When it comes to ballot initiatives, things are not always what they seem.
That’s the case with Portland’s Question 2, which would change zoning rules in a way that would lock people out of the process, freeze investment, tangle our city with lawsuits and throw us into chaos for years to come.
Portland’s Question 2 (not be confused with statewide Question 2 to expand Medicaid) would devastate our city – empowering just a handful of people to prevent good projects – ranging from job-creating development on our historic working waterfront to affordable and workforce housing designed to keep Portland livable.
Question 2 would allow just a few residents living near a proposed project – like the cold storage facility on Commercial Street or the affordable housing project on Bishop Street – to stop it in its tracks.
