housing Archives - Ben West

March 23, 2022

What Do We Have to Show for Metro?

Many people don’t know this, but Metro has been around in some form or fashion for about 65 years. It began as the Metropolitan Service District in 1957 and ran under that name until 1966, at which point it became the Columbia Region Association of Governments. A statewide ballot measure passed in 1978 that created its current incarnation. So what …

March 9, 2022

Availability and Affordability

Housing is, and has been, a huge issue, especially in Clackamas County and the Portland metropolitan area. It’s easy to see why—constant increases in rent and housing prices have been straining household budgets for years now. However, when politicians talk about “affordable housing,” it’s taken on a different meaning. It’s become a euphemism for subsidized housing and other expensive government-run …