Portland City Councilors may tweak a policy meant to boost homeownership for lower-income Portlanders due to a lack of buyers. The change, which councilors will consider on Wednesday, would allow people of all incomes to buy homes initially intended for lower-income buyers.
The Portland Housing Bureau says the decision could address the issue of hundreds of new homes currently sitting empty, while some councilors worry it will further push homeownership out of reach for lower-income Portlanders.
“I think there are a lot of things we could be doing to address the challenges for developers,” said Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney at a June housing committee hearing, where councilors first discussed the change. “I just don’t think that making it even harder for folks who are making average income or less to enter homeownership is the right way for us to be addressing those challenges.”…