beyond the legal opinion
April 22, 2026
HB 1859 – Affordable Housing Development – Properties Owned by Religious Organizations – Passed; effective 6/11/26 Washington’s HB 1859 (effective 6/11/26) makes it easier for religious organizations such as churches, synagogues, mosques, or temples to qualify for a density bonus for affordable housing…
April 13, 2026
HB 2269 – Middle Housing in Rural Areas – On-Site Sewage Systems – Passed; effective 6/11/26. Big changes are coming to housing options in Washington’s rural areas.: starting June 11, 2026, HB 2269 (amending RCW 36.70A.536) makes it easier to…
March 27, 2026
2026’s Oregon legislative session featured many bills affecting land use, with a particular focus on housing and Exclusive Farm Use zoning. Jordan Ramis’ Land Use and Real Estate team tracked each bill and analyzed how they might affect current and…
March 13, 2026
2026’s Oregon legislative session featured many bills affecting land use, with a particular focus on housing and Exclusive Farm Use zoning. Jordan Ramis’ Land Use and Real Estate team tracked each bill and analyzed how they might affect current and…
June 10, 2025 by Steven L. Shropshire
Jordan Ramis is proud to announce that the firm has once again been recognized in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA, the prestigious legal guide that ranks top attorneys and law firms nationwide. This year, Chambers ranked the firm in…
December 16, 2022
At the Oregon Land Use Law Seminar, held December 1 and 2, 2022, in Portland, Oregon, Jordan Ramis PC Attorney Keenan Ordon-Bakalian, along with Max Yoklic of NewSun Energy, reviewed significant land use cases from the Federal courts, Oregon Appeals and Supreme courts and the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals, which impacted cannabis facility licensing, beach front property in Cannon Beach, a new multistory airport hanger, a bulk fuels distribution terminal and asphalt refinery, and more!
December 2, 2022 by James D. Howsley
When the Covid-19 lockdowns occurred, state and local governments scrambled to ensure that the land use systems in Oregon and Washington did not come to a screeching halt. A quick pivot to online land use hearings ushered in a new forum to adjudicate land use applications. But with it also became significant challenges, a steep learning curve for the professionals, decisions makers and public with how to engage in a solely online world.
September 28, 2020
This article was originally published in the September 24, 2020 edition of the Vancouver Business Journal. On August 31, 2020, the Washington State Legislature extended Proclamation 20-28 through the end of September, which waived and suspended certain portions of the…
January 28, 2020
By Keenan Ordon-Bakalian, Attorney This article was originally published in the January 24, 2020 edition of the Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon. At the January 15, 2020 Metro Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meeting, the Committee was briefed by staff from…
December 24, 2019
By Armand Resto-Spotts, Attorney, and Keenan Ordon-Bakalian, Attorney This article was originally published in the December 20, 2019 edition of the Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon. At the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission’s November 12, 2019 meeting, the Commission discussed…
