The editorial Oct. 24 (“Our View: Outcome of ‘midtown’ clash no victory for Portland”) was an exercise in twisted logic. The revamping of midtown is indeed a very positive development for the Bayside neighborhood and for the entire city.

The twisted logic is the assumption made in the statement, “When market-rate units – like those in the midtown buildings – are built, people who can afford them will choose them over less-costly apartments in older buildings, making that space more affordable. But this benefit will be blunted by the downsizing of midtown.”

There is absolutely no data to support that assumption, and to speculate that would be the case makes no logical sense.

It is true that the revamped design will net the city less in property taxes than the original proposal, but the fact that it will be built at one time rather than over 10 years gives the city more property taxes over the next few years than the original proposal would have yielded.

Why this outcome will send a discouraging message to developers and “cost Portland hundreds of desperately needed housing units” is another assumption that has no basis in fact.

The Portland Press Herald has been championing the original design ever since it approved the sale of the land to Federated Cos., and now that a compromise (much better suited to the site) has been reached, is expressing “sour grapes” sentiment in an editorial that is full of unsubstantiated facts and unsupported assumptions.


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