Greg Tompkins: I actually looked at the pricing for these condos. What a ripoff! How are they planning to address housing affordability in this city? They keep cramming more and more people into the tight UGB. I live in Portland near Lloyd Center and today I found my rent is going up AGAIN! Actually, MUCH faster than my salary is.
JK: Aside for lip service, they aren’t planning to address housing affordability. My theory is that, since Portland can no longer grow by annexation of surrounding un-incorporated areas, they decided to grow the tax income by increasing the value of property within the city. Hence their real goal it to increase the value of property, which results in higher property taxes, higher rents, higher mortgage payments and drives out low income people. Anyway, that is the reality of what is happening. See americandreamcoalition.org/penalty.html for one view.

Greg Tompkins: Add to that the fact the City decided to eliminate the residential streetside parking program.
JK: The idea is to slowly increase the pressure on car owners to force us to waste time and money on mass transit. For transit costs see: DebunkingPortland.com/Transit/Cost-Cars-Transit.htm

Greg Tompkins: I am giving serious consideration to moving back to Beaverton or even out to McMinnville and resuming my polluting activities while driving to my employment in Portland every day.
JK: That is good in their view as it will free up space for higher income people who are more willing to pay higher taxes for Portland to give away to well connected insiders and their pet projects.

Greg Tompkins: If the state would fix their stupid land use laws and free up more land for residential development it would fix this artificial supply and demand problem we've got here in the Metro area.
JK: Blame Metro for deciding to grow UP instead of OUT.

Thanks
JK
See DebunkingPortland.com for the other side of the Portland story.