Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington, right, listens as Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan speaks with the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Portland on Sept. 9. LAKE OSWEGO – Portland’s home builders, continuing to struggle with government aspirations for denser communities, vented frustrations at a Thursday morning meeting with Metro officials.
Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan was invited to speak with the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Portland’s Government Affairs Committee, and a group of about 20 association members were on hand to discuss growth in the region.
Key among the frustrations expressed by the homebuilders was an emphasis on higher density development, particularly in newer areas brought into the urban growth boundary.
For example, Jordan has suggested that South Hillsboro, if brought into the urban growth boundary, should have its residential density increased to 15 units per acre. Hillsboro has planned the area out at 12 units per acre.
“You, as Metro, are saying South Hillsboro isn’t dense enough,” said Mimi Doukas, a planner at Cardno WRG. “Hillsboro has tried to meet you in the middle and said there’s a place for urban, and you’re still putting pressure on them to increase density. They’ve presented a good compromise, a good balance.
“How is Metro, with a straight face, going to say that’s not good enough?”
Jordan pointed out that Metro is charged with balancing special interests.
“It will be the Metro Council’s job to always say ‘That’s not good enough,’” Jordan said. “There’s a tension between a regional desire to preserve farm and forest land and a local government’s desire to preserve single family neighborhoods and preserve choices within the community.”
Gordon Root, a Portland-area developer, questioned the assumption that Portlanders “all want to become Europeans and love living in an apartment and walkable communities.”
Jordan said it’s up to localities to decide where denser developments go, pointing to Hillsboro’s AmberGlen plan as an area where high-density development can exist in a city known for its suburban nature.
“The moving of AmberGlen to a regional center is a response to try and figure out how we can accommodate more growth within the UGB and preserve single-family neighborhoods,” the Metro staff chief said.
Committee Chair Dave Nielsen seemed to try to nudge the homebuilders toward a middle ground. He pointed out that some of the viewpoints on housing is just based on the way the industry is used to doing business, and that it needs to adapt.
“But it’s also market based,” he said. “What will the market accept, and what can market forces build. … It doesn’t matter what our industry is going to adapt to. Only so much of it is accepted by the general market population.”