Portland City Council approves ‘regulatory relief,’ tax break package to promote housing construction
Stephanie Yao Long/Staff, file
Portland, Oregon passed a set of “regulatory relief” policies to make it easier to build housing. Development slowed after the city mandated inclusionary housing in 2016, and it got worse with the recent rise in interest rates. To boost building, it expanded tax breaks for buildings with affordable units. It also pulled back on 15 zoning and permitting mandates, including allowing residential units on the ground floor, relaxing rules for architectural reviews and temporarily suspending some requirements to hold neighborhood meetings in the areas where they want to build.
