Ezra Hammer

Ezra comes to the Home Builders Association with a strong background in land use and housing policy. He most recently worked as an attorney at one of Los Angeles’ premier land use law firms, where his clients included local, regional, national, and international development companies entitling and building in the Southern California region.

Questions Asked and Answered

• Tell us about what the HBA does, broadly speaking. 

• And, tell us about the organizational structure of the chapters. 

• What’s the mission overlap between the HBA, NAHB, and ADUs/middle housing?

• With specific regard to middle housing legislation occurring with RIP and HB 2001, is HBA generally favorable towards middle housing across the board? Or, are we just lucky here in Oregon?

• You came to Portland by way of L.A. LA, as you know, has become a hotbed of ADU activity in the last couple years. Can you help explain why L.A. has seen such a groundswell of ADU permits being issued?

• Since you’ve come to the HBA, you’ve been taking an active role in representing PHBA’s interests in local legislative issues with ADUs. Can you tell us about that?

• What are some common themes that you’ve observed as planning staff and elected grapple with loosening ADU restrictions?

• What role do you think builders can play in terms of advocacy for liberalizing ADU and middle housing regulations?

• What are some differences that you’ve observed between the legislative and local regulatory environment in L.A vs in the Portland markets for residential construction?

• Any cultural differences in the two residential construction markets? 

• What are some lessons that you wish Portland would borrow from L.A?

What are some lessons that you wish L.A. would borrow from Portland?