Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Portland Seeing Unintended Consequences of Law Aimed at Developers

The Oregonian reports on the high fees homeowners are being charged for sidewalk maintenance when they apply for building permits to improve their homes. The fees are a result of the Local Transportation Infrastructure Charge, which requires people building on a street without sidewalks to either pay for a sidewalk along the property line, or pay a fee of $600 per foot of frontage. The city hoped that this would result in developers paying for pedestrian infrastructure where the city had failed to provide it, but the law was overly broad and is now affecting homeowners looking to upgrade their homes. According to the Oregonian, a Portland resident who applied for a permit to install a new mobile home on her property was faced with a $54,000 sidewalk charge. The City Council is set to discuss this week whether the charges should be limited to $30,000 in most residential zones. Read more.

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