Disconnect in Oregonian Stories on Housing Choice and Foothills.

Last summer the Oregonian did an extensive "Locked Out" series of stories about housing choice, including the absence of housing choice in Lake Oswego and West Linn. 

It was troubling therefore for me to read the only Oregonian story to date on the killing of the Foothills Urban renewal district last Tuesday. The district funding included $6.5 million for affordable housing in Foothills, the first ever local affordable housing funding ever approved by the city of Lake Oswego. The story did not even mention the loss of funding for affordable housing in the Foothills district let alone include any reaction from affordable housing /fair housing advocates.  

I get that the Oregonian story was produced by a reporter in a suburban/neighborhood beat and the Oregonian Locked Out series was produced by the main Oregonian staff.  

While I suppose it is reassuring that the Oregonian has the same "silo" disconnect problems as any large institution, the failure to take note of the significance of Lake Oswego affordable funding last December and the killing of affordable housing funding last week is troubling to me.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.