American Dream

A developer has proposed to put in 170-unit housing project on 2.8 acres near a major Portland arterial. So-called environmentalists think it is a great idea, but local residents, who have opposed densification of their neighborhood for years, oppose it. "Because of the density, we think it's going to cause substantial harm to neighborhood livability," said one of the residents. But a watershed group loves the project because a it would restore part of a creek that has been submerged in pipes underground.

The project manages to fit 14 row houses, a 100-unit, four-story apartment, and a 56-unit, "affordable" apartment, plus 165 parking spaces, on just 2.8 acres. The Portland Development Commission and a non-profit group would end up owning or managing the two apartment buildings, so no doubt the project involves large subsidies.