What is happening to my wonderful neighborhood??? (Portland, Salem: real estate, apartments)

[ThanksABunch]

Sorry a bit of venting today and I hate to bum everyone out but I gotta get it out. If you are thinking about moving here, be aware!

I live and rent in SE Portland, close-in, and I'm so saddened and angered by the transformation and population boom of my once quaint and quiet neighborhood. It is happening all over Portland...so I could be speaking about a number of close-in neighborhoods.

Here it is: For the past few years, every time a house goes on the market, it is scooped up by a developer and in it's place, ugly townhomes, apartments, or condos spring up seemingly overnight. These structures have no off-street parking options and so what was once a one-family space is now occupied by sometimes ten families, and most likely at least ten cars, if not more. I work in NE Portland (7 miles away) and what used to be an easy five minute drive out of my neighborhood (and a 15-minute drive to work total) has now turned into a frustrating 20 minute bumper-to-bumper ordeal JUST to get out of my small neighborhood. Just last year, it only took a couple of minutes! And my total commute now can be up to 45 minutes one way on bad days and a solid 35 minutes on good days. And this has not been a gradual change but a very fast change that has me thinking seriously about moving out of my beloved neighborhood. But that's what happens when you build structures that essentially increase the local population in a matter of months. And it's not just the overload of traffic but it's depressing to watch these lovely homes that have stood for decades be demolished.....and up comes a cracker-box, towering multi-family structure. The unique character and vibe of my neighborhood is dying. This is happening in many other neighborhoods as well..especially on the east side.

When the number one motivation is the all-mighty dollar and there is no concern or thoughtful vision about the future, well-being, and character of a special place, that special place ends up looking and feeling like every other suburban sprawl in the country. I also have several friends who have been renters here for years (one for nearly 20) and they are all getting pushed out by the dramatic rent increases. I have seen rent go from $1000 to $1500 in one year, forcing many families out. Mine was one of those and although I can afford it, it's pushing beyond my comfort zone for sure.

I never thought I'd say it, but I am looking at uprooting and moving out to the country. I have already lined up a new schedule with my job so my commute time will change and I'll be doing some things from home, hopefully. I considered moving near my job but it's happening there too (it's actually worse) and same issues with rent increases and micro apartments with high rent sprouting up. By staying in Portland, I feel like my quality of life would decrease instead of increase. I'm really not interested in moving into a place with higher rent, less space, and traffic jams outside my door every morning. No thanks.

Good lord I'm usually a lot more positive than this but there it is.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by ThanksABunch

Sorry a bit of venting today and I hate to bum everyone out but I gotta get it out. If you are thinking about moving here, be aware!

I live and rent in SE Portland, close-in, and I'm so saddened and angered by the transformation and population boom of my once quaint and quiet neighborhood. It is happening all over Portland...so I could be speaking about a number of close-in neighborhoods.

Here it is: For the past few years, every time a house goes on the market, it is scooped up by a developer and in it's place, ugly townhomes, apartments, or condos spring up seemingly overnight. These structures have no off-street parking options and so what was once a one-family space is now occupied by sometimes ten families, and most likely at least ten cars, if not more. I work in NE Portland (7 miles away) and what used to be an easy five minute drive out of my neighborhood (and a 15-minute drive to work total) has now turned into a frustrating 20 minute bumper-to-bumper ordeal JUST to get out of my small neighborhood. Just last year, it only took a couple of minutes! And my total commute now can be up to 45 minutes one way on bad days and a solid 35 minutes on good days. And this has not been a gradual change but a very fast change that has me thinking seriously about moving out of my beloved neighborhood. But that's what happens when you build structures that essentially increase the local population in a matter of months. And it's not just the overload of traffic but it's depressing to watch these lovely homes that have stood for decades be demolished.....and up comes a cracker-box, towering multi-family structure. The unique character and vibe of my neighborhood is dying. This is happening in many other neighborhoods as well..especially on the east side.

When the number one motivation is the all-mighty dollar and there is no concern or thoughtful vision about the future, well-being, and character of a special place, that special place ends up looking and feeling like every other suburban sprawl in the country. I also have several friends who have been renters here for years (one for nearly 20) and they are all getting pushed out by the dramatic rent increases. I have seen rent go from $1000 to $1500 in one year, forcing many families out. Mine was one of those and although I can afford it, it's pushing beyond my comfort zone for sure.

I never thought I'd say it, but I am looking at uprooting and moving out to the country. I have already lined up a new schedule with my job so my commute time will change and I'll be doing some things from home, hopefully. I considered moving near my job but it's happening there too (it's actually worse) and same issues with rent increases and micro apartments with high rent sprouting up. By staying in Portland, I feel like my quality of life would decrease instead of increase. I'm really not interested in moving into a place with higher rent, less space, and traffic jams outside my door every morning. No thanks.

Good lord I'm usually a lot more positive than this but there it is.

Oregon based a law a few decades ago: you can no longer build out, you must build up and "in." It's called an urban growth boundary.

[2nd trick op]

Another classic example of the good intentions and economic ignorance of "progressive" policies at work. Let the markets, and not the politicians and "urban planners", decide!

It's not the "almighty dollar" -- it's a group of self-righteous aesthetes trying to overrule the "dollar votes" of people they don't agree with, and don't care about.

[bler144]

The UGB is a factor, but I think it's a mistake to say it's the only limitation in play. But it certainly makes a convenient scapegoat.

Does that development occur if you take the UGB away entirely? Probably, since it most cases it's still going to be the most cost-effective to develop for a variety of reasons (topography, connected to existing services, etc.) and given how relatively little employment exists outside the core, inner SE is going to be more desirable than Boring of the development options - the premium for developing there will tend to be higher.

As the compass goes, in several directions significant development is hampered by terrain and/or infrastructure.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Well, all I can say is that Portlanders knowingly voted in the politicians that pushed the "smart growth".
There wasn't anything hidden about their agendas.
It's a fairly open secret that Portland city government works "hand in glove" with real estate developers.

The people of Portland got what they voted for.

So, welcome to the "new and improved" smart growth Portland.

But I truthfully am sorry for your disappointments.
The type of Portland that everyone wanted and moved here for, has pretty much vaporized.

I moved out to the "country" in 2012, although I still own a couple houses in the Woodstock neighborhood.
I could see the writing on the wall.

Sadly, unless you are really smart or lucky, you're not going to find much cheaper housing within an hours drive of Portland.
A lot of people are wanting what you want.

[urbanlife78]

So the OP is complaining that Portland is growing in population, inner Portland is becoming more desirable, and causing more traffic....what did the OP think would happen in Portland? That it would become a city no one wants to move to with an out migration?

Portland is a growing city, and with that comes more people. The UGB isn't causing any issues when it comes to inner Portland because even if you got rid of it, the inner part of Portland would still be the most desirable and the area targeted for much of the urban growth in the city.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

So the OP is complaining that Portland is growing in population, inner Portland is becoming more desirable, and causing more traffic....what did the OP think would happen in Portland? That it would become a city no one wants to move to with an out migration?

Portland is a growing city, and with that comes more people. The UGB isn't causing any issues when it comes to inner Portland because even if you got rid of it, the inner part of Portland would still be the most desirable and the area targeted for much of the urban growth in the city.

It is certainly causing issues in terms of affordability. You limit supply, prices increase. I'm not here to debate the merits of the UGBs. I am here to tell you that affordability is an unintended consequence. I have no gripes with the affordability of Portland: it's pretty affordable for a city its size.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

It is certainly causing issues in terms of affordability. You limit supply, prices increase. I'm not here to debate the merits of the UGBs. I am here to tell you that affordability is an unintended consequence. I have no gripes with the affordability of Portland: it's pretty affordable for a city its size.

How exactly would a house on the edge of the metro affect the price of inner Portland? You don't here people wishing they could live out past 242nd when they talk about moving to Portland, they all want to live on 15th and Stark. Therefore inner Portland is going to always have a limited supply of housing even if housing stretched all the way to Salem.

What we have been seeing with inner Portland becoming more dense, is that supply is going up within desirable areas, but that doesn't always mean prices will go down because of it because new construction comes with a price tag and a developer wants a profit margin to make the development pencil out.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

How exactly would a house on the edge of the metro affect the price of inner Portland? You don't here people wishing they could live out past 242nd when they talk about moving to Portland, they all want to live on 15th and Stark. Therefore inner Portland is going to always have a limited supply of housing even if housing stretched all the way to Salem.

What we have been seeing with inner Portland becoming more dense, is that supply is going up within desirable areas, but that doesn't always mean prices will go down because of it because new construction comes with a price tag and a developer wants a profit margin to make the development pencil out.

What are you talking about?

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

What are you talking about?

The Urban Growth Boundary. Getting rid of it and expanding the size of the metro isn't going to reduce the desirability or housing demand with inner Portland. There will always be a limited supply in inner Portland as long as there are more people who want to move here.