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As we discussed in previous newsletters, HBA has been diligently working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to reform its rulemaking process and engage more fully with the development community. As part of this collaborative effort, PBOT recently added a Development and Permitting tab to their website to publicly publish new administrative rules. In order to ensure that builders can easily access the new rules, the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) agreed to host PBOT content on their website under the Codes, Rules & Guides tab. While this action is merely content cross-pollination between the City bureaus, it represents a significant shift in the siloed world of Portland’s Commission System form of government. Home builders have long lamented the lack of coordination and communication at the City. These failures have led to an inefficient system that unnecessarily increases permit timelines costing builders weeks and homeowners and renters thousands of dollars in additional housing costs. HBA applauds the PBOT and BDS efforts to improve the development permitting process and thanks Directors Esau and Warner for working together to pursue meaningful reform. To learn more about the new PBOT rulemaking process and our work with the City of Portland, please contact Ezra Hammer at ezrah@hbapdx.org. Next Article