Portland has breweries, a thriving art scene, and...a $15,000 demolition tax? A proposed new law in Lake Oswego, a Portland suburb, calls for a demolition tax as a latest measure to combat the lack of affordable housing. Yet some lawmakers argue that this will disrupt the intent of Oregon’s zoning bill that paves the way for developers to create affordable housing units in traditionally single-family home neighborhoods.
A Portland suburb is poised to vote on a law that taxes anyone who demolishes a home, the latest salvo in the fight over how to create more affordable housing in the state.
Legislators in Lake Oswego, an affluent town of about 38,000, have proposed a law that would place a $15,000 tax on most home demolitions. The funds raised would go toward maintenance of local parks, according to the ordinance.
But a top state lawmakers and housing advocates said the Lake Oswego tax could discourage the sort of new housing development that a recent statewide initiative is intended to promote.
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