Brickbat: Rest Easy

Some members of the Portland, Oregon, Planning and Sustainability Commission say they are concerned by changes the commission has made to the city's design guidelines. The new language says the the design of developments should "provide opportunities to rest and be welcome." Commission member Jeff Bachrach said this will have an impact on private property owners. "I think for us to put into design review some loaded words that suggest we want some design commissioners to think about people resting for hours, pitching tents, I think we're just putting too great of a burden on design review," he said. But commission member Oriana Magnera defended the new language. "Just one of the realities of Portland right now is that we have a lot of folks who are unhoused who benefit from some of these spaces that provide weather protection," she said.