HFO Multifamily Marketwatch for Oregon and SW Washington

This week: Portland-area real estate professionals weigh in on how the new tax law will impact the commercial real estate industry; the Historic Landmarks Commission and neighborhood residents are pushing back on a low-income housing project being proposed in the Historic Alphabet District; two moving companies confirm that Oregon is still a top moving destination - the state added 65,000 people last year.

This week: Cities across the country are looking to retain millennials by adding duplexes, triplexes, rowhouses and other medium-density housing options that serve the middle class and keep them from being forced out; a local expert says Portland's MSA needs 30,000 more housing units each year to keep up--something builders are saying is impossible due to development fees and permit timelines.

This week: Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development approves the City of Portland's 2035 Comprehensive Plan as at least one neighborhood readies its appeal; Portland Housing Bureau director Kurt Creager gets ousted by Mayor Ted Wheeler; the City of Portland buys 240 planned affordable housing units at $285-thousand dollars each.

This week: City audit of its Prosper Portland department uncovers financial mismanagement; Oregon's population grows at a record level for the second straight year; Congressional Republicans' tax plan could throw a wrench into plans for thousands of affordable housing units in Oregon.

This week: A major Portland homebuilder announced he will no longer build in the city due to excessive permitting times; Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler calls on the business community to help with homelessness; businesses complain city bureaucrats won't work with them.

This week: Metro regional government releases a report concluding that Portland lacks adequate affordable housing; Bend considers ways to assist renters; affordable housing advocates speak out about the loss of specialized bonds that could eliminate construction of hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units.

This week: Rents in Portland have fallen slightly, mostly for high-end units close to downtown; Bend renters are finding more options as several new multifamily housing communities open; a new study of rent control in San Francisco by a trio of Sanford economists documents how the policy has failed. Those stories and more in this week's Multifamily Marketwatch.

This week: Want to live in the nation's best place for business and careers in 2017? If you live in Portland, Forbes says to stay put; more "for rent" signs are cropping up on lawns these days and the Washington Post says affordable housing stock has dropped 60% since 2010.

This Week: Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly stops strict enforcement of code restrictions against sleeping in RVs and tiny houses built on private property without a permit; Portland State University reports that wages in Portland are rising, and housing prices are increasing at a slower rate.

This week: a Portland Landlord slams Commissioner Eudaly for violating City of Portland social media policy and blocking him from her public Facebook page; the Portland Tribune reports that more than 15% of the cost of new apartment buildings comes from City of Portland fees and development charges.