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In an article published this week in the Oregonian, HBA explored the history of minimum lot size requirements in the City of Portland and explained how SB534 overcame NIMBY efforts to limit builders’ ability to develop thousands of historically platted legal lots. Home prices reflect a number of independent variables that are difficult for local leaders to control. The Great Recession led to a deficit in skilled construction workers in the Northwest, the president’s tariffs are increasing the costs of building materials and an influx of new residents causes land prices to soar. One factor that they can control however, is the amount of land required to accommodate a home. Indeed, the easiest way to reduce the cost of housing is to allow for more of it – and reducing lot size requirements does just that. The Portland City Council will consider implementing SB534, which has an implementation date of March 1, 2020, as part of the Residential Infill Project later this year. HBA supports efforts to expand housing options throughout the City and believes that through increasing supply we can begin to tackle Oregon’s housing crisis. To learn more about our work in the City of Portland and to join our Portland Building and Urban Development Council, please contact Ezra Hammer at ezrah@hbapdx.org. Next Article Previous Article