The city council in Portland, Ore., recently approved the “Residential Infill Project” (RIP), a package of amendments to the city’s zoning code that legalizes up to four homes on nearly any residential lot and sharply limits building sizes.
Developers will now have the option to build as many as six homes on any lot if at least half of the resulting sixplex is available to low-income households at regulated, below-market prices. In addition, parking mandates that required builders to provide space for cars were eliminated on most of the city’s residentially zoned land.
The new regulations could generate an estimated 4,000 to 24,000 new units of housing and reduce displacement for vulnerable renters by 28%. Portland is one of the leaders among North American communities trying to boost new multi-unit residential projects.
Since 2018, Minneapolis, Seattle, Austin, and Vancouver, British Columbia have passed code reforms aimed at increasing housing stocks and reducing costs to developers and residents.
Related Stories
| May 16, 2011
Autodesk and the USGBC announce multifamily design competition
Autodesk is partnering with the U.S. Green Building Council to sponsor the organization’s multifamily midrise design competition, which will give design professionals and students an opportunity to present their solutions to sustainable, multifamily midrise design.
| May 3, 2011
Would apartment shells help the housing market?
One reason the U.S. government pushed for homeownership is because it’s thought to reduce turnover and build strong communities. Owners have a vested interest in their properties whereas renters don’t—but what if were to change?
| Apr 12, 2011
Luxury New York high rise adjacent to the High Line
Located adjacent to New York City’s High Line Park, 500 West 23rd Street will offer 111 luxury rental apartments when it opens later this year.
| Mar 22, 2011
Mayor Bloomberg unveils plans for New York City’s largest new affordable housing complex since the ’70s
Plans for Hunter’s Point South, the largest new affordable housing complex to be built in New York City since the 1970s, include new residences for 5,000 families, with more than 900 in this first phase. A development team consisting of Phipps Houses, Related Companies, and Monadnock Construction has been selected to build the residential portion of the first phase of the Queens waterfront complex, which includes two mixed-use buildings comprising more than 900 housing units and roughly 20,000 square feet of new retail space.
