This October, city staff are hosting Council District-based Community Roundtables to gather Portlanders’ priorities and build a legislative roadmap to deliver housing affordability. The District 3 roundtable will take place Tuesday, October 20th, from 6 to 8 p.m. within the Rose City Community Collective at 5830 NE Alameda Street. People interested in joining can register for this free gathering, which provides food, childcare, and interpretation services to make it accessible for people who want to receive a brief presentation and then share their perspectives on housing priorities in their community.
The District 1 roundtable took place on October 13th at the Rosewood Initiative on SE Stark Street. Council President Jamie Dunphy and Councilor Candace Avalos—who chairs the Housing and Permitting Committee—joined city staff to present a high-level view of efforts to create a unified housing strategy that took form in August 2025. Two progress reports document work up to this point, outlining Phase I and Phase II. A sizable part of the evening programming focused on letting attendees apply three dots to large printouts of identified programs aimed at housing creation and affordability measures that are planned or identified through prior outreach. People at the event also have other options to share their insights based on lived experience and local knowledge.
Quisha Light, Interim Portland Housing Bureau Director, explained that this outreach phase matters when balancing the trade-offs budgets demand while accounting for community priorities. “If there was enough money to do everything, we would do it all,” remarked Light at the October 13th roundtable. Avalos added that this work will support City Council in passing a future resolution to create a comprehensive plan that will guide the next budget cycle and ensure city staff has a flexible but clear roadmap for housing affordability.
The Unified Housing Strategy Phase III work identified the need to add 20,000 new residential units to Portland’s market while preserving 1,400 affordable units by 2035. Unlike traditional housing efforts, this could include more non-market housing options, such as limited-profit developments or city-owned properties. Speakers at the District 1 meeting explained this would require reevaluating existing municipal spending and creating new revenue streams. Avalos acknowledged that executing the Unified Housing Strategy will depend on the City Administrator. Still, City Council is working with industry experts, city bureaus, and the community to develop a compelling plan to address the recognized affordable housing crisis. Resident participation at these Zoom or in-person roundtables helps shape the efforts, and project leaders hope people will find time to participate in the next three District sessions.
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Disclosure: The author of this article served on the 82nd Avenue TIF Working group and is currently the co-chair of the 82nd Avenue Area TIF Community Leadership Committee. Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds may play a role in housing creation influenced by the Unified Housing Strategy. The author does not speak on behalf of the Committee or any City of Portland bureau.
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