Early Results Show Middle Housing Taking Hold in Portland
The City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability released first-year results of the Residential Infill Project (RIP), whose zoning changes took effect on August 1, 2021. Cascadia Partners analyzed the 646 units permitted in the R2.5, R5, and R7 single-dwelling zones.
In that first year, 271 middle housing units were permitted, compared with 102 single houses. Excluding accessory dwelling units (ADUs), middle housing made up 73 percent of permits, and fourplexes accounted for 76 percent of middle housing units. Middle housing averaged 3.4 units per lot, against 1.2 for single houses, and 86 percent of it sat within a quarter mile of centers and corridors.