Crews recently cleared an overgrown parcel where a fire-damaged house at 2826 SE 87th Avenue had caused years of concern for neighbors who witnessed repeated illegal dumping on the property. The 95-by-180-foot lot is slated to support 10 new townhomes, offering future residents just under 1,000 square feet of living space across two floors. This development abuts the back of the three-story Jade apartments, nearing completion at 2905 SE 89th Avenue.
Portland Maps image with MV News illustration showing the The Jade apartments in red, right of 2826 SE 87th Ave
This area is zoned Residential Multi-Dwelling 1 (RM1), allowing low-scale multi-dwelling construction, generally two or three stories tall, with a 1:1 Floor Area Ratio (FAR). That provision would allow a single-story building to cover the entire property or two floors to occupy 50% of the land. Affordable housing can trigger a density bonus increasing FAR to 2:1. The zone also has a Minimum Density requirement for new housing of 1 unit per 2,500 square feet of site area. For this site, it is around a 6-unit minimum, but that can be adjusted based on site conditions.
The recent site activity cleared several mature trees and the remaining debris from the lot, which had sat vacant for years. A 2017 fire damaged the house owned by the Baker family for decades. The property was later sold, but suffered a catastrophic fire in 2021, which firefighters allowed to burn due to unsafe conditions inside the residence. In 2023, the city began foreclosure proceedings on nine distressed properties, including the one on SE 87th Avenue. Later, it failed to find a buyer at a foreclosure auction in January 2025 after a previous failed attempt in late 2024. According to Multnomah County records, Community Revitalization LLC acquired the property in March 2025 and sold it to its current owner a year ago for $265,000.
Site condition on September 12, 2022
The redevelopment work will provide ten new homes and replace a longstanding problem property. The units will not have attached garages. However, site development permits indicate it will offer some on-site parking for cars and bicycles, along with an outdoor common space and a shared trash enclosure. Building permits are still Under Review and could take several months before contractors can begin work. The recent clearing of the property should help alleviate area residents’ concerns about dumping, now that the site is visible from all angles, including from the back of the property, where a 40-unit complex will soon start welcoming new residents, providing additional eyes on 2826 SE 87th Avenue.
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Construction fencing surrounds a 1962-era single-story home at 3326 SE 89th Avenue ahead of demolition that makes way for a new 31-unit affordable housing project called Alyssa Daye Gardens. The 32,500-square-foot, four-story wood-framed structure will offer affordable housing with ground-floor common spaces and support services. The project is led by the Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon, working under the name The Peer Company, which operates its Portland Recovery Campus next door to the site at 8935 SE Powell Boulevard.
The Peer Company’, which operates its’s Portland Recovery Campus at 8935 SE Powell Blvd
The project originally intended to offer 38 housing units, but further development refinements reduced that number. The main floor includes a lobby, community room, offices, private courtyard, and four of the 31 homes. The project will improve pedestrian infrastructure along SE 89th by connecting two sidewalk segments split by the soon-to-be redeveloped property. Infill housing development from 2001 created a 90-foot-long disconnected sidewalk to the north of the site, which can now connect to the existing sidewalk that connects to SE Powell Boulevard.
Posted site plan on the property
The Peer Company trains and coordinates people with lived experience of addiction and mental health issues to assist others in their recovery process. The Alyssa Daye Gardens will provide permanent supportive housing units for previously homeless families affected by mental health or substance abuse disorders. The regulated affordable housing is for people earning at or below 30 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), with 20 one-bedroom units and 11 two-bedroom apartments. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) calculates that a single person’s 2026 30% AMI in Portland is $26,950 per year.
This project includes rooftop solar power and received support from the Oregon Multifamily Energy Program (OR-MEP), which supports energy-efficient design of new and existing affordable multifamily rental properties. The Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS)—Oregon’s agency that provides financial and program support to create and preserve affordable housing—is also providing funds for this development, which has an estimated cost of $666,748 per unit. The project will remain affordable for at least 30 years as part of its public funding request.
The Alyssa Daye Gardens is designed for chronically homeless families with children, where at least one of the household residents has a mental health or substance abuse disorder. Project documents explain that designers used wood-look finishes, warmer colors, and large windows to improve daylight and views as part of the building’s trauma-informed design. It also features accessibility considerations for those with mobility challenges. A resident services team works one-on-one with resident families to establish personalized goals while offering resources and skill-building support for successful residency and long-term housing security. Additional resources in the adjacent Peer Company’s Recovery Campus offer peer support, community-based recovery groups, employment connections, and other program offerings.
Alyssa Daye Gardens demolition plan Appeal 35120– Holst Architecture
The demolition permit for the existing 762-square-foot structure is still under review, but it has passed its 35-day hold period. When crews remove that building, they will fill the basement and prepare the site for the on-slab construction. People can anticipate increased construction activity in the area and eventually a more connected pedestrian space. The Peer Company’s campus offers on-site parking with several stalls adjacent to the new housing development.
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This year, deconstruction crews mostly demolished the former Burgerville location at 3504 SE 92nd Avenue, leaving just one wall standing. They proceeded to construct a practically new fast-food restaurant with a drive-through around that wall. This process of leaving minimal structure allowed the project to file for permits as a remodel project, rather than a new development, and to bypass a 2018 Portland City Council-enacted ban on new drive-throughs in commercial zones. This is a similar process used to create a new Chick-fil-A restaurant near Mall 205, where its Central Commercial (CX) zoning would not allow low-density construction. This process relies on rebuilding provisions in code designed to respect a property owner’s need to enhance an existing site by permitting work under its previous zoning rules. Consequently, the exceptions for built properties create additional real estate value for existing buildings that harbor attributes some businesses want, such as drive-throughs.
Permit applications noting the Oregonian’s incoming business and property ownership research identify Panda Express as the presumed future tenant of this building. It fills an Eastside gap in the American Chinese fast food brand’s Interstate 205-adjacent distribution and will give it a drive-through option for Portland customers, as it has at its Happy Valley, Oregon, location. Panda Express has not officially announced this location or stated if it will relocate an existing store to this space. This is possible because of a provision added when the City Council updated the rules. “Existing drive‐through facilities are allowed. Existing facilities can be rebuilt, expanded, or relocated on the site” for Commercial Employment (CE) zones in city code Chapter 33.130.260.
Panda Express online location map with MV News illustrations showing 3504 SE 92nd Ave
That text allows property owners to build a modern building for their business while still offering prohibited functions, such as drive-throughs. To some observers, the tactic used at 3504 SE 92nd Avenue appears to be an exploited loophole that circumvents city climate goals. However, to certain members of the business community, it is a necessary exception to code or zoning changes that officials enact before market changes support the new use of those sites. In this case, the new owners of the property at SE 92nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard expect that a drive-through-related business will continue to do well at the location, particularly given its location off a State Highway and near a freeway. They could have rebranded the previous building and opened it with minimal investment. Instead, they wanted to modernize the structure and worked within the confines of Portland regulations.
Until City officials remove prior-existence exemptions for projects like this, only market forces will reduce the number of drive-throughs in the city. When the property becomes more valuable for higher-density uses, people can expect redevelopment that does not retain its more car-centric character. Consequently, for fast-food restaurants in Portland, the famous real estate phrase may become “There are three things that matter in property: location, location, and an existing drive-through.” Work at the site is underway, with much of the exterior work completed.
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Deconstruction crews will remove the burned remnants of a dilapidated 1926-era home at 3015 SE 87th Avenue to make way for a housing development. The former single-story structure suffered multiple fires over several years, rendering the property uninhabitable. Dez Development and partners purchased the 182-foot-deep property in December 2025 and will work with designers to build multiple single-family homes.
3015 SE 87th Ave November 2024
The building at the site sustained damage from people living there without permission and minor burns from an adjacent fire. However, on July 17th, 2025, a significant fire damaged the property, necessitating its removal for safety reasons. This month, the developer submitted applications to deconstruct the structure, remove the concrete slab, and cap the sewer. The driveway curb-cut will remain for this phase of development. There is a mandatory 35-day demolition delay for this work.
3015 SE 87th Ave Portland Maps
While waiting to clear the site, Dez Development owner Slavik Dezhnyuk explained that they are working with their design team to determine the best way to increase housing density on the 8,736-square-foot site while matching the single-family home footprint of the surrounding properties. “We hope to develop this property with several detached cottage homes,” remarked Dezhnyuk. Design and permitting will take months to complete. However, neighbors can anticipate the dilapidated building’s removal as soon as feasible.
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On September 17th, demolition crews razed a long-term nuisance structure across NE 82nd Avenue from Leodis V. McDaniel High School, clearing the way for the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s future facility. In late 2024, the nonprofit organization purchased a 12.51-acre property on NE 82nd Avenue to restore much of the land to its native habitat with nature trails and park space for public use, while creating a habitat for the birds in their care.
For decades, this overgrown field was known for the graffiti-covered remnants of a golf driving range built on top of a landfilled quarry. For most passersby, all they observed was an abandoned building at 2806 NE 82nd Avenue, situated next to a tall, grassy field. Hidden inside the overgrown brush was the collapsing structure of a half-moon driving range. Several fires in the former “Pro Shop” administrative building, located off NE 82nd Avenue, further complicated its demolition, necessitating adjustments to address the disposal of materials. However, last month crews completed the removal of this site’s golf past. Future rehabilitation projects will address its former landfill uses.
Light pols mark former golf driving range structure
The site originally served as a quarry before its owners began filling the hole with discarded material. The Rose City Sand and Gravel company excavated an 80-foot-deep hole in the center of the site during its many years in operation. Around 1972, site owners converted operations to support the H.G. LaVelle landfill. Over the next ten years, they filled the pit with construction debris, including wood products, metals, and rock fragments, comprising approximately 2 million cubic yards of solid waste. Landfill deposits included rubble from the construction of Interstate-205. When the landfill closed in 1982, operators covered the site with a clay cap, installing a landfill gas extraction unit and methane monitoring equipment to treat decomposing organic material. Building a substantial structure over the clay cap takes significant engineering and costs that are impractical. However, the perimeter of the former pit is stable ground, making it suitable for conventional construction.
Remnants of golf Pro Shop building at 2806 NE 82nd Ave after demolition
The Bird Alliance of Oregon intends to cover the clay-capped landfill with several feet of additional soil to support the root structure of native trees and plants. This phase of work will transform the property’s nature and provide a clean slate for habitat restoration. Later stages will involve the installation of solar panels along the property’s southern edge and the eventual development of a Bird Alliance administrative building and wildlife hospital, which the organization plans to build along NE 82nd Avenue.
The renewable energy production at this site is supported by Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) grants, with additional support from APANO, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and the Bird Alliance of Oregon, enabling the installation of a two-acre community solar array on a sloped section of the property. This solar energy collection program will offset utility costs for around 200 low-income community members over the next twenty years and power the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s new Wildlife Care Center on NE 82nd Avenue.
Slopped souther edge of property to support two-acre community solar array
Area residents can expect to see more site investments around the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s property, starting with securing access and then earth-moving work to support the organization’s planting initiatives. Eventually, the location will become a learning resource for the area’s schoolchildren and a natural retreat for those living in the vicinity of the vast, undeveloped site.
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Crews will soon begin work preparing the vacant lot at 8425 NE Hassalo Street for a quartet of new townhouses. The seller will offer the new homes under an affordability program that exempts buyers from paying reassessed property taxes for a decade, cutting their monthly escrow payments. The developer will use the Middle Housing Land Division (MHLD) process to split the parcel into four distinct lots for individual sale. The frontmost home’s door will open onto the street, with the back three accessed by a shared walkway along the western edge of the properties. The attached units will provide buyers with three bedrooms in around 1,200 square feet of living space spread across two floors.
Portland Maps image showing 8425 NE Hassalo St outlined in red
Area developer Rees Bettinger purchased the 15,700-square-foot investment property at 8413 NE Hassalo Street in May, splitting its two linked lots. NW Development bought the undeveloped tract east of the existing house for this housing project. That company’s owner, Brett Barton, explained that he and Bettinger are longtime friends, working cooperatively when possible. Another developer purchased the corner lot and is using Cascade Homes NW to construct an additional four townhouses off NE 84th Avenue, as well as renovate the existing 1908-era two-story home that originally occupied the site. In the 1930s, a plumbing permit for the century-old property listed the “World War Veterans’ State Aid Commission” as the owner of this home, possibly indicating that a past resident was a World War I or Spanish-American War veteran who received the supportive organization’s loan to purchase the house. Although the house on NE Hassalo Street has used the adjacent property as a side yard for decades, the original platting of this block indicates that its subdividers intended the undeveloped 5,650-square-foot parcel to serve as a distinct property, and this current project is likely its first housing development.
8425, 8427, 8429, 8431 NE Hassalo St, floor plans courtesy NW Development
The 50-by-114-foot lot offers considerable space for the new housing. Barton said his project will utilize the same architect who designed Rees Bettinger’s townhouses, located a block over on NE Holladay Street. However, with the increased property size, the NE Hassalo Street units will offer their owners a few extra feet in critical spaces, such as bathrooms. The main level’s open layout places the “L” shaped kitchen in the back corner near the rear sliding door that leads to a patio space on the east side of the homes. An outdoor storage closet, located near the back patio, provides space for seasonal outdoor furniture or other deck items. A kitchen island has space for counter seating from the living room side and helps define the kitchen space from the rest of the open main room. The northern walls support a pantry, a half-bath washroom, and an under-staircase storage area containing the water heater. The second floor features two standard-sized bedrooms, each with a shared bathroom located in the hallway near a stacked laundry closet. An “owner’s” third bedroom features an ensuite bathroom and a walk-in closet.
8425, 8427, 8429, 8431 NE Hassalo St, renderings courtesy NW Development
Barton said the new homes will also have more yard space, thanks to the deeper and wider lot. However, development plans will not allow for attached onsite vehicle storage. He explained that he registered the development in the “Homebuyer Opportunity Limited Tax Exemption” (HOLTE) program, which grants a property tax exemption of up to ten years to single-unit homes, as long as the property and owner remain eligible according to HOLTE Program requirements. Owners remain responsible for paying the original assessed value of the land without a building during the exemption period. This program only applies to housing with at least three bedrooms or some Two-bedroom homes within transit-oriented areas. Buyers must remain below the Median Family Income (MFI) restriction levels, and the home sale price for this program cannot exceed a maximum price currently set at $455,000. Barton intends to sell the houses for under $400,000 and expects the HOLTE option to make this obtainable for people qualified for loans in the $330,000 to $370,000 range.
Renovation work underway at 8413 NE Hassalo St with 8425 NE Hassalo St seen behind it
New changes to Portland’s System Development Charges (SDCs) will also have a positive impact on this project. Barton said he would have needed to enroll in other affordability programs to reduce the fees the City charges builders to pay for new infrastructure. Those expenses can make some projects too costly. In July 2025, the Portland City Council adopted an ordinance that temporarily exempts newly created housing units from SDCs. With that change, Barton said prospective buyers will face fewer restrictions when qualifying for these affordable units. For other market-rate projects, it could keep costs within the profit margins needed to undertake a development.
City staff are still reviewing permits for the new housing. When construction crews complete work on these concurrent developments, the land that once supported a single home will now contain at least nine residences. People can expect significant progress on this project in 2026.
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Work is underway to prepare the property at 8413 NE Hassalo Street to support four new townhomes. Demolition specialists recently removed a garage on the large corner lot, clearing the way for the new housing on NE 84th Avenue. The developer will utilize a Middle Housing Land Division (MHLD) process to split the 4,825-square-foot parcel into four distinct lots for individual sale, retaining the 1,768-square-foot 1908-era two-story home on a separate 5,321-square-foot tract. This project adds four new housing units offering future buyers nearly 1,200 square feet of living space while preserving a classic house.
Portland Maps image with MV News illustrations showing 8425 NE Hassalo St outlined in red and approximate location of 8413 NE Hassalo St lot division in dark blue
Area developer, Rees Bettinger, purchased the 15,700 square foot century-old property in May, splitting two adjacent lots, selling the undeveloped 8425 NE Hassalo Street parcel east of the house to NW Development for another housing project. Cascade Homes NW is assisting the new owner of 8413 NE Hassalo Street, Novus Cottages LLC, in developing the corner property while preserving and improving the existing single-family residence. A property line adjustment submitted in June will carve out a new 4,825-square-foot parcel from the north portion of that project site. That change will create a 50-foot-wide lot off NE 84th Avenue that will narrow at the rear to allow space around the back of the existing home. That northern property will host the four new three-bedroom townhomes. Each unit will have two full bathrooms upstairs for residents and a half-bath on the main floor.
Crews are currently remodeling the older house, adding two new bedrooms and one bathroom to the second story and updating the exterior envelope of the building. Now that crews have removed old cladding, passersby can see the signs of closed-off windows and other adjustments made to the old home over its long stint in the Montavilla area. Future housing will surround the once-greenery-rich corner lot, providing housing density without compromising the existing primary structure that helped define the area. People will continue to see housing density in this Residential Multi-Dwelling 2 zoned section of the neighborhood, which supports multifamily housing up to four stories tall and has minimum housing unit requirements for redevelopment.
New townhouse’s addresses: 1122 NE 84th Avenue 1124 NE 84th Avenue 1126 NE 84th Avenue 1128 NE 84th Avenue
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In late July, Oregon Metro purchased a 1.46-acre property at the intersection of SE 90th Place and SE 89th Avenue. Crews recently installed a chainlink fence around the sloped lot and cut back the overgrown greenery that dominated this parcel. Over the next two years, Metro’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) team will collaborate with partner developers to introduce new affordable housing at the site, which will incorporate open neighborhood greenspace. In the coming months, deconstruction specialists will raze the dilapidated 1928-era home at 2815 SE 90th Place and demolish the metal-clad barn on the property. The next phase of pre-construction work will build on previous community engagement to guide the development team in meeting area residents’ needs.
Portland Maps graphic with 2815 SE 90th Place outlined in blue
The nearly 100-year-old 720-square-foot building faces the curb-less SE 90th Place on the high point of the property. The small single-story home sits atop a daylight basement that opens up to the south of the property. Vehicles access the barn from a gravel road segment of SE 89th Avenue that currently extends along the property’s entire western frontage and 100 feet south. The City of Portland has not accepted this unimproved road into its maintenance network. However, work on The Jade apartments across the street will include paving on its half of the street and sidewalk installation along the new workforce-priced housing’s frontage. Andrea Pastor, Metro’s Senior Development Project Manager of Housing and TOD, explained that Metro is coordinating with Gorman & Company to extend the street paving work across the whole road width when they do their road construction for The Jade apartments. The asphalt surface will terminate at a new curb on the eastern edge of SE 87th Avenue near where the new fence line marks the property’s edge. This enhanced infrastructure will provide a more stable roadway constructed to city standards for people rolling or walking through this area. When completed, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) can then take over street maintenance, filling a long-disruptive gap in the street network previously made rough by potholes and wheel ruts.
SE 89th Avenue’s gravel road with potholes
A 2018 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded study titled “Greening The Jade” identified the unimproved segment of SE 89th Avenue north of SE Brooklyn Street as a prime redevelopment opportunity for sustainable housing and a public park. Pastor said that this put the 2815 SE 90th Place property on Metro’s watch list for a future acquisition. “We saw it come up on the market and we were able to approach the seller pretty quickly, and they were open to it,” recalled Pastor. She explained that Metro fenced its property to keep people safe as they clean up the field from its former uses and to prevent individuals from entering the unsafe structures on the site. Redevelopment will take a few years as the TOD team plans for housing at the site and seeks development partners.
Pastor explained that Metro’s regional housing bond, approved by voters in 2018, successfully spent its $652.8 million budget delivering affordable housing in three counties. However, the region lacks a replacement for that program, and the Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) program funds are allocated through the middle of 2027, possibly delaying the construction for two years without some creativity. “We are left wondering about other resources. If you think about it in established funding routes, looking at a rental project that has to have tax credits and LIFT, we would be looking at maybe mid-2027 for groundbreaking,” said Pastor, noting that speedy housing development is critical to Metro’s goals. “We are definitely exploring options for moving faster than that because we know we’re in a housing emergency, and we need as much housing as quickly as possible. We’re interested in thinking about what are some alternative models we can pursue in terms of financing. Can we move quickly, prioritizing quality of course, but cost efficiency and speed?”
2815 SE 90th Place
Pastor explained that Metro purchased the land along SE 89th Avenue using an allocation provided by the Oregon State legislature for a revolving acquisition fund around 82nd Avenue. “With all of the improvements happening on 82nd, including the planning of the new transit, we wanted to prioritize the area. So we made a specific legislative ask back in 2023 for some funds to buy land near 82nd,” said Pastor. “We have been basically looking and making offers on properties in the area for the last couple of years.” She notes that Metro has often owned land around transit with the intention of developing it. “We are trying to think of ourselves as a regional land bank specifically aimed at building affordable housing near transit. Our program focus has shifted in the last few years, but we’re really not doing anything that different from what Metro has been doing in this space for decades.”
As Metro adjusts its programs, the staff will look at ways to extend the useful life span of public investment. “In the past, we’ve typically just written down the value of the land and conveyed it to the developer if they’re doing affordable [housing]. The program has basically been trying to spur development, but now we are trying to make this idea sustainable. It’s simply not that sustainable for us to continue to give land away for free,” said Pastor. She explained that they are consulting development partners to explore how programs can deliver housing while potentially repaying public investment. Repayment could become part of the project lending structure, or developers could pay back Metro’s investment over a period of time. “It could be 15 years. It could be a ground lease. We’re open to structuring those deals in a number of different ways, but in a way that we can make this a revolving fund of money that is able to continually buy new properties along this corridor. The $5 million that we received is nowhere near enough to really meet the need for how much housing we really need,” Pastor said.
Metro expects to work with a single developer on this new project in the Jade District. Still, it could offer a mix of multifamily or single-family units with affordable home ownership options. The sloped lot and land dedication to PBOT for the modern streets and sidewalks reduces the buildable land to around an acre. So the vast open lot will not support a large housing complex. They also anticipate providing some on-site parking to minimize the impact on neighbors from the increase in housing density. However, incorporating green space into the development is a key consideration. They are communicating with Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services, which owns the lot to the south of this property. It serves as a natural stormwater detention area where plants and soil help absorb the area’s rainwater. It also contains a sewer pump facility that requires 24-hour security for community safety and asset protection. Depending on the City’s flexibility, designers could incorporate green space on Metro’s land to extend into the City-owned land without compromising security.
Property with new fence
Portlanders in the area can anticipate future Metro conversations about 2815 SE 90th Place as they determine the appropriate development path. They will also consider leasing the land to an organization with suitable insurance and liability coverage to use the site until construction begins. In the short term, neighbors will see the unsafe structures removed and eventually a new paved road on SE 89th Avenue. The construction phase relies on a yet-to-be-determined development partner’s ability to secure funding and deliver a proposal that meets Metro’s goals for affordable transit-oriented housing at this site.
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On August 18th, demolition crews began razing the single-story sales office and shop at 1818 SE 82nd Avenue to make room for the second Multnomah County-owned shelter site in Montavilla. After workers remove the 1964-era single-story building, last used as an RV sales location, the Multnomah County Homeless Services Department will begin preparing the site to support a new sober shelter that Do Good Multnomah will operate. That development will take place during the 2025-2026 winter season, creating utility connections for 38 single-occupancy shelters with supporting portable sanitation and cooking facilities.
Multnomah County purchased the former recreational vehicle dealership at 1818 SE 82nd Avenue in December 2022 for $2.015 million. This 34,000-square-foot parcel was the second Montavilla location the County bought that year for temporary shelter services. The other shelter, Oak Street Village at 333 SE 82nd Avenue, opened in February and is currently operating at full capacity. The Joint Office of Homeless Services — now renamed the Homeless Services Department — has held several community meetings, with the most recent meeting in April announcing that Do Good Multnomah would operate the site as a sober shelter. Presenters explained that residents and staff are subject to drug testing, and policy strictly prohibits the possession of non-prescribed intoxicants on the property.
Selecting a sober format meets a specific need for people transitioning into stable housing who are in recovery from substance use disorder, and it better matches community desires for the site, which is located near two schools. The project designers will set back the new seven-foot-high chain-link fence on SE Mill Street to allow for more sidewalk-adjacent plantings, providing a buffer space and allowing for greater resident privacy beyond the plastic fence inserts that will obscure sightlines from the street.
Demolition work continues at the property for the rest of the week. Early plans intended to salvage portions of the wood roof structure above the glass curtain walls for reuse in covered outdoor amenities on the site. That level of salvage and reuse may prove challenging, but the methodical approach to tearing down this building could indicate the intention to preserve reusable materials.
Article and photos by
Jacob Loeb
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On April 24th, demolition crews began removing the modest 1956-era single-story home at 1542 SE 84th Avenue to make way for a duplex with onsite parking. Developer Ethan Knudson is on the second iteration of redevelopment plans, adjusting designs around Portland’s rules to include attached garages in the new housing.
Knudson bought the deteriorating property last summer, intending to build two detached single-family houses. Ahead of developing plans, his team met with the Portland Permitting & Development (PP&D) staff to review their proposal and understand what is allowed on the 50-foot-wide lot. “I had a conversation with [city staff], a whole land use team, and the people who handle this for me. We initially sat down with them, and I said, ‘I need garages because this is not two blocks from everything.’ People are going to have to drive,” said Knudson. “And the city said, ‘We don’t allow garages on skinny houses anymore.'” Knudson explained that the city had told him the restriction was regarding street-facing vehicle storage on slender homes and that he could instead build a shared driveway between the two 15-foot-wide houses with garages in the back of each residence. After his architect had created those plans, they checked back with city officials to ensure they met their approval. Knudson said that another group of city staff told them that his designed garages would not work because vehicles had insufficient space to turn around behind the homes on either side of the center driveway.
1542 SE 84th Ave before demolition (Jacob Loeb)
That new information meant that architects would need to redraw the plans, and the design team had only one option for a project that included attached garages. Portland’s updated parking and onsite vehicle storage rules restrict excessive attached garages on street-facing walls. It says the length of the garage wall facing the street may be up to 50 percent of the total length of the street-facing building facade. However, if any or all the units in a multiunit development are less than 22 feet wide, the limitation applies to the total length of the street-facing facades. The duplex’s common wall construction removed the need for a five-foot setback from the adjoining property line, allowing each home to span 20 feet, making a 10-foot wide garage permissible.
This change in design will add to the floor space of the units, and each home will remain on its own lot, but the structures will touch. Knudson is working with Zed Design to create distinct looks for the two homes, visually separating them. “I’m going to make sure the frontage still looks the best we can, like independent houses, so that it doesn’t look like a duplex,” said Knudson. The builders will do this through the use of different siding materials and other architectural elements.
1542 SE 84th Ave during demolition (Jacob Loeb)
The three-bedroom homes will have two full bathrooms on the second floor, one each serving as the owner’s ensuite, and an open-concept first floor with half-bathrooms. Knudson says he likes to minimize the long front hallway –often found in skinny homes– making space for a sizable entryway with seating to put on shoes and coats. The previous design with parking in the back would have allowed for more activity at the front of the houses. Now, the living room sits at the back of the main level with a fireplace and sliding door leading to a backyard patio. Designers placed the C-shaped kitchen in the middle of the ground floor behind the garage and across from a walk-in pantry. The larger front bedroom above the garage offers a walking closet with natural light, and residents will have a full-size laundry room on the second floor.
84th Ave Duplex floor plan and elevation by Zed Design courtesy Ethan Knudson
Knudson is working with his team to create an interesting driveway leading to the attached garages at the front of the duplex. He explained it would feature a decorative finish similar to what people apply inside high-end garages but on the outside slab. The team wants the project to stand out but priced at an attainable rate for home buyers with a growing family who need more bedrooms and a place to park the family car. In Knudson’s experience as a developer, not having onsite vehicle storage is a detractor for home buyers. “Losing those garages knocks off $100,000 in value for the whole development. Garages are super important, even if it’s just for a storage unit. A lot of people don’t actually use a garage as a garage,” remarked Knudson.
1542 SE 84th Ave demolished (Ethan Knudson)
With the old building removed, KL Excavation crews will begin leveling the lot and preparing the site for underground utilities and foundation work. Knudson plans to finish the homes with stone countertops and custom cabinetry. He says his experience and connections help keep costs down while providing quality finishes for his housing. Knudson looks forward to working on more projects in the area and is excited for local residents to see the expanded housing he is offering, which he anticipates will blend in well with the neighborhood.
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