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Sam Adams‘ tenure as Portland’s mayor ends this week, and many members of the architecture, construction and development industries say the era will be remembered as one when the city was hamstrung by the recession.

Some in the industry praise Adams for his determination to push for projects under tough circumstances, even though many never came to light. Others say the downturn incapacitated his office.

鈥淭he mayor’s term was coincidentally a horrible time for construction broadly,鈥� said John Killin, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Pacific Northwest chapter. 鈥淗is term was riddled with a downturn no one foresaw and no one locally could easily solve.鈥�

In January 2009, when Adams took office, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report that showed the construction industry had lost approximately 1 million jobs since peaking two years earlier. The report also showed that 111,000 jobs were lost in that month.

Local architecture, engineering, contracting and development firms had less work than ever, and some had to close their doors as a result.

However, despite budget shortfalls, Adams tried to stimulate job growth by allocating money for a variety of capital improvements. Some, such as the Sellwood Bridge replacement project, are moving forward; others, such as the Oregon Sustainability Center, were put to rest.

Adams’ ideas will help incite future development, according to Gerding Edlen CEO Mark Edlen. He believes that the relationships Adams has developed between the city and educational institutions will lead to more projects like those under way for Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University.

鈥�(Adams’) drive toward connecting PSU and OHSU to the city in a stronger, more meaningful fashion 鈥� has made a huge difference for those of us in (the) commercial world here,鈥� he said. 鈥淪am has a true love of 鈥� making connections between the cultural community and the built community through the arts, schools and others.鈥�

Adams’ efforts to make Portland one of the nation’s most sustainable and transportation-accessible cities will help it attract young innovators and creators, Edlen said.

Other unfinished projects pushed by Adams, such as West Hayden Island development and the Memorial Coliseum renovation, will benefit the built industry greatly, said Brian Owendoff of Capacity Commercial Group and formerly of Opus Northwest, which folded during the recession.

鈥淢ayor Adams was a man of action,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e had the courage to champion several issues that prior mayors chose not to or could not address.鈥�

Perhaps Adams’ biggest direct influence on construction was his commitment to affordable housing. In 2007, while serving on City Council, Adams and three other councilors voted to set aside a 30 percent citywide average of urban renewal money for affordable housing.

Adams has since reinforced that policy by developing more urban renewal areas and establishing the Portland Housing Bureau. As a result, $150 million worth of housing has been built during his tenure, according to Nick Sauvie, executive director of Rose Community Development, a local affordable housing developer.

鈥淪am Adams was the driving force in creating the city’s affordable housing set-aside,鈥� he said. 鈥淭housands of Portlanders now have safe, affordable housing because (of) his efforts.鈥�

Other industry stakeholders say the results of Adams’ tenure are less measurable. Many parties were affected by changes made to the Bureau of Development Services under Adams’ watch. In the last four years, system development charges have increased significantly and the number of BDS employees has dropped, resulting in slower turnaround times and fewer inspections.

Brian Emerick, owner of Emerick Architects, said he isn’t sure who should be blamed for the situation.

鈥淲ith city coffers being tight, I don’t believe there’s a lot of political interest in pursuing (a solution) at this time, leaving us in our present situation of paying more for less at BDS,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think these have been more a reflection of the economy and how BDS is funded, rather than something that is a result of the mayor’s policy.鈥�

Meanwhile, the economy hindered Adams’ ability to influence large infrastructure projects such as the Columbia River Crossing or the Oregon Sustainability Center, Killin said.

鈥淗e had no opportunity to be the opener of major new developments or fight against them,鈥� he said.

It appears that Mayor-elect Charlie Hales will take office at a more stable economic time than Adams did.

鈥淲ould we all have liked to see more tangible success stories?聽Of course,鈥� said Christopher Linn, a principal with Boora Architects. 鈥淏ut there were factors beyond any single person’s control that made it close to impossible.鈥�