From the Ground Up

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Lead in Drinking Water: What Schools Need to Know

Jun 10, 2016

Environmental, From the Ground Up

There's no doubt that some attention has been given to the water quality at Oregon schools in the past month. But the issue has been around for some time. Since the late 1980s, concerns have been raised about lead leaching from pipes and faucets into...

Controversial Cap on Damages Against Public Entities and Employees Upheld in Horton v. OHSU

Jun 03, 2016

By John C. Clarke

Legal Developments—Oregon, From the Ground Up

While this case is not specifically related to the development industry, we believe the constitutional issues will be important to this blog’s audience and our public sector clients. In May 2016, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld a controversial statut...

SCOTUS Provides Pathway to Courts' Challenging Army Corps' Wetlands Calls

May 31, 2016

By LeAnne M. Bremer

Environmental, Land Use, Legal Developments—National, From the Ground Up

Access to courts to resolve disputes early on in a permitting process is critical for land use projects in terms of time- and cost-savings. In Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes, issued on May 31, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively agreed by rul...

Portland Commissioner Saltzman Proposes New 1% Construction Excise Tax

May 24, 2016

Construction, Housing, Tax, From the Ground Up

Today Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman, whose bureau assignments include the Portland Housing Bureau and the Bureau of Development Services, proposed a new excise tax on residential and commercial development equal to one percent of the total permi...

Taxes, Fees on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Eased in Portland

May 18, 2016

Housing, Tax, From the Ground Up

At a time when Portland grapples with a shortage in housing, two new regulatory changes may bring many more accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—small apartment units like basements and small backyard houses added to single-family homes—to the city, there...

Landlords, Beware: HUD Warns Against Discriminating Based on Criminal Background

May 13, 2016

Housing, Legal Developments—National, From the Ground Up

Last month, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development issued guidance that all residential landlords, property managers, and brokers should be aware of: While checking a potential renter's criminal background is not off limits whe...