City Code Section
- A. The purpose of this Section is to reduce the costs of developing permanent affordable housing by exempting system development charges for qualified affordable housing developments. This Section advances a Council-recognized public policy goal to provide for a diversity of housing types to meet the needs of the citizens of the City.
- B. The City may exempt qualified affordable housing developments from paying all or part of system development charges required by Code. The applicant must apply for exemptions under this Section prior to the date the City issues the permit on the new development. Where new development consists of only part of one or more of the uses described in this Section, only that portion of the development that qualifies under this Section is eligible for an exemption. The balance of the new development that does not qualify for any exemption under this Section is subject to system development charges to the full extent authorized by Code or general ordinance. The applicant has the burden to prove entitlement to exemptions so requested.
- C. The City will calculate exemptions in the manner authorized for calculating system development charges for rented and owner-occupied residential properties. Nonresidential properties or the nonresidential portion of mixed-use developments are not eligible for exemptions provided by this Section. Exemptions are applicable to the portions of residential properties that are directly used in providing housing for its low-income residents such as on-site manager units and shared space including but not limited to restrooms, community rooms and laundry facilities.
- D. To obtain the exemption, the applicant must present to the City, at the time of application, documentation from PHB that the development qualifies for the exemption pursuant to this Chapter. Applicant must also pay an administration fee per unit on rental and/or owner-occupied units as determined by PHB.
- E. The City will require the recording of real property covenants in the deed records for properties receiving exemptions under this Section in order to ensure compliance, or to provide remedies for failure to restrict units, or both. Deed restrictions may be used by PHB in order to restrict sale prices and rents charged for exempt units, or to provide remedies for failure to restrict units, or both.
- F. Applicants must meet the following affordable housing qualifications to be exempt from paying all or a portion of system development charges based on the type of housing provided:
- 1. Rental units.
- a. For purposes of this Section, affordable for rental housing means that the rent and expenses associated with occupancy such as utilities or fees, does not exceed 30 percent of the gross household income at the level of the rent restrictions.
- b. The units receiving an exemption must be affordable to households earning 60 percent or less of MFI at time of occupancy and must be leased, rented or made available on a continuous basis to persons or households whose incomes are 60 percent or less of MFI, as adjusted by household size and as determined by HUD for the Portland Metropolitan Area, except as provided for below. Such units must remain affordable for a period of 60 years.
- c. Effective July 1, 2014, developments of new buildings in Old Town/Chinatown are eligible for exemption subject to the following conditions:
- (1) Units must be located in the Old Town/Chinatown Action Plan Focus Area;
- (2) Financial need must be verified through project pro forma underwriting conducted by the PDC;
- (3) All units must remain affordable for a period of not less than 10 years, to persons or households whose incomes are 100 percent or less of MFI, as adjusted by household size and as determined by HUD for the Portland Metropolitan Area, and for not less than five years thereafter must continue to remain affordable to persons or households whose incomes are 120 percent or less of MFI, as so described; and
- (4) The exemption granted by this Subsection is not available to developments for which a building permit application is filed on or after July 1, 2019, or after permit applications have been filed for development of 500 qualifying units, in the aggregate, whichever occurs first.
- 2. Owner-occupied units.
- a. For the purposes of this Section, affordable means that:
- (1) ownership units are sold to persons or households whose incomes are at or below 100 percent of MFI for a family of four as determined annually for the Portland Metropolitan Area by HUD, which income may be adjusted upward for households with more than four persons; or
- (2) For applications received by PHB prior to March 1, 2024, ownership units are sold to persons or households whose incomes are at or below 120 percent of MFI for a household of four as determined annually for the Metropolitan Area by HUD, which income may be adjusted upward for households with more than four persons so long as the units sell to qualified homebuyers prior to July 1, 2026.
- b. The ownership units sell at or below the price limit as provided by Subsection 3.102.090 D.
- a. For the purposes of this Section, affordable means that:
- 1. Rental units.
- G. Administrative rules for this Section will set forth clear and objective criteria to establish minimum standards for affordable units restricted under the partial and full exemptions of system development charges for Affordable Housing Developments program.
- H. In the event that an applicant violates the covenants, agreements or other requirements that were established by the City as a condition of approval of an exemption application, or the owner of the property wants to remove the affordability covenants of Subsection 30.01.095 F., the City will terminate the exemption and make due and payable all previously exempt portions of system development charges based on rates in effect on the date of the submittal of a complete building permit application, plus accrued interest from the date of the issuance of the building permit to the date of the termination of the exemption calculated with the interim interest rate in effect on the date of the termination of the exemption as set by general ordinance pursuant to Portland City Code Section 17.12.140, and a processing fee of $250 due to each Bureau exempting system development charges and to PHB as the administrator. The City may collect reinstated system development charges, processing fees, carrying charges and the actual costs of collections by recording a property lien pursuant to Portland City Code Title 22.