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Portland Mayor Proposes Rule Changes to Increase Housing Affordability

With an eye toward increasing affordable housing in Portland, Mayor Ethan Strimling has proposed changes to a city zoning ordinance.

One change would double the amount of so-called workforce housing required in housing developments of 10 or more units. Strimling also wants to lower how much people would have to pay to own or rent such units.

Strimling says he wants to make sure middle-income people are able to afford to stay in the city.

“We’re just not getting enough affordable workforce housing put on the market, and hopefully this will be one extra piece that can help,” he says. “We’ve been squeezing out the middle income for a number of years now and this really is a part of the housing market that we’ve got to fill, and we have not.”

Strimling says he feels the current income eligibility requirements are too high to make a significant effect and wants to see them lowered. The new affordability standards would allow families making up to $83,400 a year to own a home, and families making up to $65,700 would be able to afford to rent a workforce housing unit.

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.
Nora is originally from the Boston area but has lived in Chicago, Michigan, New York City and at the northern tip of New York state. Nora began working in public radio at Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor and has been an on-air host, a reporter, a digital editor, a producer, and, when they let her, played records.