The city’s proposed R6 zoning change would require that new housing developments offer a uniform proportion of “affordable” housing units at below-market prices.

This requirement to provide “affordable” housing units below their actual cost would compel developers to raise the cost of “market-rate” units in order to offset the subsidy for “affordable” units.

This would make “market-rate” housing less affordable to middle-income residents. In doing so, it would contribute to a hollowing-out of Portland’s housing market and thus lead to greater – not less – inequality in housing opportunities in our city.

Portland needs a balanced approach to housing availability in Portland – one that makes housing more available to Portland residents at all levels of income, not one that discriminates against the housing needs of middle-income households.

Portland has been successful in providing housing opportunities for a sizable proportion of our low-income population under our current zoning provisions.

Portland already has more than 4,000 subsidized housing units in use – more than 12 percent of our current housing stock. This is a higher proportion than in most communities in Maine and across New England.

As we seek to provide additional housing opportunities for our low-income residents, we should not be considering solutions that will lead to greater housing inequality and make housing less affordable for Portland’s middle-income residents.

Michael Mertaugh

Portland

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