Portland City Council Unanimously Advances Resolution to Build More Homes in Inner Eastside

Huge news:

Portland City Council Unanimously Advances Resolution to Build More Homes in Inner Eastside.

Thanks so, so much to everyone who testified, to all who showed up at our rally, and our champions on the city council.

portlandneighborswelcome.org/ie4a-resolut...

Learning about Oregon's property tax system today, and wow, it's pretty dumb.

Go to horny jail bonk meme with replaced text "Go to Zoning jail" And labeled bonker "P:NW Members + Allies" "City Council" and bonkee "Decades of Portland Downzoning"

Flyer with bright green background and people standing holding signs in the foreground. Text reads: let's pass the Inner Eastside for All Resolution! April 15th @Portland City Hall Rally 5PM Hearing 6-8PM Wear Green!

On April 15, Portland City Council will consider a resolution focused on keeping the Inner Eastside Area Planning project moving forward. This is the resolution passed out of committee on March 12th (unanimously!) with huge support from our membership and coalition in the form of written testimony.

Land value tax on the agenda this Thursday! In Bend's Housing Options Made for Everyone (HOME) Committee, which looks at ways to increase housing production:

bendoregon.gov/wp-content/u...

BOOM: Unanimous Vote Lands Land Value Tax Enablement on Governor’s Desk In Virginia, a unanimous senate vote puts LVT on the Governors desk. Meanwhile, Kentucky also joins the momentum as other states continue on toward LVT enablement.

progressandpoverty.substack.com/p/boom-unanimous-vote-pu... “With the passage of HB 282, Virginia now appears perfectly-poised to actually implement LVT. Perhaps Charlottesville will be the first city to try it out.” #cville #TaxReform #housing #SplitRateTaxation #VALeg

“What protection[ism] teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war.”
― Henry George, Protection or Free Trade

Land value tax would solve this

Rockford, IL sign reads: “EVERYBODY WORKS BUT THE VACANT LOT” I paid $3600 for this lot and will hold till I get $6000. The profit is unearned increment made possible by the presence of this community and enterprise of its people. I take the profit without earning it. For the remedy read “HENRY GEORGE” Yours truly, Fay Lewis

@emry-dinman.bsky.social includes this 1914 activist billboard from Rockford, Illinois that highlights ideas from the economist Henry George:

"The profit is unearned increment made possible by the presence of this community and enterprise of its people." (photo via NY Public Library)

'Everybody works but the empty lot': Some Spokane leaders eye property tax reform to promote building As Spokane city leaders look for new ways to boost development, some are leading the charge for a reform to the property tax system which would shift some of the tax burden off of homes and high rises...

"Most homeowners would see a minor dip in their property tax bill, particularly in poorer areas with lower land values"

www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...

That's amazing to hear! May I DM you? I'm sure some of our members who helped get the study started would be interested to hear more.

Oregon currently allows property tax deferral for seniors, and this could be expanded under an overall tax reform. Also consider that seniors in condos today often lose out under Measures 5/50, particularly when compared to a land value tax shift.

There's many ways to look at this, but one particularly important fact for homeowner affordability is that property tax cuts capitalize into higher home prices:
pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/nerc_pub/14/

Another group that could see a tax cut from switching to more of a land value tax: homeowners in outer SE Portland, who currently lose under 50. See Panel C on page 19:
pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/nerc_pub/36/

Successful reform will take a lot of work, but note that the legislature has been interested in this for while. See this 2019 bill which would study a land value tax. It passed the senate but was stymied by the walkout in the house:
olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2019R1/M...

#orleg is looking at this now, with HB 2321 passed in 2025. Studies effects of M5/50 and presents options for reform.
olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/M...

land value tax would replace and mitigate this gap

"The result: Pittsburgh was the only Rust Belt city to experience a downtown building boom during the period. Despite terrible economic conditions, residential building permits increased 15%, and vacant lot sales jumped 17%."

"In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, as the city contended with the worst of the steel collapse, its leaders turned again to land taxation to spur growth and mitigate blight. Under Mayor Richard Caliguiri, the land tax rate spiked to six times the building tax rate."

Pittsburgh had a split-rate property tax for the better part of the 20th century, time to revive it.

Beginning to understand why Mamdani's first move is to reform property taxes lmao what is going on

👀

westhamiltonnews.com/stories/6758...

Is this classroom on an airplane?

Flyer describing a Pacific Northwest Single Stair Design Competition. It is sponsored by Portland: Neighbors Welcome and Strong Towns PDX. It is eligible to Undergrad + Grad students in Oregon and Washington. The prizes are 1st: $1500, 2nd: $1,000 (x2), 3rd: $500 (x3). Important Dates are: November 15th, 2025, which is when registration is due, and April 1st, 2026 which is when submissions are due. To learn more, the website link is PNWDREAMS.ORG

We are excited to announce that we are co-sponsoring a Single Stair Design Competition along with our friends at @strongtownspdx.bsky.social and the University of Oregon School of Architecture! The competition will be open to undergrad + grad students in Oregon and Washington pnwdreams.org

One of our aims has been to make it easier for homeowners to redevelop and further improve their land. This free event tonight looks like a great way to learn about that and connect with some really helpful people!

Home Builders, and Homeowners, Brace for Impact of Kitchen Tariffs

How *not* to alleviate the housing shortage: tax cabinets. Kitchens & bathrooms are already some of the largest cost drivers for housing prices. Renovations have a big multiplier effect on local jobs.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/27/r...

Let's fix our tax incentives and give Next Portland a solid pipeline of projects to report on!

Adding shareable image for Portland event tonight!

Current and Past Events - Common Ground OR-WA Second social with Strong Towns PDX and Portland: Neighbors Welcome Join us for another lively gathering with Portland: Neighbors Welcome and Strong Towns PDX on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 6 pm. We’ll exc...

Come join us in Portland 6pm TODAY at Steeplejack Brewing! We're meeting up with friends @strongtownspdx.bsky.social and @pnwelcome.bsky.social. All welcome!
2400 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232
commongroundorwa.org/current-and-...

It's not too hard to get started! A great example is PA, where cities have seen real success with LVT:
archive.strongtowns.org/journal/2019...
Here in the PNW, Common Ground OR-WA is working to make LVT possible in your city of choice, and we'd be glad to help if you want to learn more!