Updated: Metro Meeting Recap, New Sub Area Cost Burden Table.

Update: I added names of organizations that submitted written comments, Housing Land Advocates and REACH Community Development.
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The Thursday Dec. 10th Metro Council meeting went pretty much as I anticipated, with Council accepted the Urban Growth Report without any changes.Nonetheless, I thought that there were positives to take away from the meeting:

1. There were a total of 7 people who testified on the UGR, ALL testimony included comments on the affordable housing needs section of the UGR.
2. Two additional organizations filed written comments on the affordable housing needs component of the UGR. These organizations were Housing Land Advocates and REACH Community Development.
   
3. For first time Council members heard directly from affordable housing community about the extent of the cost burden problem.
   
4. Data problems in the UGR are now part of the public record.
   
5. The Council is on record as saying that "policies" would be determined next year, via changes to the Framework plan. (I encourage advocates to pay careful attention to proposed changes in the Framework and Functional plans, including deletions of existing requirements).
   

Testifying organizations included City of Portland Planning Bureau, Northwest Housing Alternatives, Coalition for a Livable Community, Oregon ON, the Community Housing Fund ( Washington County), and a developer/attorney, and me. REACH Community Development and Northwest Land Advocates submitted written comments. I am VERY appreciative of ALL who took the time to appear or submit written comments.

Audio Video Resources
Audio of the Council meeting should be available in a few days from THIS website, look for the Dec 10th session. Streaming video will also likely show up in a few days HERE.

New Subarea Cost Burden Table
One of defects that I found in the written report was absence of table showing renter cost burdens by sub area. I have now created such a table using Census Tract level data previously sent to me by Metro. (Table HERE replaces ALL other drafts I have done and is DRAFT until I confirm with Metro).