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The Portland Development Commission announced today that the urban renewal agency will be eliminating 22 positions over the next few months.

PDC spokesman Shawn Uhlman confirmed that the company will lay off 17 people in the department, which currently employs about 150 full-time employees, and won’t fill five other positions that are currently vacant. The layoffs come from various departments, Uhlman said, including urban development, human resources and public relations.

The move comes after PDC officials identified $4 million in operating costs that could be reduced, with the layoffs making up $3.2 million of that reduction. The PDC is asking the city for $144 million for the upcoming fiscal year, which is down from $211 million last year.

“The reality of the situation is that assessed values are down and we have four urban renewal areas that are beginning to expire,” Uhlman said. “Those make up a huge part of our budget.”

Out of the 17 employees losing their jobs, seven are represented by the union. PDC officials are currently in negotiations with the union in order to create a new collective bargaining agreement.

The positions will all be vacated by July 1 of this year.