Protests, Pandemic, Red Tape Cited as Reasons for Multifamily Housing Slowdown inside Portland City Limits

Last year saw an “astonishing” drop in the number of multifamily housing permit applications, according to an investigation by The Oregonian. The City of Portland Bureau of Development Services saw permit applications for just 2,000 multifamily units, the lowest in more than 10 years. Commercial permits dropped by more than 40 percent from a 2016 peak. After the City of Portland implemented an inclusionary housing policy effective February 1, 2017, developers rushed to get applications approved before the deadline. Multifamily permits have been in a steady decline since, with the pandemic, and last summer’s disruptive protests downtown seen as complicating factors.

Highlights of Portland annual building permits: 

• 2009: 6,354
• 2016: 10,792
• 2020: 6,205