Union County Approves Temporary Workforce Housing on Industrial Land

Union County commissioners unanimously adopted Ordinance 2026-01 at their March 18 regular meeting in La Grande, clearing the way for temporary workforce housing to be built within certain industrial zones during major construction and industrial projects.

The ordinance amends Articles 12, 13 and 21 of the Union County Zoning, Partition, and Subdivision Ordinance to add temporary workforce housing as a conditional use. According to the ordinance's stated intent, the measure is designed to allow "the creation of temporary housing and accommodations during influxes of contractors and workers as part of larger scale construction, refurbishments, overhauls and expansions within industrial zones."

The measure reached the commissioners after a two-month review process. A first public hearing was held February 18 and the ordinance was approved at that stage. A second reading was initially scheduled for the March 4 regular session but had to be postponed after Commissioner Anderes was absent from that meeting. The board continued the second reading to March 18, when commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance.

Union County Planning Director Inga Williams had provided clarification on the operational conditions for such housing during a meeting on February 19, though the specific conditions outlined at that meeting were not detailed in publicly available summaries of the proceedings.

The March 18 meeting was held at the Joseph Building Annex Conference Room at 1106 K Ave. in La Grande, with the public hearing opening at 9:20 a.m. following a staff report. The commissioners handled several other items on the same agenda, including a fee waiver request from La Grande Community Development Director Mike Boquist, a discussion of the True Addition plat led by Union County Surveyor Jeff Hsu, and consideration of an appointment to the Union County Fair Board Association. The board also took up a quitclaim deed and a lease agreement with Nerd Mentality.

The full adopted text of Ordinance 2026-01, including the specific conditions governing temporary workforce housing sites and which industrial zoning districts are affected, is available from the Union County Planning Department.