and manufacturing that optimizes the scarce availability of land could make a difference with a handful of affordable units. Bringing employers to the table in new ways generates collaboration between economic development and housing interests. There’s no silver bullet – but out-of-the-box thinking and many hands and minds working together can change this narrative to one of economic prosperity.