Housing Related Appendices from Metro Urban Growth Report; Comments Due to Metro NLT Oct 15.

Metro has recently released their Greatest Places report; a web page with related web links is HERE and includes links to their transportation plan, framework for reserves, and urban growth report.

I went in an dug out housing related appendices from their HUGE urban growth report (771 pages) and have posted Appendices 7-10 HERE. (I extracted HERE a SHORTER housing/transportation performance section from the urban growth plan; page 5 includes a table showing cost burdened HH's by sub area).

ONE APPARENT PROBLEM: Metro Projects REDUCED Demand for Rental Units With Subsidy Needs.

My calculations from a table on page 72 (A8-21 in the printed report) show that Metro projects that the demand for the two lowest rent categories will SHRINK by 39%, from 29% of all rental units in 2005 to 18% of total rental units in 2030.

MOREOVER, In the lowest rent category, the ONLY category where metro shows that subsidy will be required, metro projects that category will shrink by 56%, from 20% to 7% of all rental unit demand.

I might be missing something here but the reduction of subsidy need for rental housing seems highly UNLIKELY,and NOT supported by any trend that I can see.
I could understand if Metro was saying that subsidy needs would increase at higher rent points, but this is NOT what the table appears to say to me. (IF someone believes I am misreading what this table shows, please add a comment with the alternative explanation).

COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Comments are due BEFORE COB on October 15th.
On Sept. 15, Metro opened a 30-day public comment opportunity for the Regional Transportation Plan, framework for urban and rural reserves and urban growth report. Remaining comment opportunities are:

Tuesday, Oct. 13
4 p.m. (open house) | 5:15 p.m. (hearing)
Clackamas County Public Services Building, 2051 Kaen Road, Oregon City

Thursday, Oct. 15
4 p.m. (open house) | 5:15 p.m. (hearing)
Metro Regional Center, 600 NE Grand Ave., Portland

Submit comments in writing

Greatest Place Comments
Planning and Development
600 NE Grand Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
greatestplace@oregonmetro.gov

I LIKELY WILL SUBMIT MY COMMENTS IN WRITING, I ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO SO ALSO.

Other Tidbits on What is Included in the Appendices:

1. Breakouts of combined transportation/housing cost burdens greater than 50% of income are shown by sub region. See NE Portland subarea on page 7 for an example.
   
2. The City of Portland accounted for nearly half of all new multifamily developed units from 2001 to 2006 and 71.5% percent of those were refill units. (p84).
3. A low growth scenario would marginally reduce the % of renters with housing/ transportation cost burdens; a high growth scenario would increase the % of renters with housing/transportation cost burdens (p73).

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.