The North Peninsula Review put questions about housing before the several mayoral and District 2 candidates. See the questions and the candidates’ responses below:
- Do you believe that increasing the housing supply in North Portland could moderate home and apartment prices?
- Should any effort to increase the housing supply focus more on density in residential neighborhoods, or more on building low- and mid-rise apartments & condos in neighborhood business areas? Or both? Or do you think there are other options?
Mayoral candidates
Keith Wilson – Yes, but not just North Portland, but the entire city. I am a fierce advocate of rapidly developing housing. We need more units across a spectrum of price points, and we need them now.
The average price of a one-bedroom apartment in Portland is now $1,700. A person needs an income of $68,000 or more to comfortably afford it. We are pricing out high-school graduates who are just starting out, as well as retired Portlanders who can no longer afford to live in the city they helped build.
Carmen Rubio – Portland families need more affordable housing choices of all types for every stage of life and with more, I do believe prices will moderate. I passed the city’s first-ever housing production strategy. That plan includes clear goals and strategies, and with more support from the state and federal governments, we can make significant progress. The city also has in place infill policies to increase density where appropriate. Under my leadership, we are in the second phase of that project, and I expect to have more data next year to evaluate what’s working or not working so we can improve it.
Rene Gonzalez – To moderate housing prices in North Portland, we must focus on increasing density while fostering vibrant communities. This means building more housing in strategic locations, but also deepening community engagement around the impacts of bottle-drop sites and shelter locations. By collaborating more closely with service providers in the field and actively involving neighbors in these discussions, we can better understand and address the effects these facilities have on North Portland residents. Building more homes alone isn’t enough; we need a holistic approach that respects community concerns and ensures growth benefits everyone.
Mingus Mapps – For a city like Portland, where we are so limited by space, increasing housing density is one of the most effective tools we have to keep our city affordable. To ensure that new housing supply meets our needs, we should focus first on areas with existing infrastructure, such as business districts and along high-capacity transit lines. At the same time, we need to recognize that as demand continues to grow, more density will likely expand into traditionally single-family residential neighborhoods.
As we pursue aggressive housing production goals, approaching this issue thoughtfully is non-negotiable, since we will be balancing the need for more housing with the need to preserve livability.
City Council District 2, N/NE Portland
Laura Streib – We need to have a healthy combination of options. I believe having robust housing market options for owners and renters will help decrease housing costs. We need multi-generational housing, adaptable and accessible housing, family housing units and single units. Duplexes, triplexes and quads are essential. There are many mixed-use buildings already in the St. Johns area that have community spaces for the residents and facilities for non-profits. What we don’t need are empty ground-level storefronts. It is also essential to include arts and culture to activate our public spaces and reintroduce vibrancy, joy, and creativity to North Portland.
Jonathan Tasini – We should do both. In appropriate spaces, we can increase density and build more low- and mid-rise apartments. I believe in housing as a universal right. In all new housing, we should look to public housing investments, not simply hand money to private developers, because eventually “affordable” housing ends up becoming unaffordable if the market rules. In particular, I would work, through my broad union relationships (as the candidate with by far the most labor support) to mobilize union pension money, which has helped back projects across the union for working and middle-class folks to finance great new housing.
James Armstrong – Yes. We should focus on significantly expanding our housing supply in our local retail business districts and along our transportation corridors. Creating housing opportunities in close proximity to goods and services will benefit local small businesses and support our city’s goals to reduce carbon-based transportation. Our city has the opportunity to support this type of development by encouraging the redevelopment of derelict buildings along Lombard and by creating a low-interest lending program to encourage investment in our high-interest-rate market.
Dan Ryan – Yes. We need a balanced approach that includes adding density to residential neighborhoods, building low- and mid-rise apartments and condos in neighborhood business areas, and being mindful of parking for small businesses. This creates diverse housing options while also supporting local businesses. We should also focus on safe access to public transportation. It’s critical to preserve the character of neighborhoods while addressing our housing crisis. Portland needs a variety of housing solutions to meet the needs of families, seniors and individuals in all income levels. We must explore all available options to increase our affordable housing supply.