Tag: 9000 Hoyt Street

Construction, New Residence, Property Sale

Homes for Sale at Gracelyn Commons

After two years of development, three properties are for sale in Gracelyn Commons. These detached condominiums offer high-end design with a view of Portland. Once sold, work will continue on the remaining twelve residences planned for this project. The unbuilt houses are available for advanced sale, allowing for customized finishes.

Gracelyn Commons is the new name for the project previously referred to as 9000 Hoyt Street during construction. The three completed buildings comprise phase one of the complex. The developer, Todd Spencer, outlined the phased development in an August interview. A COVID-19 related backlog slowed the formation of a Home Owners Association (HOA) for this development, pushing back the listing dates for the three houses until now. Based on interest in the existing homes, Spencer could begin work on all the other structures immediately.

9023 NE Hoyt Street living room and balcony. Image courtesy Todd Spencer.

Crews constructed houses at the front of the developments first, preventing new homeowners from navigating an active worksite. However, with an accelerated building schedule on the other structures, Spencer explained that most disruptive construction could complete before families move in. “Most houses take two months to close. We could have the building envelope of a lot of the houses done while the closing is going on. So there would not be a lot of construction noise.”

Three completed homes. Image courtesy Todd Spencer.

Within the complex, builders use one of a few different floorplans for constructing the homes. Located at the front of the property, the most compact building on the site has its door leading to NE Hoyt Street. Unlike the other houses, it features only two bedrooms but gains a first-floor bonus room that would work well as a media room or home office. The other residences have three bedrooms and four bathrooms. In those homes, each bedroom has its own attached bathroom. Four of the unbuilt homes are planned as common-wall units, split between two structures. The other houses are freestanding single-family homes.

All houses have an attached single-car garage with an EV Charger hookup prewired. The developer will negotiate the installation of a specific charger based on the buyer’s needs. Every level of each home features nine-foot-tall ceilings. The extra horizontal foot makes the rooms feel spacious and open. Temperature control in the homes comes from Mini Split ductless systems placed throughout the house. They provide cost-effective and environmentally friendly comfort. For added energy efficiency and superior weather protection, a Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) roofing membrane covers the rooftops.

9015 NE Hoyt Street bathroom. Image courtesy Todd Spencer

9015 NE Hoyt Street is the most affordable unit for sale in the development. It is also one of a kind, with no other unit like it at the site. It’s ideal for a small family or a couple who work from home. Having just two bedrooms and 1,051 Square-feet of living space, builders used several space savings techniques to make a highly functional home. The laundry closet accommodates a stackable washer and dryer. Showers and bedrooms are slightly smaller than the other floorplans. However, it still contains most of the high-end finishes utilized in the other buildings. The master bathroom features a standard showerhead with an additional rain-showerhead seen in the other attached bathrooms throughout the development. Tiled shower walls extend past the glass doors to cover the entire wall. A gas range with a microwave vent hood joins a stainless-steel dishwasher in the modern styled kitchen.

9017 NE Hoyt Street Kitchen. Image courtesy Todd Spencer.

9017 NE Hoyt Street and 9023 NE Hoyt Street both share similar layouts. However, the kitchen arrangement and cabinets are the most distinct difference between the two buildings. 9017 incorporates an island and dark woodgrain cabinetry. 9023 uses glossy white cabinets, and instead of an island, a countertop peninsula provides separation from the living room. Off of the living rooms are inset balconies that feature natural gas hookups for grills or outdoor heaters. Ten-foot wide sliding glass walls provide entrance to the outdoor living space, and storage rooms off the side provide offseason storage for deck items. At 1,404 square feet, they have room for side-by-side laundry closets on the top floor and communal closets on each of the three levels.

9023 NE Hoyt Street Kitchen. Image courtesy Todd Spencer.

The quality of these detached condominiums is unique for the area. Montavilla has similar developments with private access roads and a handful of buildings crafted in a modern design style. However, no other location in the neighborhood features the same combination of scenic views and high-end finishes. This location may suit the needs of people moving out of downtown but still wanting to live in the city. It is located close to mass transit and has easy freeway access, making it convenient for commuters. Look for new construction to begin again when the completed houses sell.

9017 NE Hoyt Street Master Suite. Image courtesy Todd Spencer.

To schedule a tour of the houses, contact Nancy Westermeijer by email at nancywestrealtor@gmail.com or phone at 503-689-7056. The properties are available now and viewable within a few hours of the request.

Demolition

Duplex Demo on NE Hoyt

The new owners of a single-story duplex on NE Hoyt Street submitted a permit application to demolish the building. Located at 9022-9032 NE Hoyt Street, the multi-family structure occupies a 9,500 square-foot lot capable of accommodating four houses or another multi-family development. Permit approval is on a mandatory 35-day demo hold.

Demolition permit 20-223098 seeks to raze the building and cap the sewer line. The 1959 era duplex is built without a basement, simplifying the demolition. A decommissioned septic system will need to be removed or otherwise addressed by this work permit.

Provision Group bought this property in September of 2020, and it represents the third Montavilla based project by the developer. Their other sites are both infill housing on fully developed streets. However, this Hoyt Street property sits across from another sizable housing development currently under construction.

The recently renamed Gracelyn Commons subdivision completed its first phase last year. Development work for that project cleared overgrown trees and improved the gravel road with a modern street. When completed, the subdivision will support a total of 15 new homes.

Until recently, this dead-end section of NE Hoyt Street went mostly overlooked and underdeveloped. Being position atop a bluff provides these new homes clear views of Portland’s streetscape, making multi-story homes here more valuable. This area of Montavilla is likely to see continued change with more properties redeveloped to offer higher quality housing and greater density.

NE Hoyt Dead End
Construction, New Residence

Phased Subdivision

Construction on the 9000 Hoyt Street Subdivision will happen in three phases. The first phase has multiple roles in the further development of this project. The soon to be completed buildings will test the housing market in this area and act as model homes for the remaining unbuilt houses.

The project developer, Todd Spencer, adopted the phased approach as a reaction to the pandemic. “We were a little nervous with COVID, and thought let’s just do three.” Said Spencer. Phased construction is a safe economic choice, allowing the sale of the first three buildings to help finance the remaining development. 

The three houses in phase-one will be on the market before the end of summer. They should sell quickly based on the current market. Like most new homes, the builder selected all finishes in the house. Buyers looking to style a new home to their tastes could opt for one of the subdivisions unbuilt units instead. Buyers of those units can customized flooring, lighting, bathroom fixtures, countertops, and kitchen cabinetry.

The next phase of construction will add four houses along the top of the retaining wall that runs along NE Irving Street. Those houses will have unobstructed views looking north. The final phase will add the two duplex buildings across the private road from the first three buildings. All the buildings, except for the front-most house, will share similar floor plans.

Every unit has 9-foot ceilings, three-panel doors, and each bedroom is a master bedroom with an ensuite. Outdoor decks are accessed through giant glass sliding doors and have natural gas hookups for grills, avoiding the need for propane tanks. Garages come pre-wired for electric car charging. Recessed-can lighting throughout the home keeps the ceiling line clean and unobstructed. Pendant lights over the kitchen island maintain minimal separation between the open floorplan while defining independent spaces. The kitchens use backsplash windows between the upper and lower cabinets, creating a modern design with natural light.

Hardie board, stucco panels, and vertical cedar work together to form the siding on the houses. Spencer selected mixed cladding and a varied color scheme to make these buildings project the modern design within the building. That design ethic incorporates some tradition with other bold choices. This subdivision’s style offers something different than what is immediately around the area and may attract buyers that generally would look closer to the central city. 

Despite the modern theme, the development retained part of its rustic heritage. At the front of the subdivision is a large tree that pushes into the street space. “the tree was a big deal,” said Spencer. Initially, the tree’s removal was needed to make way for the private road into the subdivision. However, Early in the development, the tree was granted a reprieve. Now the roadway snakes around the tree. That change forced the building fronted on the public-street to be smaller than the other buildings in the project. Bike storage and a community trash enclosure fill the space behind the tree, making the layout change beneficial.

Beyond saving old-growth trees, environmentally conscious rainwater management is a consideration for this site. The subdivision retains all rainwater on the property through a mix of Drywells and Pervious Pavers. The pavers create the private road’s surface. Their design allows rainwater to filter between the pavers and absorb it into the ground below. Four shared drywell will accept runoff from the fifteen homes’ gutters and let the water gradually release into the surrounding soil. Spencer admits that environmental concerns cost more, but he appreciates the value it brings to the community.

Originally this subdivision was not a flat lot. It slopes down to the northwest. A tall retaining wall holds back a mountain of soil used to level off the property. The height created by the wall allows for unique city views for the houses above. The wall’s engineering was substantial and caused many months of construction delays. “If I know what I was getting into, I might not have done it.” Said Spencer about building the wall. Ultimately, it has added another defining element to the subdivision that makes it different than many seen in Montavilla.

Todd Spencer stressed the inclusion of upgrades in building these homes. When choosing material, he opted for higher quality and better-designed finishes. The success of those upgrades will only be known when these houses become available for viewing, but they should be evident in the final product. Soon enough, both Spencer and the public will discover how well Montavilla supports this type of subdivision, and its success could bring more like it to the neighborhood.

Construction, New Residence

August Construction Update

Montavilla’s many construction projects continue to make progress at different speeds. COVID-19 has disrupted some schedules while other developments have kept a hurried pace.

342 NE 75th Ave. has completed principle framing. The building’s final shape and style are now visible to neighbors. The cladding will determine how well it blends in with the other houses on the street, but so far, it successfully fits the area.

475 NE 74th Ave finally removed the construction fencing and painted the remaining portion of the building. This twelve unit apartment building project took its time and still may be a ways off from renting to the public.

9000 Hoyt Street subdivision is moving headed with the first three of fifteen new homes. They recently completed the private road for the whole subdivision with pervious pavers.

7901 NE Glisan Street is painted and work at the billiards hall on the right half of the property is progressing inside.

Construction, New Residence

Hoyt Street Subdivision Taking Shape

Construction of the first three buildings at the 9000 Hoyt Street subdivision, is underway. Crews are framing the first of 13 structures that will soon provide 15 new homes. The first houses will be visible from all nearby streets and should draw attention from prospective homebuyers.

The large retaining wall has received a fence installed along its top edge. The retaining wall on this project is the largest in the area. A Fence is a welcomed safety measure but may not be enough to denture people walking along the wall’s edge. As the weather improves, work at the sight should increase. Projects like this often have structures built in a rolling progression, as each trades group moves through the subdivision. The first houses could be ready for sale just as the later houses are reaching completion.

Updated – Text and pictures updated from original version posted June 7th.

Construction, Infrastructure, New Residence

9000 Hoyt Street Subdivision

15 new homes are coming to Montavilla in a new subdivision. Only one street back from NE Glisan, this new project by 9000 Hoyt Street LLC and Todd Spencer, is in its early stages. Currently just basic infrastructure and a massive retaining wall are being constructed onsite. This stretch of Hoyt is an unimproved gravel road but soon it will be paved to make way for a the traffic heading to these homes.

The subdivision will have 11 single family homes and and two duplexes. Only one house will have its entryway fronted on Hoyt Street. It is also the only one with a distinct layout. Each house will have a single car garage and stand three stories tall.

The subdivision is comprised of two large lots that were combined in the first half of 2016. 9019 NE Hoyt Street contains a 1928 house and has been carved out of the subdivision’s Southeast corner. The Northwest corner of this block dips down along NE 90th Ave and NE Irving Street. The developers have chosen to place a large retaining wall along this corner to level the subdivision. It creates a interesting appearance along NE Irving Street and highlights the difference in terrain, experience in this part of Montavilla.

The frontmost house on the subdivision has its garage in the back of the first floor, with access from the private road. The entrance from NE Hoyt Street will lead into a first floor family room. Up on the second floor, is a great room, kitchen and 3/4 bathroom. The third floor has a standard bedroom, laundry closet, and the master suite. The master has a walk in closet and a 3/4 ensuite. The person in the standard bedroom has to use the bathroom on the 2nd floor.

The ten other single family houses feature a garage at the front of the first floor. There is s long hallway that leads from the front door to a bedroom in the back of the first floor. It has its own full bathroom attached and a exterior entrance to the backyard through a sliding glass door. The second floor features a kitchen at the front with a great room at its center. The back half of the floor has a 10 foot glass wall with double sliding doors leading to a covered balcony. Off the balcony is a large exterior storage closet. Leading from the kitchen is a step up platform that turns 90 degrees to become the stairs up to the third floor. Off the platform in the other direction is a half bathroom. The third floor contains two more bedrooms and a wide laundry closet. Each bedroom in these houses have there own attached full bathroom. The master bedroom is only differentiated by a walk in closet and two separate sinks and countertops.

Dual duplex buildings provide the remain four houses, of the 15 being built in the subdivision. Each has a single car garage in the front. The front door open up to a small entryway with a door to the garage and stairs up to the second floor. Accessed from the back of the garage is a bedroom with its own attached full bathroom and a walk in closet off the bathroom. The bedroom has access to the backyard through a sliding glass door. The second floor features a kitchen along the back wall and a great room in the center. Along the front of the second floor is a covered balcony with sliding glass door. Similar to the other houses, there is a step up platform that leads to the stairs on one side and a half bath on the other side. The third floor has two bedrooms and a wide laundry closet. Again each bedroom in this house has its own bathroom. However the Master bedroom in the duplexes have showers instead of a tub shower combo. Only the bedroom on the first floor has a walkin closet. The master bedroom is 5 feet longer than the other bedroom on the third floor and is placed at the front of the house.

Several design elements will make these desirable houses. The retaining wall and private road will create a small separate community, only accessible off a dead end section of NE Hoyt Street. Being high off the ground provides good views through the windows along the the North and West. Additional, the architecture has modern influences. The balconies push into the house instead of protruding out. The roof of the duplex units are Skillion and lean-to, while the other buildings use a Skillion roof.

The choice to include a bathroom for every bedroom in all the residences, except for one, is intriguing. It is one of those choices that seem unexpected at first but feel like a great idea when experienced. I suspect this could be a building trent to watch in years to come.