I was fortunate to be raised in Southern Oregon. My father, Claudio, was a local builder and the sole breadwinner for our family of five. Growing up, I remember my dad joining the Builders Association Southern Oregon (BASO), then called Jackson County Homebuilders Association (then called the Jackson County Homebuilders Association). He wanted to join BASO so our family could purchase health insurance, which we could only afford as part of the association’s cooperative.

I later followed in my dad’s footsteps by working in our family business, Claudio Alvarez Construction. I was lucky enough to be mentored by Brad Bennington (a construction industry colleague whom I have known since childhood) and Mark Knouf (President of Knouf, Inc., a residential contractor and businessman). In 2014, Brad asked me to join the board of BASO. I gave him a resounding, “YES!” and by the following year had been nominated as board president.

Brad and Mark mentored me not only about the association in general but specifically how we help the builders of Southern Oregon as contractors and business owners. We offered a multitude of programs to assist builders in saving money with a fantastic fuel program, SAIF rebate, and health insurance. I am proud to be part of an association that builds homes for our community and encourages individuals to succeed at the same time. These benefits are still in place today for BASO members to participate in, and the support for the building industry is unwavering.

In 2017, Brad encouraged me to begin attending Oregon Home Builders Association (OHBA) meetings in Salem. I found our state association meetings captivating. They always include a “code” class, where we learn about upcoming changes in building codes and where we can comment on the effects of changes to the end users, allowing us to add real-world perspective. There is a Government Affairs (GA) committee where we discuss legislation affecting the building and business communities. Each of these sessions is filled with critical information that directly affects every builder in our state. I then started developing a passion for communicating the importance of these policies to individuals and influencers in our industry, working together to make changes one step at a time. I became educated on the process of how to make permanent, positive, and healthy changes.

The Government Affairs meetings are always filled with urgency – trying to lobby and educate the Legislature on policies that, if not handled immediately, would negatively affect home prices for our state. We were often met with resistance and made to feel like
we were fighting a losing battle. But I knew change must start somewhere – and that real change happens incrementally.

In 2019, after years of education and perseverance from our building industry lobbyists, we finally started to see a shift. Conversations started moving from education to affordable housing as a top priority in the state. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, the construction industry was faced with having to shut down. A shutdown would have devastated Oregon’s entire economy. However, Mark Long, OHBA’s CEO, proactively addressed safety protocols and helped keep the Oregon construction industry open —something Washington and California could not achieve. He understood that safety had to come first and worked with Governor Brown to keep us working.

In the fall of 2020, the fires in Southern Oregon destroyed 3,500 homes, catapulting the conversations and creating a spotlight on the urgency of affordable housing. Legislators on both sides of the aisle turned their focus to solving the housing issues in our state. We were finally being heard on all fronts, and the changes started taking shape—although never fast enough for many of us.

January 2023 brought a change in leadership with Oregon’s new governor, Tina Kotek. OHBA’s former CEO, Jodi Hack, returned to her post, and I became the OHBA Board President. It has been exciting to see Governor Kotek (Democrat) and Jodi Hack (former Republican legislator) working together to pass beneficial policies for our state. With Jodi’s working knowledge and a trusted relationship with both the legislature and Governor’s office, OHBA has been able to help promote positive and unprecedented legislation for the construction of affordable housing. The mission of this collaboration to ‘help make a better Oregon.’

“This is the first time since the 1970s that we’ve seen such a significant wave of pro-building legislation in our state,” said Alvarez. “With dedicated people coming together, we’re finally beginning to turn the tide.”

Since 2023 several key bills were passed and are in the process of implementation addressing Oregon’s housing needs. These include:

  • HB 2001 | Oregon Housing Needs Analysis – requires cities to plan for housing needs – measure and plan for development-ready lands.
  • HB 3395 | Commercial to residential conversions for affordable housing – $1.25 million to assist with planning work – $10 million for community housing for agricultural employees – cities with populations of 2500 to allow duplexes on SF lots in residential zones
  • HB 2984 | Allows commercial conversions with fewer affordability restrictions.
  • SB 1537 | Housing Production & Land Acquisition – creates Housing Accountability & Production Office – requires local governments to approve certain adjustments for housing development – requires local governments to process certain applications as limited land use decisions – requires an alternative process to amend urban growth boundaries to include affordable and moderate-income housing – allows for expedited land swaps.
  • SB 1530 & HB 4134 | Allocated nearly $400 million to boost housing production – nearly $90 million directly allocated funding for infrastructure ($945k to Medford – $1.6 mil to Phoenix – $1.5 mil to Shady Cove).
  • HB 4026 | UGB Revision Review Process – prevents important land use decisions made by local governments, like UGB expansions, from being referred to the voters for rejection or approval.
  • SB 82 | Homeowner Wildfire Insurance – prohibits homeowner insurers from using Oregon’s statewide wildfire risk map/exposure as a basis for canceling, not renewing, or increasing premiums on an insurance policy.
  • HB 2192 – Property Replacement After Disaster – altered a 1997 law to say that dwellings destroyed in wildfires may be replaced, if the dwelling was lawfully established before destruction.

These are the reasons I have served on the board of OHBA for the past seven years. Although I am finishing up my term as president in 2024, I am excited that BASO has a group of local board members, who are community leaders and have committed to represent Southern Oregon at the state level. Travis Snyder (Owner, Precision Electric and Snyder Creek Development) and Garrett West (Attorney, O’Connor West LLC) are serving on state committees to ensure that Southern Oregon’s voice is heard in Salem.

The tide is turning for our state, and with time, diligent, progressive, and positive people collaborating, we can make Oregon affordable again and build more homes to start solving the housing crisis that plagues our communities. We are making a big difference, and are leaving a legacy for my children to be proud of for many generations. I am very excited about the future for our communities.

To discuss further, please reach out via email at: tim@alvarezrestoration.com