City of Portland reports positive start to new housing incentive
The city of Portland, Ore. implemented a financial incentive in summer 2025 for builders to reach the goal of 5,000 new housing units over three years. This incentive exempted builders from System Development Charges (SDCs), compensation for their impact on the City’s existing sewers, parks, water systems and streets. SDCs can add an estimated $25,221 per unit for builders.
Since the temporary adoption, Portland reported 1,720 units in the process of construction. Of these units the report outlined some permits that moved forward were ready for approval for several months or years, but were delayed by their fees. “The number of units in the pipeline is an encouraging early indicator that this temporary SDC exemption program is achieving what it intended: to make it easier to build new housing in Portland and to reduce financial barriers for those builders,” said Donnie Oliveira, the deputy city administrator for community and economic development.
This report only covers the first five months of the program, a second release is anticipated in the fall.
