HFO Multifamily Marketwatch for Oregon and SW Washington

The City of Portland apparently plans to move forward with an ordinance requiring seismic upgrades to hundreds of Portland apartment buildings without funding assistance in place. The group Save Portland Buildings argues such a plan will result in the reduction of affordable housing stock through demolition due to the cost to owners. A group spokeswoman discusses how the process has worked -- or not -- thus far. The ordinance comes up for a vote in April.

This week: The Portland City Council weighs whether to support a 10-year tax abatement to improve the results of its inclusionary housing program; Portland ties in 9th place with Boston and Nashville in a list of the best markets in the country for commercial property investments and if somehow you missed it -- there was new reporting on a potential damage from a future major quake off the coast of Oregon.

This week: the City of Portland expands rental relocation assistance fees to owners of even one rental unit, and makes the fees permanent; Washington State's legislature passes a law prohibiting landlords from discriminating against tenants with section 8 vouchers; the Portland City Council rejects 300 apartments in the Pearl District and rejected construction of 2,617 additional housing at RiverPlace that would have added 500 units of affordable housing.

Last week: The Portland City Council heard hours of testimony, mostly from renters, on a proposal to make Portland's renter relocation fee permanent while expanding it to all landlords of one unit or more. The City will also consider whether to begin a landlord registration system as discussion is expected to continue this week; Metro plans a $1.7 billion affordable housing bond measure for November's ballot.

This week: Seattle follows Portland's lead in the effort to require seismic retrofits for unreinforced masonry buildings; local developers come out against proposed inclusionary zoning rules for condo developments; the potential for a democratic supermajority in the Oregon legislature begins to take shape--can rent control be far behind?

This week: the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability released a 12-month study of Portland's Inclusionary Housing requirement, recommending that the city modify the policy; the Portland Business Journal ranked the top 35 elementary schools in Oregon and SW Washington; and developers of low-income housing are trying to make up for funding shortfalls resulting from the corporate tax cut.

This week: Jobs are up in Oregon and employment gains are expected across all industries in 2018; more than 3,500 people responded to the City of Portland's call for comments on the Residential Infill Project; Metro is planning for two upcoming bond measures for affordable housing and transportation projects.

This week: Portland mayor Ted Wheeler will introduce incentives next month in an attempt to offset the stagnant response to Portland's year-old inclusionary zoning requirement; Oregon companies go on a hiring spree; and apartment rents increased again last year with west coast cites leading the pack.

This week: there's a controversy brewing over heights of new buildings in downtown Portland; a new report ranks Portland's rents as the 20th highest in the nation; and leaked white house infrastructure plans call for a 50% reduction in the federal reimbursement rate for new projects.

This week: in Washington State there’s a new legislative proposal to end the state ban on rent control; in Portland, the topic of just how tall new buildings should be; and if Seattle can build 1,400 affordable housing units for $100 million, why does Portland need $258 million for just 1,300 units? We explain.