HFO Multifamily Marketwatch for Oregon and SW Washington

This week we are reviewing a couple of events that are important for the Multifamily Market including a proposal to convert vacant Portland storefronts into housing, leadership changes at Home Forward, a major waterfront redevelopment in Ridgefield, a lawsuit involving  Apartments.com's payment platform, and two federal housing policy updates.

If you've been watching Portland's apartment market for any length of time, you've probably heard the term "inclusionary zoning" thrown around a lot. Today I want to walk you through what that program actually produced over nearly a decade, what changed, and what it means for owners and investors going forward.

Oregon's multifamily housing industry brought a unified message to Salem last week and found legislators in both parties willing to listen. Today we are covering what was discussed and what it signals for the 2027 legislative session.

Today we're talking about ADUs — accessory dwelling units. Tiny detached homes quietly appearing behind single-family houses. Suddenly ADUs are becoming one of the biggest housing policy stories in the country.

For the past several years, Portland's national image has often been dominated by stories about office vacancies, homelessness, crime concerns, tax frustration, political conflict, and downtown struggles. And yet underneath those headlines, something much more complicated — and frankly much more interesting — has been happening. Institutional capital is quietly returning to Portland.

Today we're talking about a chart that may quietly define Portland's apartment market over the next several years and almost nobody outside the industry is paying attention to it yet.

Today we're talking about a question that almost nobody in Portland housing politics seems fully comfortable asking out loud. Why does subsidized affordable housing in Portland often cost dramatically more per square foot than market-rate apartment construction?

Today we're looking at Portland's housing market through the lens of city policy, development feasibility and investor confidence. HFO partner Greg Frick recently sat down with Portland City Councilor Eric Zimmerman, who chairs the city's Housing Committee. They talked about multifamily permitting, downtown recovery, investor confidence and what it will take to get housing production moving again....

Today we're looking at Washington state, where several recent stories point to the same challenge: the state knows it needs more housing, but production, policy and regulation are still not aligned.

Today we're breaking down Oregon's 2026 legislative session and what it means for apartment owners, developers and investors.

Today we are looking at several stories that matter for apartment owners and investors in Oregon and SW Washington.

Today we're looking at Southwest Washington, specifically Clark County and the city of Vancouver. These two areas sit within the same metro, but they are behaving very differently. Together, however, they are producing some of the strongest apartment fundamentals in the Pacific Northwest.

Today we're heading into Oregon's Mid-Valley—Corvallis and Albany—two markets that sit right next to each other but are behaving very differently right now.

Today's update is different from a typical market report. Instead of focusing on one geography, we're looking at a series of policy and capital market developments across Oregon, Washington and the federal level. Taken together, these stories point to a larger shift in how housing is being approached. It is a shift toward more regulation, more intervention, and at the same time, more urgency aroun...

Today's update is different from a typical market report. Instead of focusing on one geography, we're looking at a series of policy and capital market developments across Oregon, Washington and the federal level.

Today we're going to talk about a signal that lenders, buyers, and owners are all watching more closely: Multifamily loan delinquencies are rising, and a key measure just hit its highest level since the Global Financial Crisis. What does this mean for deals in 2026?

Today we're heading to Eugene where the University of Oregon is trying to do something that sounds simple, but never is. Build a lot more student housing, in a real neighborhood, on real blocks, under real zoning rules, with real neighbors who have strong feelings about what a "real neighborhood" should be.

Today we will be discussing a phrase that sounds like a riddle, but is turning into a real policy and finance problem for low income housing in Portland: "When vacant does not mean available".  

This week we will be discussing the City of Portland's Housing Bonus Alignment Project. A code package aimed at multi-dwelling zones and commercial mixed-use zones outside the Central City. We are going to translate what is in it, what it means for underwriting, and why it is important to developers and owners. ***Final hearing is scheduled for March 12th, 2026 from 6:00 - 7: 00 PM***  

Welcome to Multifamily Marketwatch . Today we're bringing you highlights from our latest investor roundtable featuring four expert voices: Greg Frick on the Portland metro outlook, John W. Mitchell on the macroeconomic landscape, Matthew Dzbanek on capital markets and lending conditions, and Melissa Wall on the latest tax strategy updates impacting multifamily investors.

Today's episode is a Washington focused update. When policy, capital markets, and local zoning all move in the same season, it can either create opportunity or confusion. We break it all down and make sense of the current state of multifamily in the state of Washington.

Today's episode is a regional round-up on legislation and events affecting Oregon multifamily and also a national curveball that's showing up in leasing, staffing, and tenant behavior.

Today we're talking about Opportunity Zones. Specifically: the original program, the approaching 2026 tax moment, and the new "Opportunity Zone 2.0" era that's about to reshape the map.

Anjalie joined HFO's Greg Frick to talk about housing underproduction, why the numbers might look slightly better, and what cities and the federal government can actually do to help.

Today, we're spotlighting a conversation between Greg Frick and Iain MacKenzie, founder of the Next Portland blog. If you were tracking apartment development in Portland anytime between 2014 and 2022, you probably used his site. The good news? Next Portland is coming back!