I really don't know what's driving rents up so high. There are shortages throughout the range of housing, but the problem is most severe in the lower price range, as rental rates force more tenants into smaller and older units. As a result, more Portlanders are living in shelters, sharing substandard apartments or moving to the suburbs, officials say. Public concern about the issue was reflected in a Portland Press Herald poll last month, which found that 79 percent of residents agreed the city needs more low-cost multifamily housing. The poll also found that 77 percent believe residents need more control over development.
Experts say the only real solution to the housing crunch is to add to the supply of apartments.
But the plight of tenants doesn't always translate into support for new construction. Last year, Munjoy Hill residents organized the Campaign for a Comprehensive Plan largely in response to a housing development that would include some below-market units. The Island View development received public funding that requires some of the units be affordable to tenants earning 60 percent of Greater Portland's median wage. But referendum organizers like Jim Estes said the project was out of character with the neighborhood and is not what the city needs to bolster its housing stock. He said the rental crisis is evidence the city needs to finalize its housing development guidelines immediately, and that passage of the referendum will speed up that process.