Inclusionary Zoning Now the Law in Portland, Oregon

Elliot Njus reports: "The Portland City Council unanimously approved a citywide inclusionary zoning policy, requiring apartment and condo developers to set aside some units for low-income residents."

"The policy will require developments with 20 or more units to set aside 20 percent of those units for households making less than 80 percent of the median family income, which in 2016 was $58,650 for a family of four," adds Njus to describe the details of the city's inclusionary zoning policy.

The city's approval of the policy was somewhat expected, since the state had to clear the way for the city's action by passing legislation allowing local municipalities to approve inclusionary zoning legislation. Interestingly, the city of Portland is the first city in Oregon to approve inclusionary zoning, despite criticism from some prominent voices in the urbanism conversation, but not the first city named Portland to approve such a policy. Portland, Maine approved an inclusionary zoning policy in 2015.