The Portland City Council approved several new policies this week aimed at lowering the cost of building new homes. Councilmembers approved what they called a “regulatory relief” package, a measure to loosen 15 zoning and permitting requirements for new housing. The council also approved new tax breaks to reduce the cost of complying with the city’s onerous inclusionary-zoning mandates. These mandates, enacted in 2016, are widely acknowledged to have slowed residential development in the city. – Oregon Live
