The US Census Bureau has released their final figures for housing permits issued. The Portland four county metro area issued permits for 10,319 multifamily units in 2017. This is over 3,000 more units than 2016 and will represent the busiest year ever for Portland apartment construction. Keep in mind these are not applications or inquiries, but actual permits issued.
Multnomah County has by far the largest share of permits issued, with Clark and Washington County following behind. Clackamas County remains slow. This surge of permits is partially due to enactment of Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) in the City of Portland, which pushed developers to apply for permits prior to February 1, 2017. Very few of the permits issued in 2017 were participating in the IZ Program. Pre-IZ permits will continue in to 2018 as these projects work their way through the system.