PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 9, 2020
Teams including Avesta Housing and the Szanton Co. both are looking to develop 90 or more housing units in Libbytown. One issue on the minds of councilors and developers is what impact the Green New Deal for Portland would have on the projects. Both development teams, which opposed passage of the ballot measure, told city councilors last week they plan to move ahead, despite financial impacts from the new requirements passed by voters on Election Day. Those new requirements, enacted by voters Tuesday, require projects to participate in a formal apprenticeship program, pay prevailing wages, meet higher energy efficiency standards, increase the percentage of middle-income housing, and lower the income levels that determine affordability.