Introducing a "Tenant Opportunity to Purchase" in Eugene
A Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) is a policy that gives tenants the legal right to organize and purchase their rental property before the owner sells it to someone else. TOPA originated in Washington, D.C. in 1980 amidst a wave of urban renewal and gentrification, and the policy has since made a meaningful impact on improving the District’s affordable housing stock and reducing displacement.
By empowering tenants with the right to organize and purchase their housing, TOPA presents a powerful tool for preventing displacement, preserving affordable housing, and promoting conversion to resident-owned cooperatives.
In Oregon, there are already existing state laws to help facilitate converting manufactured home parks to resident-owned cooperatives, and there is a strong opportunity to build on the success of this concept by expanding it to also include multi-family rental housing.
SquareOne Villages and the Springfield Eugene Tenant Association are currently advocating for Eugene's City Council to include TOPA in the city’s Phase Three Renter Protections.
Read the Eugene TOPA one-pager for a concise guide explaining how the policy works.
Sign this petition to tell Eugene City Council: "Pass a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) in Phase 3 Renter Protections."
Additional Work by SquareOne on TOPA
In Summer 2024, staff from SquareOne Villages and CASA of Oregon teamed up to complete a survey of Eugene's "co-op conversions" ecosystem as part of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board's National Incubator for Permanently Affordable Co-op Housing Practitioners.
This research included an inventory of the roles, timeline, and financing tools necessary for supporting co-op conversions. It also compared the existing State policy for Manufactured Home Parks with a potential policy for multi-family TOPA in Eugene to identify the opportunities and gaps in resources necessary to support policy implementation.
The SquareOne team also participated in the Housing Oregon 2024 Conference, presenting on the "Exploring a Tenant's Opportunity to Purchase Framework for Oregon" panel. The discussion covered key findings and next steps for advancing TOPA as a tool to support affordable housing and renter protections. Watch the video below.
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