Mayors from western cities met in Portland this week to discuss issues like homelessness and affordable housing.
Oregon cities like Portland and Eugene haven’t been able to build enough affordable housing to meet demand. And some city leaders say that’s because the state doesn’t allow inclusionary zoning.
Portland Mayor Charlie Hales touched on the issue Friday during an interview.
Hales: “There’s a complicated problem, there’s a simple solution. This one simple solution of so-called inclusionary zoning, where we require new development to include affordable housing in the project, it’s a good tool and we should have it. In fact, it’s on the top of the priority list for the Portland City Council for the next session of the Legislature.”
Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy said she’d also like to see state lawmakers allow inclusionary zoning.
Mayors from Los Angeles and San Francisco said inclusionary zoning has been a useful tool in addressing housing issues in California.
Copyright 2015 OPB
