Last year, construction began on two homes behind the 1951-era house at 1003 NE 71st Avenue. As framing crews erected the two-story buildings with high-pitched roofs, neighbors became aware of how tall these new houses were, and the shadow cast on their yards this winter was significant. People across the city living next to infill projects are adjusting to Portland’s new development policies that allow full-scale housing in previously unanticipated places. For some, it will alter how they use their homes.
Jessie Killops purchased the 1923-era home north of the development on NE 71st Avenue in late 2015. She and her husband, Brian Giacoppo, work from home and use the backyard to extend their living space. Until recently, all the other homes on the block sat forward on their lots towards the street. Some neighbors have small single-story detached garages or sheds in their backyards. This arrangement allowed for vegetable gardens and other recreational green spaces with decent year-round sunlight.
Some neighbors have fences demising their property, and others use trees or hedges to create privacy. The new owners of 1003 NE 71st Avenue demolished the detached garage to make space for the two new homes, with the centermost unit taking its place just five feet from the property line. Crews working on the building have removed some of the hedges on the lot’s boundary, and more will likely disappear when carpenters install a new fence.
Killops and Giacoppo lived in housing-dense regions before moving here and support projects that address Portland’s housing shortage. They had hoped this project would support the need for affordable housing with smaller homes similar in size to the Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) constructed in area backyards for over a decade. At nearly 1,200 square feet, they feel the developer built these houses to a scale that will sell for more than many families could afford. From the couple’s perspective, these densely packed homes tower over the neighbor’s properties and are prominent from all four sides of the block. The extra deep lot under development places one of the new buildings near the block’s center point with views into all the surrounding properties.
People have often experienced the conflict between the needs of existing neighbors and new development. Before Portland’s most recent zoning and land division code updates, developers knocked down smaller homes, building larger houses, townhomes, or other multi-family units that filled lots to capacity. The new Middle Housing Land Division rules make it more profitable for developers to split lots with added single-family housing. This infill process has the added benefit of preserving the original street-facing home and neighborhood appearance while increasing housing inventory. However, for those living next to these developments, the change can substantially impact how they use their homes.
Portlanders should no longer assume conditions will remain the same around their property, even in older neighborhoods. Oregon’s housing production goal seeks to build 36,000 additional units annually, and many of those homes will come from infill development. This growth strategy can create conflicts between residential amenities and other Portland values. Filling backyards with houses can reduce the urban tree canopy. Removing onsite parking options while adding households without investing in alternative transportation methods congest street parking. And those who grow food in their yards contend with the shade cast by neighboring structures. Killops and Giacoppo will adjust to their new living situation, moving their garden to find the available sunlight and planting taller foliage along the fence line. They hope these added homes and others like it will help the housing crises, but they feel it important that people understand that a Cottage Cluster Middle Housing Land Division can create full-sized homes, and it is easy to become boxed in by new neighbors. Not all infill projects stand as tall or impose on the neighboring homes as significantly as the units on NE 71st Avenue. However, many neighbors to infill will need to similarly adjust to Portland’s new housing density in the coming years.
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