Portland’s mission to incentivize new housing construction has done little to change the sluggish pace of development in the city.
According to a new city report, residential construction in Portland this year is on track to meet or slightly exceed last year’s rate.
That’s despite a new program that waives certain fees developers are required to pay to build in city limits. First proposed by Mayor Keith Wilson and Gov. Tina Kotek and adopted by city council last year, this program was pitched as a way to jump-start new housing construction in the city during a period of slow growth. But larger market factors have muted its impact…