6 NE 74th – Montavilla News

Crews recently completed foundation work for two detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) at 6 NE 74th Avenue. This pair of two-story structures will join a remodeled house built in 1926. Each ADU is 20 feet by 18 feet wide with two bedrooms, one full-sized bathroom, and one half-bath powered room. The corner lot will retain its legacy driveway access to E Burnside Street, one of the factors constraining the new buildings’ footprint.

The ADUs are positioned 12 feet east of the original single-story home but sit just four feet from each other. Because of their proximity, the new buildings will require extra fire protection on the wall facing its mirror twin. The first floor of each of the units is an open floor plan for living and cooking. Only a small bathroom, closet, and staircase take space from the main room. On the second floor, two bedrooms share a modest full bathroom. A stacked laundry closet on the second floor near the stairwell hides behind a bi-folding door.

Kova Development purchased this property in October 2021, with renovations beginning on the existing home in 2022. Crews replaced the roof, windows, and siding before completely renovating the interior. The new owners increased the habitable space in the main house by adding egress windows and insulated walls to the basement. At 750 square feet each, the ADUs provide a single-family-residence experience in an apartment-sized dwelling. When completed, this project will offer the neighborhood a marked increase in living space without demolishing an existing structure.

Although Portland needs much more housing than this development style can provide, this project can be a model for infill development. However, the next phase of city growth will likely include larger middle housing and require some demolition. Other projects underway in the area have already razed the structures from the recently purchased priorities and await building permits. As a corner lot zoned Residential 2,500 (R2.5), this could have become one of those projects featuring four townhouses. However, this owner saw worth in rehabilitating the existing building while adding more homes to the lot. Expect to see this project completed later this year.

Jacob Loeb

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This week, heavy equipment cleared a small grove of trees at 6 NE 74th Avenue. The work makes way for a pair of two-story Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) proposed for the property. Kova Development recently purchased the 1926-era home in October of last year. Since then, the developer has renovated the original house and substantially increased its livable space.

Fronted on E Burnside Street, the two new residencies will join the recently updated home on the back half of the site. The original home faces NE 74th Avenue and sits close to the sidewalk, occupying less than half the available property. The back portion of the lot previously served as the house’s driveway and parking pad but lacked any notable structures and had become overgrown with small trees and shrubbery.

*Google Maps view of 6 NE 74th Avenue 2017*

Remodel work on the nearly century-old house is extensive. Crews replaced the roof that the previous owners had left tarp-covered for years. New windows and siding now wrap the structure, sealing its once porous exterior. The owners removed all interior finishes down to the studs and reworked the insulation, electrical, and plumbing on the main level. A recently approved permit allows for a near doubling of livable floor area by creating habitable space in the basement. Workers will construct two bedrooms with egress window wells, a full bathroom, and a living room on the subterranean level.

Plans for the new ADU units are not yet public. The design and orientation should have a noticeable impact on the property’s appearance from E Burnside Street. Look for ongoing construction activity at the site over the remaining months of 2022. This block should appear more populated by next year, and the neighborhood will have two new homes.