From Coast to Valley: Oregon Communities Lead a New Model for Housing Innovation

Every housing project begins with one simple question: What can be built here?

That question just became a lot easier to answer across Oregon. From the southern coast to the Willamette Valley, six cities have joined a growing statewide movement to make zoning information accurate, verifiable, and instantly accessible.

In Coos County (Bandon, Coos Bay, and North Bend) and Polk County (Monmouth, Independence, and Falls City), UrbanForm has launched two new digital zoning platforms that allow architects, developers, and planners to collaborate with confidence and move projects forward faster.

Developed in partnership with the Missing Middle Housing Fund (MMHF) and local economic development organizations  including SEDCOR in Polk County and CCD Business Development Corporation in Coos County, these initiatives represent a new model for housing innovation in Oregon—one that treats regulatory clarity as critical infrastructure for housing production.

Why this matters

Across Oregon, housing production has not kept pace with demand. For local governments and developers alike, complex zoning rules often stand in the way of progress. Researching, interpreting, and verifying code can take weeks—time that could otherwise be spent planning and building homes.

UrbanForm changes that. By translating thousands of pages of code into clear, parcel-specific insight, UrbanForm helps answer what can be built, where—in seconds.

• Developers and architects can identify viable sites and prepare stronger proposals.

• Municipal staff can save hours of research time, redirecting efforts to strategic priorities.

• Communities benefit from faster, clearer pathways to new housing.

As Quang Truong, CEO of UrbanForm, explains:

“By digitizing zoning codes and streamlining the permitting process, we can cut weeks of research into minutes—reducing the time and cost it takes to move from feasibility to construction.”

Oregon’s coastal cities: Planning for growth

In Coos County, the project spans 14,867 parcels across Bandon, Coos Bay, and North Bend. Supported by a grant from Business Oregon's Housing Infrastructure Support Fund Program through the Housing Infrastructure Support Fund (HISF) and administered by CCD Business Development Corporation (CCD), this collaboration will help coastal communities prepare for the region’s coming wave of growth.

“The investments in the Port of Coos Bay are transforming this region’s economy,” said Truong. “Housing development needs to keep pace—and that means cutting through regulatory complexity.”

“Tools like UrbanForm will help us realize Coos County’s economic potential,” added Theresa Haga, Executive Director of CCD. “They give us new ways to be ready for growth.”

The Coos County platform integrates data overlays from each city—including wetlands, floodplains, and utilities—offering a comprehensive view of development potential across the region.

Oregon’s valley communities: Building attainable housing faster

In Polk County, UrbanForm partnered with SEDCOR, MMHF, and city leaders to digitize 6,513 parcels across Monmouth, Independence, and Falls City. Like many regions across the state, Polk County faces a housing production gap. This digital zoning platform provides the foundation for faster, more informed housing development.

“Solutions like UrbanForm help us create more attainable housing, faster,” said Alex Pareskevas, Economic Development Manager for Polk County at SEDCOR. “They’re the kind of innovation our region needs.”

Each parcel report provides key zoning regulations, integrated overlays (such as historic districts and floodplains), and direct links to jurisdictional sources—making information not just accessible but verifiable.

A statewide model for housing innovation

Together, these projects represent more than 21,000 newly digitized parcels across two counties. They build upon UrbanForm and MMHF’s statewide initiative, which has now digitized over 66,000 parcels across the cities of Yamhill County, Polk, and Coos Counties, as well as the City of Boardman.

As Nathan Wildfire, CEO of MMHF, puts it:

“UrbanForm’s technology addresses a critical pain point by making zoning codes accessible. This reduces the burden on overextended municipal staff and helps accelerate housing production.”

From rural towns to urban centers, these projects demonstrate how regulatory innovation can unlock new opportunities for homebuilding, streamline local processes, and strengthen public-private collaboration across the state.

What comes next

This is just the beginning. The success in Coos and Polk Counties points toward a future where every community in Oregon has access to clear, digital zoning data—a foundation for smarter growth, better planning, and more attainable housing.

At UrbanForm, we believe that regulatory innovation is housing innovation. By making zoning transparent and easy to understand, Oregon communities are paving the way for a more coordinated, confident, and equitable approach to housing development.

In partnership with: Missing Middle Housing Fund (MMHF) CCD Business Development Corporation (CCD) Southern Oregon Coast Regional Housing (SOCRH) Strategic Economic Development Corporation (SEDCOR), Business Oregon's Housing Infrastructure Support Fund Program.