About the Economic Opportunities Analysis update

Project purpose

As new companies move to Portland and existing businesses expand, the need for employment land in the city will grow. To ensure there is enough land in Portland to accommodate expected employment and industry growth, the City is conducting a study called an Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA). The EOA analyzes and forecasts growth in Portland’s industrial and other business districts, then designates an adequate 20-year supply of developable land for business and job growth. The City of Portland is updating the existing EOA, adopted in 2016, to align 2045 growth expectations with current market trends and community choices.

Economic vision

The Portland Plan and 2035 Comprehensive Plan set three policy directions for economic prosperity:

1. A diverse and growing city economy,
2. Competitive traded sectors, and
3. Equitable household prosperity.

The EOA update builds on this economic vision to improve racial equity and inclusive prosperity, climate resiliency and environmental health.

Several issues must be addressed to meet our goals of job growth, environmental health, and equitable access to resources, including:

• Address the shrinking supply of industrial land. Portland experienced extensive growth in the last business cycle (2008-19), adding more than 71,000 new jobs. The Comprehensive Plan has ample capacity for residential and commercial growth well beyond 2045; however, the land supply for industrial growth is tighter.
• Promote inclusive prosperity and reduce BIPOC income disparities. Industrial and office jobs increase Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) incomes more than other job types. Specifically, jobs in the industrial sectors (production and distribution) raise BIPOC income by about 20% overall and Black incomes by 25%, relative to other sectors. Office jobs raise BIPOC incomes by 16%.
• Reconcile economic goals with other important land use decisions involving natural resource protections along the Columbia Slough and Portland Harbor.
• Track business cycle trends and growth forecasts to inform decisions related to equity, economic diversity, traded-sector growth, and recession recovery.

These factors must be balanced to meet our goals. This EOA update will consider alternative scenarios for industrial growth capacity and seek integrated approaches to support economic prosperity and equity, environmental health, and other City policies.

Project timeline

Collaborative Working Group (CWG)

Thirteen stakeholders have been appointed to the CWG to act as a sounding board for the bureau to review preliminary drafts of the EOA update, including a series of land use scenarios or policy choices, that will set our employment growth expectations for the next 20+ years.

The CWG is not a decision-making body but represents experts in their respective fields and/or have lived experience to offer guidance to the bureau on potential policy changes.