Portland social housing task force recommends pilot project near Morrill’s Corner
Social Housing Task Force members Cat Buxton, left, and Councilor Kate Sykes attend the task force's inaugural meeting at Portland City Hall in August 2025. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer)
A task force that conducted a yearlong effort toward establishing a social housing program in Portland has recommended two pilot projects, including a 40-unit development on Cornell Street near Morrill’s Corner.
The 13-member task force, appointed by Mayor Mark Dion last year, was charged with exploring how to establish middle-income housing that would be owned, operated and managed by the city.
City Councilor Kate Sykes, who has made social housing a key part of her term, said the task force has laid the groundwork for how the city can help address the “missing middle” in Portland’s housing market.
The group’s final report, presented to the council this week, recommends that the city use its borrowing power and available land to fill gaps in Portland’s housing system that “is not consistently producing homes that many working- and middle-income households can afford.”
Sykes said the task force found that through municipal bonding, the city can get more favorable interest rates than private developers, which will make it possible to develop the type of middle-income housing that is needed.
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“We build a lot of affordable and luxury, but nothing in between,” she said, adding that a social housing program would not be intended to compete with affordable housing developers for low-income housing funds. “We really want to be a puzzle piece that slots into this missing middle.”
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She said the task force chose the city-owned Cornell Street lot near Morrill’s Corner for the pilot based on its location and site size.
The group’s recommendations also include partnering with the Portland Housing Authority to add middle-income units to affordable housing projects that are already in the pipeline, which could result in more mixed-income developments.
Officials previously supported the creation of the task force, but now the City Council will be asked to stand up a permanent social housing program, and decide on how to fund the potential pilot projects. City ordinance requires that any municipal bond over $10 million go to referendum.
When the council was presented with the report Monday, Dion said he appreciated the passion, vision and work conducted by the task force.
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Sykes said that while her term is up at the end of the year and she’s not seeking reelection, she feels confident that officials and the broader community will support social housing as a tool to get more housing built.
“There are a lot of choices to be made, but I think there’s political will on the council to do something like this,” she said. “(The council) wouldn’t have stood up a task force if they didn’t want to address this problem.”
Sykes said through the past year, the city has also reestablished its relationship with the Portland Housing Authority, which has since signaled support for social housing projects and could be the developer and property manager for the pilot.
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Andrew Rice is a staff writer at the Press Herald covering the city of Portland. He's been working in journalism since 2012, joining the Sun Journal in 2017, then the Press Herald in 2026. He lives in. More by Andrew Rice
