Portland Development Fees to Rise, Effective July 1

The Daily Journal of Commerce reports that the Portland City Council approved an increase in development fees last week. The new fees are set to take effect July 1, 2017. Costs for a type II development review would increase 4.3% to $1,617 (currently $1,551); type III master plan review costs will rise 4.3% to $13,351 (currently $12,801); the pre-application conference fee will increase by 4.2% to $1,150 (currently $1,104); and early assistance meeting fees would rise 3.9% to $632 (currently $608). Read more.

Record Number of Active Construction Projects in Central City

A new report by the Portland Business Alliance outlines the projects currently under construction in the central core of Portland. According to the report, the citywide occupancy rate is 94.6%, and rent growth is 4.2%. 5,000 new residential units have been built since 2010, and an additional 3,000 residential units are under construction, not including projects outside of the downtown core such as the Conway Blocks in NW Portland and Jefferson Flats in Goose Hollow. Projects located just outside of the Central City represent an additional 14,000 units proposed or under construction. According to the Portland Tribune, Portland will also see a 40% increase in hotel rooms over the next few years, positioning the city as an ideal location for vacations, business conferences, and large conventions.

Read the full report.

Bend is the 6th Fastest-Growing City in the Nation

According to a new report by the US Census, Bend is the 6th fastest growing city in the nation. Bend's population has grown 4.9% since July 1, 2016, and now stands at 91,122. This is the second population boom in recent memory for Bend - the city's population doubled during the 1990s. Bend is one of the few cities on the Census's list that is not in the South, and no cities in the Northeast made the top 15. Bend's rapid growth has contributed to soaring housing prices in recent years. An urban growth boundary that remained unchanged since 1981 limited new supply in the area, and developers have only recently started bringing new product online. Read more.

[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]

Tenant Shoots Apartment Managers in Portland

HB2004 prevents landlords from evicting dangerous tenants quickly—putting good tenants in jeopardy.

Tell the Oregon State Legislature to vote NO! Contact numbers and email addresses below...

Senate President Peter Courtney
503-986-1600
sen.petercourtney@oregonlegislature.gov

Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick
503-986-1700
Sen.GinnyBurdick@oregonlegislature.gov

Bureau of Planning and Sustainability Seeks Input for Better Housing by Design Project

The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will be hosting two open houses in June for community members to learn about and provide input on the draft code concept for the Better Housing by Design project. The open houses will be Thursday June 1, 5:30-7:30 pm, and Saturday June 3, 10 am-12 pm.

The Better Housing by Design (BHD) project aims to improve the design of multifamily housing outside of the central core of Portland. It covers all multi-dwelling zones (R3, R2, R1, and RH), and aims to strengthen requirements for outdoor spaces, encourage a range of housing that includes "missing middle" structures, and improve walkability. Bureau of Planning and Sustainability staff are expected to release the final Code Concept Report in the Summer of 2017. Read more.

Portland's Allure to Young Professionals Expected to Drive Rents Up 5% This Year

Facing a continued influx of young professionals, Portland's rents are expected to increase 5% this year despite continued growth in supply. Download the latest report.

Portland School Bond Passes, Adding to Portland Property Tax Bill

The $790 million Portland Public School (PPS) bond passed with 66% of the vote in Tuesday's special election. The bond will cost property owners $1.40 per $1,000 of assessed value for the first 4 years, and then will cost $0.68 per $1,000 of assessed value annually for 30 years. Portland homeowners are still paying for the 2012 PPS bond, which cost $1.10 per $1,000 for the first 8 years, and $0.30 per $1,000 annually for the next 12 years. In PPS bonds alone, Portland property owners will be paying $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value for the next few years.

Supporters of the new PPS bond point out that Portland school buildings are 77 years old on average, and many have health and safety issues including high lead levels. The bond will provide the funding needed for projects such as improving water quality, removing asbestos and lead-based paint, improving fire alarm and sprinkler systems, and ADA/accessibility improvements. In addition, Benson, Madison, and Lincoln high schools and Kellogg middle school will be rebuilt and renovated. Read more.

Multifamily Permit Applications Still Down, PHB Looking to Increase IZ Incentives

Since the City of Portland's Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) requirement went into effect February 1, the number of applications for multifamily permits has stalled. The Portland Tribune estimates that a valuation of $270 million worth of development could be eliminated by the IZ program. The Portland Housing Bureau claims that the slowdown in development is due to a softening of the market, a tariff on Canadian lumber, and increasing interest rates rather than the IZ program itself. The bureau is offering incentives to projects that were vested prior to February 1 in hopes of getting more affordable units built in the city. In January, the city received 20 permit applications valued at $74.7 million. Since February, there have been only 6 permit applications for developments with more than 20 units, the threshold for the IZ requirement. Four of those projects are being developed with assistance from PHB. Read more.

Esco Decommissioning 15 Acre NW Portland Site to Allow for Redevelopment

Just north of NW Vaughn Street and two blocks west of NW 23rd Avenue, the Esco Corporation plans to decommission a 15 acre site that was previously home to its main plant. The northern portion of the Northwest neighborhood of Portland has seen a flurry of development activity, including the new Slabtown redevelopment project and the currently under construction George Besaw Apartments. The neighborhood's walkability and access to transit have attracted new residents and developers alike. City zoning for the Esco site would restrict the possibilities for development, however. The site is zoned for "mixed employment," which would allow for office or industrial use, but not residential development. Read more.

Federal Housing Assistance Goes to Homeowners, Even as Renters Become Increasingly Cost-Burdened

PBS reports that of the $200 billion per year the United States government spends on housing assistance, 70% goes to subsidizing homeowners. Since the 2007 recession, however, an increasing percentage of the population has become renters, with many unable to purchase a home. As of 2015, over 11 million households spent more than 50% of their income on rent, up from 8.9 million in 2007. Andrew Aurand, president of research for the National Low Income Housing Coalition, attributes this phenomenon largely to the decline in federal investment in public housing and housing assistance vouchers, which occurred at the same time as demand for rental housing surged. Read more.

Website to Help Renters Find Home With One Application, One Fee, Plans Launch This Fall

KGW reports on a new app that the City of Portland will spend $125,000 helping to launch this fall. The website will charge a single $35 fee for a background check that will tell applicants which apartment communities they qualify for. Read more.

U.S. Census: Portland Rental Vacancy Rate Climbs to 3.9% - Nation's 8th Lowest

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the rental vacancy rate for the Portland-Vancouver- Hillsboro metro area was 3.9 percent for the first quarter of 2017. Census data indicates an increase in Greater Portland's vacancy rate from 3.1% in Q4 -- but down significantly from the 6.6% vacancy rate reported for the first quarter of 2016.

Seattle Vacancies Nation's 3rd Lowest
Census estimated Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue's vacancy rate at 1.9% vacancy rate, making it the nation's third lowest. Metro areas with lower vacancies than Seattle were Sacramento (1.2%) and Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Flordia (1.8%).

After Seattle (#3) the remaining lowest vacancy rates were:

Allentown-Bethlehem-EAston, PA-NJ (3.0%)
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC (3.1%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (3.6% (TIE)
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA (3.6% - TIE)
Salt Lake City, UT (3.8%)
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI (3.9% - TIE)
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (3.9% - TIE)

Average National Rental Vacancy Rate
The average national rental vacancy rate for Q1 2017 was 7.0 percent for multifamily dwellings of five or more units -- the same as one year earlier. Vacancy rates remained lowest in the western U.S. where it declined from 5.1 to 4.7%.

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U.S. Homeownership Rate Continues to Fall
U.S. Homeownership rates have fallen from a recent high of 65.1% at the end of 2013 to an estimated 63.6% in Q1 2017. Homeownership rates in the Western U.S. has been on the upswing since reaching a 26-year low during 2016. The current homeownership rate in the west crept up 0.3% over the past year.

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Do You Need a Helipad? Adding Value in the Age of Amenities Wars

From helipads to breweries to concierge services that can just about read a resident’s mind, amenities have been a hot topic in the apartment industry for years, and the bar just keeps getting higher. For apartment owners and operators who have neither the capital nor even the demand for these over-the-top features, there are plenty of ways to increase their communities’ appeal through amenities, many of which are simple to implement and require little up-front investment. This report seeks to identify top amenities in their communities nationwide and in 11 selected cities, at both the community and unit level, and which ones have the greatest impact on revenue. Read the full story.

HB 2007 Faces Opposition from SW Portland Neighborhood Groups

The Oregon House of Representatives is currently working on HB 2007, which aims to increase housing production by:

• Requiring affordable housing projects to be approved in 100 days
• Blocking cities from denying housing development applications due to failing to meet discretionary standards
• Prohibiting local governments from adopting standards that would discourage needed housing
• Stopping local governments from reducing density of housing applications if the application meets zoning requirements
• Requiring local governments to allow detached affordable housing on properties zoned for non-residential places of worship

According to the Portland Tribune, both 1000 Friends of Oregon and the Oregon Home Builders Association support the bill, which is sponsored by 6 legislators from Portland and Southern Oregon. Supporters argue that increasing the supply and type of housing (including "missing middle" housing) would increase overall affordability. 

Neighborhood groups in areas like Multnomah Village in SW Portland strongly oppose the bill, however. These groups are worried that adding multifamily developments would "destroy the character of existing neighborhoods." Read more.

New Market Rate Housing Essential for Overall Affordability

In San Francisco-based marketing blog Art + Marketing, California State Senator Scott Wiener lays out the case for increasing the supply of market rate housing to increase affordability. He argues that while affordable housing projects subsidized by state and federal governments are badly needed, those projects will not provide enough units to house the vast majority of rent-burdened citizens, particularly middle class renters who do not qualify for subsidies. In an argument that will be familiar to Portland developers, Wiener suggests that excessive zoning restrictions and an overly complicated housing approval process have contributed to a shortage of new units as well as skyrocketing rents in California. He argues that the problem is not an overabundance of "luxury" housing, but rather a scarcity of units that has caused housing to be a luxury. Read more.