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Label:
Ordinance
Adopt the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project amendments to the Comprehensive Plan Map and the Official Zoning Map
Passed
The City of Portland ordains.
Section 1. The Council finds:
- The 2023 State of Housing in Portland Report shows that housing affordability remains a challenge for most Portlanders, as rents and home sales prices have continued to climb and outpace incomes.
- The City Council passed Resolution No. 37673 on August 28, 2024, to adopt the Housing Production Strategy to guide the City of Portland's actions to increase housing production, including production of affordable housing.
- Strategy A5 of the Housing Production Strategy, called for rezoning sites for affordable housing through a project that would collaborate with affordable housing providers that own properties and are working on plans to develop or preserve affordable housing, but face zoning restrictions.
- The City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) initiated the public process for the Affordable Housing Opportunities project in the Summer through Fall of 2024. Consistent with Strategy A5 of the Housing Production Strategy, the objective of the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project is to reduce zoning barriers to affordable housing development or preservation on properties owned by non-profit and public affordable housing providers and other public agencies through amendments to the Comprehensive Plan Map and Zoning Map.
- The Affordable Housing Opportunities Project and the plan's mapping amendments were shaped by engagement with affordable housing providers and public agencies to identify properties where zoning constrained the ability to develop or preserve affordable housing.
- BPS released the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Discussion Draft public review on June 2, 2025. Engagement with the broader community included mailings to owners of properties located within a 400-foot distance of properties that were being considered for zone changes, online information sessions, meetings with district coalition committees and neighborhood associations, and through project updates provided via the project website, emails, and through social media.
- The Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Proposed Draft was released on August 1, 2025, for review by the public and the Portland Planning Commission. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Proposed Draft during their meeting on August 26, 2025. The Planning Commission voted during this meeting to recommend that City Council adopt the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project, as proposed in the Recommended Draft.
- On July 22, 2025, a notice of the August 26, 2025, Planning Commission public hearing on the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Proposed was sent to the project's mailing list, individuals and organizations who requested such notice, the regional transit agency, Metro, Multnomah County, the Oregon Department of Transportation, all recognized organizations within the subject area, all recognized organizations, counties and municipalities within 1000 feet of the subject area, affected bureaus, special service districts, school districts, and to all properties owners within a 400-foot distance of the properties proposed for zone changes.
- On July 22, 2025, notice of the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Proposed Draft was provided to the Department of Land Conservation and Development in compliance with the post acknowledgement review process required by OAR 660-18-0020.
- On August 1, 2025, notices of the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Proposed Draft and the Planning Commission hearing were delivered to all property owners potentially affected by proposed zoning map and code changes, as required by ORS 227.186.
- On December 22, 2025, BPS published the Planning Commission's Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Recommended Draft Report, attached as Exhibit B. The Recommended Draft Report includes amendments to the Comprehensive Plan Map and Zoning Map to support the development or preservation of affordable housing and community services on 19 properties owned by non-profit affordable housing providers and public agencies.
- The Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Findings of Fact Report, attached as Exhibit A, includes additional findings demonstrating consistency with the Statewide Planning Goals, Metro Urban Growth Management Functional Plan, and the City of Portland 2035 Comprehensive Plan.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:
- Amend the Portland Comprehensive Plan Map and the official Zoning Map, as shown in Section 2 of Exhibit B, the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Recommended Draft Report.
- Adopt Exhibit A (Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Findings of Fact Report), dated December 2025, as additional findings.
- Adopt Section 1 and the commentary in Section 2 of Exhibit B, the Affordable Housing Opportunities Project Recommended Draft Report, as legislative intent and further findings.
Section 2. The provisions of this Ordinance are severable. If any clause, section, provision or map amendment in this Ordinance is declared unconstitutional or invalid for any reason or cause, the remaining portion of this Ordinance will be in full force and effect and be valid as if such invalid portion had not been incorporated in this Ordinance. The Council's express legislative intent is that this Ordinance would have been adopted had such an unconstitutional or otherwise invalid provision not been included in it. The severed provision has no effect on the remainder of the Ordinance.
Exhibits and attachments
Download fileExhibit A 924.38 KB
Download fileExhibit B 21.81 MB
Download filePresentation 9.34 MB
Download fileTestimony 21.51 MB
An ordinance when passed by the Council shall be signed by the Auditor. It shall be carefully filed and preserved
in the custody of the Auditor (City Charter Chapter 2 Article 1 Section 2-122)
Passed by Council
Auditor of the City of Portland
Simone Rede
Impact Statement
Purpose of proposed legislation and background information
The Affordable Housing Opportunities Project (AHOP) proposes amendments to the Comprehensive Plan Map and Zoning Map. The purpose of the AHOP mapping amendments is to address zoning barriers to the development or preservation of affordable housing on 19 properties owned and identified as priorities by non-profit affordable housing providers and public agencies for future affordable housing development or preservation, and sometimes in conjunction with community services. The mapping amendments focus on locations where zoning changes align with access to transit, services, and community infrastructure, such as around mixed-use centers and corridors.
The AHOP Project is part of Portland's ongoing efforts to address housing affordability and supply challenges. Portland has a tremendous need for affordable housing, as identified in Portland's Housing Needs Analysis (HNA, adopted December 2023). The 2023 State of Housing in Portland Report shows that housing affordability remains a challenge for many Portlanders, as rents and home sales prices have continued to climb, outpacing incomes, and the median income for homeowners is more than double that of renters. Half of all Portland renters are rent burdened, paying over 30 percent of household income on housing costs, and 25 percent are severely rent burdened, paying more than 50 percent of household income on housing costs.
Following the HNA, Portland's Housing Production Strategy (adopted August 2024) identified a range of strategies to support the development of needed housing, including affordable housing. AHOP is identified as one of the 35 recommended actions of the Housing Production Strategy. Specifically, AHOP implements Strategy A5 ("Rezone Sites for Affordable Housing"), which calls for collaborating with affordable housing providers to rezone properties to both facilitate the preservation of existing and the construction of new multi-dwelling affordable housing.
The AHOP mapping amendments support a range of Comprehensive Plan policies related to increasing the supply of affordable housing and preserving existing affordable housing, expanding housing in high opportunity areas close to services and transit, and advancing equitable community development.
Financial and budgetary impacts
The AHOP mapping amendments do not amend the budget, change staffing levels, reclassify staff, or authorize new spending or other financial obligations (IGAs, contracts, etc.) and therefore there are no significant long term financial or budgetary impacts to the City. Adoption of the AHOP mapping amendments will result in minimal short-term impacts to City revenues or staff work. The mapping amendments change zoning for 19 properties dispersed across Portland that are owned by affordable housing providers or public agencies. Development permits associated with this small number of properties will not have a significant impact on staff workload, including the processing of development applications by Portland Permitting & Development.
The mapping amendments do not change any Zoning Code regulations or review processes. Therefore, no staff training will be needed to administer the AHOP mapping amendments.
Economic and real estate development impacts
The Affordable Housing Opportunities Project (AHOP) proposals were shared with affordable housing providers, public agencies, neighboring property owners, and community members, through the project webpage, Map App, email notifications, and public hearings, providing a range of opportunities for input. Feedback from these groups informed refinements to the AHOP proposals to provide zoning designations to facilitate affordable housing development and preservation. By amending Zoning Map designations to address barriers to affordable housing development, the AHOP proposals increase the feasibility of new housing projects, particularly housing affordable to low- and moderate-income households. The amendments are expected to reduce development costs and timelines for affordable housing developers whose properties are proposed for zone changes, allowing them to provide additional housing without going through costly and time-consuming quasi-judicial zone change procedures for individual properties, and simplifying their ability to make improvements to existing affordable housing that is currently non-conforming with zoning regulations. There are no anticipated adverse impacts for affordable housing providers whose properties are proposed for zone changes. Overall, AHOP supports housing production and affordability, with no negative economic impacts. The AHOP proposal is anticipated to facilitate future investment in affordable housing by reducing barriers and costs to public agencies and nonprofit affordable housing developers.
Community impacts and community involvement
The AHOP Project's outreach and engagement approach reflected its grounding in equity-related policy objectives for increasing access to affordable housing for more Portlanders. The AHOP zone changes are intended to benefit lower-income residents who need housing they can afford. The project's engagement strategy correspondingly had a core focus on working with affordable housing providers who serve such residents. The public engagement approach also notified and engaged neighborhoods and neighboring property owners of the properties under consideration for map amendments. The 19 properties proposed for map amendments are dispersed across all four of Portland's council districts. The project's outreach and community engagement included:
- Outreach to non-profit affordable housing providers and residents of their properties.
- Notices sent to district coalition offices, neighborhood associations, and to property owners within 400 feet of each property proposed for zone changes.
- Online information sessions.
- Meetings with district coalition committees and with neighborhood associations
- An online MapApp providing information on the zone changes and providing an opportunity to submit comments and later testimony.
- Project updates shared through a project notification list, emails to community organizations, and through social media.
Issues Two sets of properties received the majority of public comments and testimony and will likely be the focus of testimony in City Council hearings. The Planning Commission also received a range of testimony in support of the AHOP proposals for zone changes to support affordable housing development and preservation, which will likely also be heard by City Council. The following summarizes issues raised by community members regarding the properties that received the most comments and testimony, alongside comments on how they relate to the AHOP mapping amendments.
Sears Armory site (2731 SW Multnomah Blvd). The majority of comments opposed the proposed zone change from EG2 to CM2. Community members raised concerns that the zone change would make the existing safe rest village permanent. They also raised issues related to public safety and the management of the safe rest village, compatibility with the neighborhood, and shared concerns that the proposed zone change ran counter to the City's previous plans to use the property as an emergency operations center for Portland's westside.
Comments: The proposed zone change to CM2, which allows shelters, would facilitate the continuation of the existing safe rest village without being dependent on renewal of Portland's Housing Emergency or through undertaking a conditional use review process as required in the current EG2 zone. The zone change allows for the future possibility of long-term affordable housing on the property, which is not possible with current zoning. The proposed zone change has no impact on possibilities for locating emergency management uses on the property, as both the current EG2 zone and proposed CM2 zone allow public safety uses.
TriMet Properties on SE 17th (3717 SE 17th, 4421 SE 17th). The majority of comments on these properties supported the proposed rezones from EG1 to CM2. Many noted that ground floor commercial uses would be important as part of future development to provide needed local services. Some comments expressed concern about the four-story scale that would be allowed by the CM2 zone and potential parking impacts.
Comments: The CM2 zone is appropriate for locations adjacent to light rail transit, like these properties, and this zone will allow a mix of housing and ground-floor commercial uses. The CM2 zone allows for a scale of development that can also support ground floor commercial uses, which commenters noted were needed in the vicinity and would be a desirable component of new development in the area. The CM2 zone also includes requirements for building height to step down in scale and landscaped setbacks adjacent to the lower-density zones.
100% renewable goal
Not applicable.
Economic and real estate development analysis
Analysis provided by Prosper Portland
Prosper Portland staff has reviewed the Economic and Real Estate Development Impact Analysis submitted for this action and finds that it satisfies the requirements set forth in City Council Resolution 37664. The analysis is sufficiently detailed and complete to be considered a final statement for purposes of this action.
Financial and budget analysis
Analysis provided by City Budget Office
There are no significant long term financial or budgetary impacts to the City, as the AHOP mapping amendments do not amend the budget, change staffing levels, reclassify staff, or authorize new spending or other financial obligations (IGAs, contracts, etc.). With the mapping amendments changing zoning for 19 properties dispersed across Portland that are owned by affordable housing providers or public agencies, adoption of the AHOP mapping amendments will result in minimal short-term impacts to City revenues or staff work. Development permits associated with this small number of properties will not have a significant impact on staff workload, including the processing of development applications by Portland Permitting & Development. The mapping amendments also do not change any Zoning Code regulations or review processes. Therefore, no staff training will be needed to administer the AHOP mapping amendments.
Document history
Document number: 2026-037
President's referral: Homelessness and Housing Committee