City Club Portland argues for “action now” on housing crisis


The City Club of Portland drafted a report that argues for rent control, eviction limitations and rental property licensing.

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But there was one sticking point among the committee’s 11 members: whether Portland should re-zone single-family neighborhoods to allow for more density. By a narrow 6-5 vote, the committee decided that the city – “in theory,” at least – already has the zoning in place to adequately increase density.

“The city must work to overcome neighborhood skepticism about ‘missing middle housing,’ which is typically multifamily housing built on a scale of single-family structures,” the draft report reads. “Duplexes, triplexes, small apartment buildings and courtyard projects could provide affordable housing dispersed throughout established neighborhoods.”

The five members on the losing end of the vote, though, issued a minority opinion arguing that simply working to “overcome neighborhood skepticism” does not go far enough, and that the city should re-zone residential areas to allow for more of the multi-family development that the majority of the committee acknowledges is needed.

(READ MORE: Oregon Live)

The Portland Mercury outlines the report’s strategies, citing an end to the statewide rent control ban and no-cause evictions, finding funds for affordable housing development, revamping foreclosed homes policies and incentivizing affordable housing for developers.


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