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The Portland Development Commission is interested in the possibility of a new home.

The city’s urban renewal and economic development agency last week issued a request for information, and the deadline to respond is July 27. The RFI can be accessed online at .

PDC spokesman Shawn Uhlman said the agency’s lease is up in 2020, but it’s not too soon to start looking because there are options for exiting the lease early. Also, the PDC has more space than it needs.

鈥淭he lease is up in 2020 and that sounds like a long way out, but the opportunity to move is not very far from now,鈥� he said. 鈥淣o one is saying we must move, but I think that as we are on the verge of having a lease up, it just makes sense.鈥�

When the PDC moved into its current, 42,000-square-foot building in 2010, the agency had 240 employees, Uhlman said, but now it has only 95. Part of the reason is that the PDC’s housing function 鈥� employees included 鈥� was absorbed by the Portland Housing Bureau. Plus, layoffs in the past few years made an impact.

鈥淭he layoffs were primarily due to declining TIF (tax increment financing), but now we have reached equilibrium and I’m pretty confident we will stay at that level,鈥� Uhlman said.

The PDC is not promising to move after receiving responses to the RFI, but it includes several specifics that it is looking for should it decide to. Ideally, the RFI states, the new location would be one that 鈥渉as experienced sustained disinvestment鈥� so that the PDC’s arrival could serve as a catalyst for additional investment.

The new space also would need to be close to mass transit, be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rated, be accessible in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act, and possess audio-visual technology, a fitness facility or showers, and lockers and bike storage for 40 people. The RFI does not specify how much square footage would be required, but calls for 90 workstations, 12 private offices, 14 meeting rooms, one 鈥渜uiet/sick/mothers room,鈥� a lunchroom and accommodations for information technology.

The PDC rents out extra space at its current location, but a move into a building with lower rent could save taxpayers money, Uhlman said.

鈥淔inancially we’re fine, but it’s about being wise with public money,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we can get in a space that meets our needs at a lower cost, we would be very interested in pursuing it.鈥�