HFO Multifamily Marketwatch for Oregon and SW Washington

This week: An 18-month review of the City of Portland inclusionary Housing Program leads the Housing Bureau to plan refinements to the program. The Portland City Council will vote Wednesday morning on an ordinance requiring owners of unreinforced masonry buildings to post signs stating the builds are unsafe. And the New York Times reports a national cool-down in the housing market as prices outpace wage growth.

This week: Metro Council is working now on plans to quickly allocate monies to build or preserve up to 3,900 units of affordable housing if a $516 million bond levy is supported by voters in next month's midterms; US Senator Elizabeth Warren proposes a federal bill that would raise estate taxes to support a $500 billion fund for affordable housing.

Dr. Gerard Mildner, director of the Portland State University Center for Real Estate, offers his insight into current housing issues in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area.

This week: The Portland City Council plans to take up the matter of new rental screening criteria proposed by commissioner Chloe Eudaly on Thursday, October, 18th. The Portland Housing Bureau has loosed inclusionary zoning rules for condos; the mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon says that housing affordability is in crisis and plans to hold discussions for implementing a renter relocation policy like Portland's along with policies that encourage increased density.

This week: The Portland City Council vote on URM placard warning signs has been rescheduled to Wednesday October 3rd; PBOT is narrowing its Central City in Motion Plan down to 18 project bundles, which now include cost estimates and impact analyses; and Victoria Transport Policy Institute founder Todd Litman has a number of ideas that could help cities increase housing and transit affordability.

This week: Oregon state economists predicted taxpayers might receive a large kicker in 2020 - the same year an economic slowdown is forecast; economist Joe Cortright explains why blocking new housing projects in low-income neighborhoods does not prevent displacement; and Adidas breaks ground on a significant expansion of its North Portland campus, which is expected to house an additional permanent workers.

This week: The City of Portland passes new zoning for mobile home parks, creating an obstacle for redevelopment; The President's tariff on building materials is causing projects to be scaled back or abandoned; The justice department announced its support for a lawsuit accusing Facebook of violating fair housing laws.

This week: Clackamas County elected officials show support for Metro's housing bond at a Chamber of Commerce event; the city of Portland debates new rules for developers pertaining to how and when neighborhoods should be notified of new construction; and economists and housing experts respond to a claim in the Washington Post that building new housing only helps the rich.

This week: Auditors find that about 80% of Portland's short-term rentals may be operating illegally; Mayor Ted Wheeler rearranges oversight of Portland's bureaus, and the City of Vancouver Washington throws its support behind building a new I-5 bridge across the Columbia River--five years after Washington's state Legislature scuttled the idea.

This week: tenants in a SE Portland apartment complex decide to go on a rent strike; the Portland City Council postpones voting on the residential infill plan; while on the national stage, a California Senator is calling for the federal government to create a tax credit for families who spend more than 30% of their income on rent.