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
| Aug 9, 2019
'Buildings Don't Lie': A building science reference book worth your time and money
Review of "Buildings Don't Lie," by engineer Henry Gifford.
| Aug 8, 2019
Wilsonart Engineered Surfaces to acquire Czech firm Technistone
U.S. manufacturer Wilsonart, maker of High Pressure Laminate, Quartz, Solid Surface, Coordinated TFL and Edgebanding products, moves to acquire Technistone.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 7, 2019
New start, new life, new friends: Student residence life in the age of Instagram
When it comes to the design and space planning of your residence life program, the quality of the space you create will be reflected in the social media feeds of your students.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 6, 2019
Using P3s to create affordable housing, public services
How the city of Chicago and nonprofit groups partnered to build three libraries plus affordable housing in underserved neighborhoods.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 3, 2019
A plant—or at least its image—grows in Brooklyn
A 90-foot mural overlooks the courtyard of a new residential building.
| Aug 2, 2019
Closet System Adds Value to Grand Rapids Apartment Community
20 Fulton Street East is a 12-story residential community in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., developed by Brookstone Realty Management, where Organized Living's closet system was installed by dealer Rayhaven Group.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 31, 2019
Amenities war no more? Research report explores multifamily market
Multifamily developers show no signs of pulling back on specialty spaces and unique offerings in an effort to attract high-quality tenants, according to new research from Multifamily Design+Construction.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 31, 2019
100% affordable housing development features 62-units for low-income households
Magnusson Architecture + Planning is designing the project.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 24, 2019
Multifamily transformation: Historic mansion converted to short-term housing for homeless families
The 1885 Victorian home in Cambridge, Mass., gets a new, energy-efficient life as Renae's Place, short-term housing for homeless women and their children.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 23, 2019
Is prefab in your future?
The most important benefit of offsite construction, when done right, is reliability.