Adams calls for end to ‘cheap, ugly housing’

Design review is goal of legislation supported by mayor, state Sen. Rod Monroe

By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Apr 11, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (43 Reader comments)

Declaring that Portland has too much “cheap, ugly housing,” Mayor Sam Adams urged the Legislature to pass a bill giving the city more design control for new residential developments.

“We have a problem in this city with ugly houses and ugly infill,” Adams told reporters Saturday morning press during a meeting with state Sen. Rod Monroe, an East Portland Democrat who introduced Senate Bill 907, which allows Portland to review designs for medium- and high-density housing projects.

Both Adams and Monroe called on Sen. Mark Hass, a Raleigh Hills Democrat, to schedule a hearing on SB 907, before April 17, the final day for first hearings on bills at the current session.

“The city ought to be able to have some review so we can get quality housing,” Monroe said.

Hass is chairman of the Senate Education and General Government Committee, where the bill has been referred. Contacted by the Portland Tribune Monday morning, Hass said he will asked Senate President Peter Courtney to refer SB 907 to the Rules Committee, which has a later deadline for first hearings.

Adams said well-designed housing helps raise surrounding property values and encourages more investment.

Under current law, the city can review design plans downtown, in historic districts and in the Gateway Urban Renewal Area. SB 907 would extended that authority to properties along MAX light-rail lines and in “town centers” designated by Metro, the regional government, for new development.

Monroe said the legislation was especially important in the low-income areas of Portland, where much of the city’s recent growth has occurred.

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