Portland drops vacancy-fee plan after city study

A city study concluded that charging owners of long-vacant commercial properties in Portland would be costly, unlikely to meaningfully reduce vacancy, and could disproportionately affect small/local owners. It found vacancies are driven mainly by weak demand and expensive build-out barriers. As a result, Council President Jamie Dunphy said he’s not pursuing the fee, and another proponent councilor, Sameer Kanal, has no plans to move forward. The report instead recommended steps like cheaper, faster permitting and easier space conversions, plus targeted enforcement for nuisance or elective vacancies to address the issue.