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Portland’s effort to bring more dense housing types to urban neighborhoods made it past the Planning and Sustainability Commission this week by a razor-thin 5-4 vote.

The commission’s recommendation, reached Tuesday, sets up a final debate at the City Council this summer.

The Residential Infill Project has been years in the making. It centers on rezoning much of Portland’s single-family neighborhoods to allow duplexes, triplexes and alternative dwelling units (ADUs). At the same time, it limits home sizes to 2,500 square feet on a 5,000-square-foot lot, for example.

The proposal from the city’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has touched off a roiling debate about the nature of Portland’s neighborhoods, with elements of race, class and the divide between the needs of newcomers and renters versus incumbent homeowners.

Commission Chairwoman Katherine Schultz said the proposal has split public testimony 鈥渂etween people who have a home today in our single-family neighborhoods, and those who would love to be able to live in those single-family neighborhoods. And I found that striking.鈥�

She voted in favor of recommending the zoning changes.

Allowing denser housing options would provide homes for thousands of new city residents that are expected to move to Portland by 2035, city planners said. Depending on the statistical model, the Residential Infill Project changes are expected to result in anywhere from 3,883 to 24,333 more housing units than under current zoning.

鈥淲e want more options 鈥� more options for housing on those units and more housing in more places,鈥� BPS Interim Director Joe Zehnder said at Tuesday’s hearing. 鈥淲hat we found was it’ll work. The pace of change for these next 20 years is relatively modest.鈥�

Commissioner Katie Larsell questioned bureau staffers about economic projections after a report in The Oregonian revealed more modest projections for unit growth than the commission had seen previously. Zehnder replied that the first projection the bureau received was the more optimistic of the two economic models and was based on unlimited demand for housing units. The second set of estimates, with a much lower forecast for unit production, was based on a more realistic model, he said.

Commissioners who opposed the Residential Infill Project said it may worsen displacement of current low-income residents and residents of color as property owners look to cash in on greater development capacity. The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s own projections show increased displacement risk in Brentwood-Darlington, Foster-Powell, Lents, Mt. Scott-Arleta and Montavilla. Overall, the Residential Infill Project is estimated to reduce displacement citywide.

Commissioner Andre Baugh proposed a five-year delay on changing zoning in certain neighborhoods at risk of displacement. The amendment proposal failed by a 5-4 margin.

鈥淒isplacement is not a surprise, and should not be a surprise to anybody here,鈥� Baugh said. 鈥淭he surprise to me is that we’re unwilling to do anything about it.鈥�

After the proposal failed, Baugh made a plea for the City Council to reconsider its push for the Residential Infill Project.

鈥淚 think RIP really becomes, as I said before, institutional racism to create the whitest city 鈥�,鈥� Baugh said. 鈥淭he five years that I proposed was just an opportunity to give us a break to say, 鈥楬ow do we really respond as a city and recognize the value of people in this economic class?’鈥�

Baugh was not optimistic the City Council would change the program to stem displacement.

鈥淚 鈥� obviously am very disappointed in what we’re sending to council,鈥� Baugh said. 鈥淐ouncil has no urgency to make any changes to RIP in any way, shape or form. I think we’re just making a bad decision, and I’ll leave it at that.鈥�

The City Council has not set a date to take up the Residential Infill Project.

The Residential Infill Project debate has been watched closely by tenant advocates and urbanists who support bringing more density to Portland’s neighborhoods. Many residents have fiercely opposed the proposal, saying it will change the character of single-family neighborhoods.

Some proponents have said that may not be such a bad thing.

鈥淭raditional single-family zoning is not a good thing for low-income folks, and it never has been because it’s unfortunately sort of an exclusive situation,鈥� said Commissioner Eli Spevak, who voted in support. 鈥淚t works very well if you already own a home in those areas.鈥�