Should Portland adopt the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project amendments to the Comprehensive Plan Map and the Official Zoning Map?

The Affordable Housing Opportunities Project (AHOP) proposes amendments to the Comprehensive Plan Map and Zoning Map. The purpose of the AHOP mapping amendments is to address zoning barriers to the development or preservation of affordable housing on 19 properties owned and identified as priorities by non-profit affordable housing providers and public agencies for future affordable housing development or preservation, and sometimes in conjunction with community services. The mapping amendments focus on locations where zoning changes align with access to transit, services, and community infrastructure, such as around mixed-use centers and corridors. The AHOP Project is part of Portland's ongoing efforts to address housing affordability and supply challenges. Portland has a tremendous need for affordable housing, as identified in Portland's Housing Needs Analysis (HNA, adopted December 2023). The 2023 State of Housing in Portland Report shows that housing affordability remains a challenge for many Portlanders, as rents and home sales prices have continued to climb, outpacing incomes, and the median income for homeowners is more than double that of renters. Half of all Portland renters are rent burdened, paying over 30 percent of household income on housing costs, and 25 percent are severely rent burdened, paying more than 50 percent of household income on housing costs. Following the HNA, Portland's Housing Production Strategy (adopted August 2024) identified a range of strategies to support the development of needed housing, including affordable housing. AHOP is identified as one of the 35 recommended actions of the Housing Production Strategy. Specifically, AHOP implements Strategy A5 ("Rezone Sites for Affordable Housing"), which calls for collaborating with affordable housing providers to rezone properties to both facilitate the preservation of existing and the construction of new multi-dwelling affordable housing. The AHOP mapping amendments support a range of Comprehensive Plan policies related to increasing the supply of affordable housing and preserving existing affordable housing, expanding housing in high opportunity areas close to services and transit, and advancing equitable community development.

The reviewed sources do not clearly identify every existing policy, service, contract, or obligation that would remain unchanged.

This proposal concerns housing & homelessness and requires action through Portland’s public legislative process.

The AHOP Project's outreach and engagement approach reflected its grounding in equity-related policy objectives for increasing access to affordable housing for more Portlanders. The AHOP zone changes are intended to benefit lower-income residents who need housing they can afford. The project's engagement strategy correspondingly had a core focus on working with affordable housing providers who serve such residents. The public engagement approach also notified and engaged neighborhoods and neighboring property owners of the properties under consideration for map amendments. The 19 properties proposed for map amendments are dispersed across all four of Portland's council districts. The project's outreach and community engagement included:Outreach to non-profit affordable housing providers and residents of their properties.Notices sent to district coalition offices, neighborhood associations, and to property owners within 400 feet of each property proposed for zone changes.Online information sessions.Meetings with district coalition committees and with neighborhood associationsAn online MapApp providing information on the zone changes and providing an opportunity to submit comments and later testimony.Project updates shared through a project notification list, emails to community organizations, and through social media.Issues Two sets of properties received the majority of public comments and testimony and will likely be the focus of testimony in City Council hearings. The Planning Commission also received a range of testimony in support of the AHOP proposals for zone changes to support affordable housing development and preservation, which will likely also be heard by City Council. The following summarizes issues raised by community members regarding the properties that received the most comments and testimony, alongside comments on how they relate to the AHOP mapping amendments. Sears Armory site (2731 SW Multnomah Blvd). The majority of comments opposed the proposed zone change from EG2 to CM2. Community members raised concerns that the zone change would make the existing safe rest village permanent. They also raised issues related to public safety and the management of the safe rest village, compatibility with the neighborhood, and shared concerns that the proposed zone change ran counter to the City's previous plans to use the property as an emergency operations center for Portland's westside.Comments: The proposed zone change to CM2, which allows shelters, would facilitate the continuation of the existing safe rest village without being dependent on renewal of Portland's Housing Emergency or through undertaking a conditional use review process as required in the current EG2 zone. The zone change allows for the future possibility of long-term affordable housing on the property, which is not possible with current zoning. The proposed zone change has no impact on possibilities for locating emergency management uses on the property, as both the current EG2 zone and proposed CM2 zone allow public safety uses.TriMet Properties on SE 17th (3717 SE 17th, 4421 SE 17th). The majority of comments on these properties supported the proposed rezones from EG1 to CM2. Many noted that ground floor commercial uses would be important as part of future development to provide needed local services. Some comments expressed concern about the four-story scale that would be allowed by the CM2 zone and potential parking impacts.Comments: The CM2 zone is appropriate for locations adjacent to light rail transit, like these properties, and this zone will allow a mix of housing and ground-floor commercial uses. The CM2 zone allows for a scale of development that can also support ground floor commercial uses, which commenters noted were needed in the vicinity and would be a desirable component of new development in the area. The CM2 zone also includes requirements for building height to step down in scale and landscaped setbacks adjacent to the lower-density zones.