City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly Says She Won’t Vote for An Upcoming Multiple-Unit Building Policy Without Added Tenant Protections

The policy proposes changes including allowing four units to be built on a single-family lot.

Commissioner Chloe Eudaly (Portland Bureau of Transportation)
By Rachel Monahan

City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly says she won't vote for a controversial zoning change next month without countermeasures to protect renters from eviction by developers seeking to build new units.

The policy the Portland City Council is considering is called the residential infill project. It would allow up to four units to be built on single-family lots.

Eudaly is calling for a "tenant opportunity to purchase," which might require landlords to give tenants 90 days' notice and right of first refusal on a property.

She also wants the city to allocate funding to finance construction of backyard cottages and other accessory dwelling units to give middle-class homeowners the means to build.

"We have to ensure we're not doing further harm," Eudaly said at a Dec. 11 work session. "That is my biggest fear. That means we have to have meaningful anti-displacement measures in place when we pass RIP."

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