FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mayor Wheeler Introduces Seven Notable Items in City Council This Week
This week’s agenda includes legal services for immigrants, homeownership assistance and clean diesel.
Portland, OR–Mayor Wheeler is introducing seven notable items in City Council this week. A brief description of each is below. The entire Council Agenda is here.
- Item 986 – Legal Fund for Immigration Services (Introduced by Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Eudaly)
This ordinance authorizes a $500,000 grant with Catholic Charities to support the Universal Representation Project through the Equity Corps of Oregon. The Universal Representation Project is a grant to the Legal Service Providers (LSP) Members to fund the equivalent of one full-time attorney at each LSP for one year to provide high-quality immigration legal service, giving immigrants a safe place to seek assistance.
- Item 987 – Increasing Supportive Housing (Introduced by Mayor Wheeler, Commissioners Eudaly and Fish)
This item is a formal acceptance of the report Scaling Smart Resources, Doing What Works: A System-Level Path to Producing 2,000 Units of Supportive Housing in Portland and Multnomah County, which responds to City Council’s request for the Portland Housing Bureau to bring back a plan for producing 2,000 new supportive housing units by 2028. Supportive housing is deeply affordable housing with ongoing wrap around support services attached.
The report was presented in a joint session to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners and Portland City Council last week. You can find out more about that session here.
- Item 989 – Homeownership Financial Assistance
The resolution will revise the Homeownership Assistance Program Guidelines to align homeownership assistance with the current policy goals for minority homeownership and home retention. The Portland Housing Bureau will provide Homeownership Assistance that creates affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income homebuyers.
The revisions will support low income and minority homeowners, using City resources to help purchase their home, by allowing them to access more of the equity gained in their homes, providing greater opportunity for homeownership retention and wealth creation. The revisions eliminate the concerns of significant financial burdens on older or fixed income homeowners who would be responsible for paying back a large debt after 30 years. PHB will reduce the amount owed on the loan in year 15 incrementally per year the property is owned, until the loan balance is reduced in whole by year 30.
- Item 990 – Affordable Housing
This ordinance will approve the Multiple-Unit Limited Tax Exemption Program (MULTE) application under the Inclusionary Housing Program for Division Two, located at 3249 SE Division St.
The MULTE program provides a 10-year property tax exemption to developments complying with the City’s Inclusionary Housing Program, which requires 99 years of affordability. The project will restrict 8%, or 2 units, of the Project’s 54 units to households earning no more than 60% of the
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- Item 991 – Affordable Housing
The ordinance will approve the MULTE application under the Inclusionary Housing Program for the Ellis Apartments, located at 5603 SE Milwaukie Ave. This project will restrict 100%, or 30 units, to households earning no more than 60% of the Median Family Income.
- Item 992 – Affordable Housing
This ordinance will approve the Multiple-Unit Limited Tax Exemption Program (MULTE) application under the Inclusionary Housing Program for Multnomah Station Apartments, located at 7654 SW 32nd Ave. This project will restrict 8%, or 1 unit, of the project’s 39 units to households earning no more than 60% of the Median Family Income.
- Item 997 – Clean Diesel
This resolution directs Procurement Services and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to develop contracting standards for City construction projects that will control diesel exhaust from construction equipment to protect public health.
Portland faces the highest risks from air toxics in the State of Oregon, and in particular has the highest levels of diesel particulate pollution. Furthermore, communities of color and low-income populations experience a disproportionate burden of exposure to diesel pollution because they often live and work in areas with higher pollution levels. It is essential the City work with regional partners to ensure a consistent clean air construction strategy, including options for contractor technical assistance and compliance enforcement.
City of Portland and Multnomah County staff have been working together for over two years to develop a regional strategy to reducing diesel pollution from public construction projects, collaborating with regional partners including Clackamas County, Washington County, Port of Portland, Metro, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Multnomah County will also be introducing a resolution at this week’s Board of Commissioners Meeting affirming the County’s intent to establish a clean air construction procurement policy that aligns with this regional approach.
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