Now Fully Funded, Portland’s Affordability Mandate Should Be a Model
Underfunded inclusionary zoning fails, but fully funded programs can be a boost to below-market housing and a fiscal bargain.
Region: Oregon
A Housing Agenda for Oregon: More Homes without Higher Prices
The usual way to get more homes built is wait for prices go up. But there is another way.
Portland’s Inclusionary Housing Program Looks Cost-Efficient, & Full Funding Is in Reach
August 1, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Andersen, Sightline Institute, michael@sightline.org PORTLAND, OR – A new city-commissioned study of Portland’s six-year-old affordability mandate for new apartment buildings suggests that the rental program can work well when fully funded, but that it is not currently fully funded outside central Portland. The Pacific Northwest-based think tank Sightline … Read more
Four Ways to Improve Portland’s Housing Affordability Mandate
Takeaways Portland’s mandatory affordability program seems to be fully funded in the Central City but underfunded elsewhere. A fully funded program would efficiently create more market-rate homes and more below-market homes citywide. Maximizing lower-income households in high-opportunity areas would play to the program’s strengths while eliminating unintended subsidies for market-rate homes. Find audio versions of … Read more
Letter to Portland Council: Sightline Institute Opposes Revisions to Portland Charter Amendments
July 18, 2023 MEDIA CONTACTS: Alan Durning, Executive Director, alan@sightline.org; Jay Lee, Senior Research Associate (Portland), jay@sightline.org FULL LETTER: Sightline’s Concerns about Proposed Revisions to Charter Amendments (PDF download) PORTLAND, OR – Leadership of Sightline Institute, the Pacific Northwest’s leading think tank, have submitted a letter to the Portland City Council and Mayor Wheeler strongly … Read more
Parking Mandates Are Vanishing Across Oregon
Six months into the pioneering state policy, regulatory costs are falling and projects are springing to life.
It’s Time for Cascadia to Start Pruning the Gas System and Electrifying Whole Neighborhoods
Early efforts in California, Colorado, and New York offer lessons to get started.
Oregon Could Build Thousands More Homes with Small State Investment
June 6, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Andersen, Sightline Institute, michael@sightline.org SALEM, OR – A group of Oregon housing experts has a unique idea to help the state build more homes that residents badly need: the state could offer interest-free loans to potential low- and mid-price housing projects that can demonstrate they’re just slightly short of … Read more
Oregon’s Untapped Gold Mine: The Homes that Don’t Yet Exist
Takeaways Gov. Tina Kotek set a very public goal of producing 36,000 homes per year, but each below-market home requires an average of $225,000 in state subsidy. Also, many people who make too much to qualify for those homes still struggle to pay for housing. A state payment averaging $25,000 per unit could greatly boost … Read more