What is Urban Renewal?

Urban Renewal is a program authorized by the statutes of the State of Oregon. It is intended to assist communities in improving and redeveloping “blighted areas.” The statutes define a “blighted area” as one that is detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of the community “by reason of deterioration, faulty planning, inadequate or improper facilities, deleterious land use or the existence of unsafe structures ....” The statute details conditions that characterize a “blighted area.” Among those conditions are unsafe buildings or structures, the existence of inadequate streets, open space, and utilities, a prevalence of depreciated values, and a growing or total lack of proper utilization of an area.