ARTICLE
Earlier this month, HBA’s VP of Policy and Government Affairs Ezra Hammer joined Josh Lehner from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis and Matt Williams with Bison Properties to discuss the state of the economy, the Portland region's real estate market, and the impacts that COVID-19 has had on the residential construction industry. While housing construction remained essential and was allowed to continue during the pandemic, new construction has tumbled region-wide with a significant downturn in multifamily construction. These impacts are starting to have significant ripple effects including furloughs and layoffs of planning and building staff around the region and tightening housing supply. Across the state, housing options are dwindling for Oregonians and absent a dramatic uptick in construction, 2021 will likely continue this trend. You can watch the presentation here using password .=hS5nm!. To learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on housing, contact Ezra Hammer at ezrah@hbapdx.org.