2 • The Southwest Portland Post
EDITORIAL
November 2016
Middle housing could provide new generation with alternative to ‘McMansions’
OPEN FORUM
By Chris Dearth
The Multnomah Neighborhood
Association has dedicated
considerable energy to fighting City
Hall for decades.
I’m sure they mean well, but if
opponents are successful in defeating
the proposed “middle housing”
amendment to the Comprehensive
Plan, currently before City Council,
we could actually see a continuation
and acceleration of the current
negative housing trends we all
oppose.
See “Open Forum: ‘Middle housing’
amendment would make new zoning
code meaningless,” by Martie Sucec, The
Post, October 2016.
Opponents to housing reform,
including the neighborhood
association, protest against
“rezoning”.
In fact, the middle housing plan is
not re-zoning at all but a proposed
zoning overlay (similar to a design
overlay) and is a pragmatic effort to
address many of the ills they have
fought for years: disproportionately
large, expensive, “McMansions”
we see replacing some of the
deteriorating housing stock in our
neighborhoods.
I’m not sure reform opponents are
as upset at the proposed housing
m e a s u re s a s m u c h a s t h e y a re
disturbed by the pace of change in the
housing market we see throughout
Portland.
No question the Portland housing
world is changing fast, and planning
policies must adapt to meet those
challenges.
I n m y o b s e r v a t i o n , t h e g re a t
majority of the neighborhood
association is composed of boomers
(like Martie and me) who purchased
our homes in the 1980s and 90s
when Multnomah was a sleepy little
“village.”
Not represented by the
neighborhood association are
younger families, renters, singles,
and a more diverse population who
find themselves priced out of this
homogenous community.
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This stacked duplex is an example of the missing middle housing in Portland. An
amendment to the Portland Comprehensive Plan would allow duplexes, triplexes and
accessory dwelling units in single-dwelling zones. From “Missing Middle Housing” by
Daniel Parolek. Photo courtesy of Opticos Design, Inc.
Sadly, long gone are the days
when a middle-income family could
buy a modest starter home here for
$100,000 with five percent down.
Nowadays most of us long-time
homeowners—let alone a younger,
more diverse generation—couldn’t
afford to buy our own homes.
We must find ways to open our
community to a wider range of
economic and racial groups.
The proposal put forward
by our neighbor, Portland City
Commissioner Steve Novick, would
do just that.
It is a progressive measure designed
to restore the “missing middle” of
modest housing between expensive
houses on large lots at one extreme
(the status quo) and apartment
complexes at the other extreme.
It proposes to encourage a mix
of affordable homes once available
throughout Portland.
Instead of $800,000 monstrosities,
middle housing would simply
allow—not force—a mix of housing
types ranging from more affordable
duplexes, triplexes, accessory
dwelling units, cottage clusters, etc.
It would also scale down new
single-family homes to be more
compatible with the homes in existing
neighborhoods. Ironically, this is
exactly what the opponents say they
are seeking.
We all can all agree that the housing
status quo is not acceptable.
The question is what is a
constructive, achievable solution?
Simply opposing every new proposal
out of City Hall is not the solution.
I would hope that the neighborhood
association and others can work
constructively with Commissioner
Novick and others to find ways to
encourage affordable housing in
Multnomah.
Otherwise we’ll continue to see
restricted, unaffordable housing
options exclude more and more of the
new generation we desperately need
to diversify our community.
Chris Dearth is a 25-year resident of
Multnomah Village. The Post welcomes
reader response. Please stick to one
subject and limit letters to 300 words and
guest columns to 500 words. We reserve
the right to edit submissions for brevity,
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concerns. Email editor@multnomahpost.
com for more information.
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