Councillor

Portland's City Council voted 8-4 to join the Oregon Arena Joint Authority, a state-mandated body overseeing a potential renovation of the Moda Center alongside representatives from Oregon and the county. The joint authority will oversee construction and future capital improvements, a requirement tied to the state bill that set aside renovation funding. Some councilors objected to speculative budget-impact language and limited council representation among the city's three appointees; an amendment to strike that language failed. Council President Jaime Dunphy said the city still needs a finalized budget, clear lease terms, labor standards, and a community benefits agreement before final funding action. Councilors unanimously approved the city administrator, a building official, and a budget office representative as appointees.

Agawam's City Council voted 10-1 to oppose provisions in Massachusetts' pending economic development bill that would let duplexes be built by right in all residential zones and multifamily housing by right on land owned by religious institutions. The resolution, backed by Mayor Christopher C. Johnson, argues zoning decisions should remain local rather than be set by state lawmakers on Beacon Hill.

The lone dissenting vote came from Councilor Thomas D. Hendrickson, who cited long waitlists for units managed by the Agawam Housing Authority as evidence that restrictive local zoning is worsening the region's housing shortage. Other councilors who supported the resolution acknowledged an affordability crisis but said denser zoning wouldn't necessarily lower costs, pointing to high construction costs and concerns about strain on local services and property values.

A legislative conference committee is currently reconciling House and Senate versions of the bill, which differ on whether to include duplex zoning, multifamily-on-religious-land provisions, both, or neither. Advocacy group Abundant Housing Massachusetts has pushed for both measures as part of efforts to close the state's housing gap.