Gov. Kotek, Mayor Wilson join forces to increase apartment construction in Portland

Published 7:15 am Friday, March 7, 2025

Portland leaders and the Oregon governor’s office have teamed up with the private sector to tackle the city’s housing crisis. Mayor Keith Wilson and Gov. Tina Kotek convened a meeting Thursday, March 6, with housing developers, construction firms and other city officials to float solutions to the city’s slow pace of housing development.

“We’re struggling here in Portland,” Wilson said at a press conference following the meeting. “Our younger residents, our retirees, our low-income folks are being hit hard by inflation and housing costs, and I think that if we increase housing supply, we increase housing affordability.”

The group is focused specifically on market-rate apartment construction. According to Wilson and Kotek, their work will target changes to permitting and zoning policies that would speed up construction.

“It is about efficient permitting, efficient time to construction,” Kotek said. “Clarity and consistency is good for developers because time is money.”

Oregon Public Broadcating is a news partner of the Portland Tribune. Their full stroy can be found at opb.org.