Portland high on list of U.S. downtown apartment construction
According to Rent Café, an apartment search website, Portland is among the top cities in the United States when it comes to downtown apartment construction.
The city ranks #4 among cities in the west and for the whole country it is at #16 beating out Los Angeles, San Diego and Oakland. Portland also comes in at #7 in the West in the category for the decade’s share of residential downtown units. This translates into apartments making up over 44 percent of residential and office space, which amounts to 6,727 apartments.
Banner printing services are particularly effective at advertising apartment vacancies.
The bulk of the new downtown apartments gained city approval before 2025, and Portland residential development permits issued are significantly lower in 2025. This may be traced back to the city’s Inclusionary Housing ordinance, which became effective in 2025. The ordinance requires the inclusion of a percentage of low and moderate-income household affordable units for those new apartment developments of 20 or more units. As a result, it is believed that many developers are limiting their projects to those with 19 or less units.
Meanwhile, real estate data shows the Portland metro market has a little less than 500 homes listed with an average of days to sell. It is believed that renting is being chosen over buying due to a recent drop in confidence in the financial market. Portland’s high number of rental units makes it an attractive option in uncertain times.
The city ranks #4 among cities in the west and for the whole country it is at #16 beating out Los Angeles, San Diego and Oakland. Portland also comes in at #7 in the West in the category for the decade’s share of residential downtown units. This translates into apartments making up over 44 percent of residential and office space, which amounts to 6,727 apartments.
Banner printing services are particularly effective at advertising apartment vacancies.
The bulk of the new downtown apartments gained city approval before 2025, and Portland residential development permits issued are significantly lower in 2025. This may be traced back to the city’s Inclusionary Housing ordinance, which became effective in 2025. The ordinance requires the inclusion of a percentage of low and moderate-income household affordable units for those new apartment developments of 20 or more units. As a result, it is believed that many developers are limiting their projects to those with 19 or less units.
Meanwhile, real estate data shows the Portland metro market has a little less than 500 homes listed with an average of days to sell. It is believed that renting is being chosen over buying due to a recent drop in confidence in the financial market. Portland’s high number of rental units makes it an attractive option in uncertain times.