As renovation crews make significant progress on the 1927-era single-family home at 1006 NE 72nd Avenue, the new owners look to split the underlying lots at its historic demarcation point. The modest house sits approximately two feet from the proposed property line, necessitating an exception that is currently under consideration by Portland Permitting & Development. If approved, the existing home would occupy a 25-foot-wide parcel, leaving a 37-foot by 100-foot property to the north for future sale and development.
Site map from LU 25-042546 application for setback requirement adjustment to split the lot
Kimco Properties purchased the 894-square-foot house in March and began making improvements. Contractors replaced the sewer line and installed a bathroom in the basement. That update, along with other work in the main living area, created three total bathrooms where the original home had just one. The nearly century-old structure — with a similar width to modern infill homes — now stands renewed with new steps on the way and a back deck.
Two lots from the original Brainard subdivision constitute the NE 72nd Avenue site, and Kimco Properties sought to utilize a Lot Confirmation (PR 25-053270 LC) to separate the underlying parcels. A lot confirmation verifies one or more lots previously combined by past owners for tax purposes, and the process can reestablish a historic lot line. Developers often see it as a more straightforward process for division compared to using the property line adjustment (PLA) process. However, the city requires a lot confirmation review to ensure any existing development meets city standards after the separation of the parcels. In this case, the reestablished lot line was just over two feet from the house’s exterior wall and right at the roof’s overhang. City code specifies that the minimum distance of a wall from a new property line should be five feet, and three feet for an eave, in this zone. The requirement provides a ten-foot distance between houses. Exceptions to this rule are not uncommon as long as they meet established standards, and new development on the adjacent lot can mitigate the impact of placing the lot line so close to the original building’s edge.
After crews complete the renovations at 1006 NE 72nd Avenue, the property is expected to return to the real estate market for sale. If City staff approve LU 25-042546 AD, then the new property could sell to a housing developer, or Kimco Properties could build on it in the future. This company is a frequent creator of housing in the neighborhood under the FX Homes name.
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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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Crews are nearing completion on the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at 8358 NE Holladay Street Unit # B as other workers conclude framing work on the four townhouses next door. On January 22nd, Portlands Permitting & Development (PP&D) staff approved a Middle Housing Land Division (MHLD) application to create four distinct lots for the new two-story townhomes that will replace the garages that once served the single-family-home at the corner of NE 84th Avenue and Holladay Street.
This project took shape a year ago as developer Rees Bettinger looked to add housing to the corner lot while preserving the original 1940-era home. Work on the ADU progressed quickly, with crews completing much of the building’s exterior before cement masons poured the foundation of the four townhomes. With the MHLD approved, the site will offer future residents five properties with the rear townhome units accessible from a shared walkway to the east of the structure connecting with NE Holladay Street.
Floor Plan from LU 24-103864 MLDS
The townhomes each contain under 1,200 square feet of living space with similar floor plans. The main level’s open layout places the “L” shaped kitchen in the northwest corner near the rear sliding door that leads to a small patio space on the western side of the homes. A kitchen island has space for counter seating from the living room side and helps define the kitchen space from the rest of the main room. The southern walls support a pantry, a half-bath washroom, and an under-staircase storage area containing the water heater. The second floor has two standard-sized bedrooms with a full bathroom accessed from the hallway near a stacked laundry closet. An “owner’s” third bedroom features an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet.
Draft rendering of townhouse building from side, subject to change. Courtesy Rees Bettinger
Crews are on pace to complete this project in the middle of 2025, with the listing for the original home with ADU potentially happening ahead of the townhome’s completion. Outside of landscaping, work should transition inside the structures within the coming months, and new residents could start living at this site before the end of the year.
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Cement masons are at work creating the foundation for a new single-family residence at 114 NE 74th Avenue. Crews will construct this 15-foot-wide two-story home on the side yard split from a 1925-era house in 2022. The site of the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home is only 25-foot-wide and requires a skinny house design often used for infill housing.
Rendering provided courtesy DEZ Development
The building plans come from Thogerson Designs, which creates standardized plans used by builders throughout the area to develop new housing. DEZ Development, a frequent housing creator in the area, purchased the lot in December 2024. This location is personally significant to the company’s owner, Slavik Dezhnyuk, who has Montavilla roots. “I am very excited about this project as it is located across the street from my childhood home. Brings back lots of memories,” explained Dezhnyuk.
Overhead image of 114 NE 74th Aveprovided by Portland Maps
This house design places the third bedroom at the front of the home, which could also serve as a home office or study. The powder room, located next to the ground floor bedroom, is the only bathroom on the main level, meaning residents sleeping there would need to go upstairs to shower. Designers placed the “U” shaped kitchen in the middle of the main level with a seating area off the combined living and dining room at the back of the home. A built-in shelving unit on the north wall flanks a gas fireplace. A glass curtain wall with a sliding door leads onto a partially covered back patio with an exterior storage closet. A straight staircase ascends from the living room to the second floor.
The top-level features a stacked laundry closet at the top of the stairs, steps away from a double-doored linen closet. Next to the closet is a shared full bathroom with a shower and tub unit. A ten-by-twelve-foot bedroom sits at the front of the home. The owner’s suite at the back of the house features a walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom with a double vanity and a walk-in shower. The fourteen-by-twelve-foot room also offers more vertical space with a tray ceiling.
DEZ Development expects construction on the 1,330-square-foot building to last four to five months and anticipates having this house on the market before the end of the year.
Later this year, Rees Bettinger Properties will construct three single-family homes behind the 1950-era single-story house at 1004 NE 70th Avenue. Each new two-story structure will offer an open-concept main level with two bedrooms and a stacked laundry closet on the second floor. Each bedroom has an ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower. The architect placed a half-bathroom under the staircase on the first floor that extends out beyond the eastern wall of the center two units, adding another three feet to those washrooms.
Site plan courtesy of Rees Bettinger Properties
The new homes will offer residents just under 1,000 square feet of living space in nearly identical floor plans. People can enter the new detached houses from a shared pathway along the property’s southern edge, and sliding glass doors at the north of the structures lead to a back patio space. The “U” shaped kitchens feature a breakfast bar facing the center of the home and a dining area off to its side. The developer will use a Middle Housing Land Division to split the property into four lots with an easement for utility lines and the walkway. Demolition crews will remove the semi-attached garage on the home’s southeast corner to allow people adequate access to the back units.
The developer, Rees Bettinger, has undertaken other projects like this one in Montavilla over the last few years. He created a cottage cluster arranged development on NE Holladay Street that wrapped up construction in 2024 and has another project underway, creating four townhouses on the same street. He often works to preserve and improve existing homes while adding more residential inventory to areas. This approach to housing infill has the added benefit of retaining material investments in a structure and maintaining some of the existing streetscape’s age and scale. However, the NE 70th Avenue property is between several new homes built in the last two decades, so matching the adjacent structures is less of a concern. Bettinger anticipates construction beginning in March or April this year, depending on building permit approval timelines.
Left image show units A and B design. Right is unit C. Renderings courtesy of Rees Bettinger Properties
A group of 43 residents of the North Tabor neighborhood signed their names in opposition to the 2020 zoning change that has ushered in several apartment projects without off-street parking. The group feels the street parking congestion will create unsafe conditions for pedestrians and cyclists using the east/west greenway running through the neighborhood. Representatives of the neighbors addressed the Portland City Council on September 25th, and the North Tabor Neighborhood Association Board penned an open letter to city officials. The letter called for a pause of development in the North Tabor neighborhood and to prioritize their listed safety concerns. However, during a July 10th Public Meeting, resident comments about the 32-unit apartment building in question surfaced concerns other than vehicle storage. Additionally, curbside parking space is not yet at capacity in the area.
The existing three houses to be demolished looking southeast from NE 57th Ave and Flanders St
Kent Family Holdings plans to demolish three 100-year-old homes and one modern accessory dwelling unit (ADU) along NE 57th Avenue to construct an apartment complex offering 32 one-bedroom units split between two buildings. The three-story structures share a central courtyard area. The apartment complex features a ground-floor common room, leasing office, secure bike storage area, and trash room. People will access eight units from the main level, with the northern four having doors opening onto NE Flanders Street. Residents will access the upper 24 units by two courtyard stairwells attached to the southern structure. The buildings have dual walkway bridges linking each building’s open-air hallways on the second and third floors. All apartments have washers and dryers in the unit.
The Kent Family Trust began purchasing homes on this block in 2018, with the 1904-built corner home at 332 NE 57th Avenue. In 2020, they bought 320 NE 57th Avenue, which was nearly 100 years old but included a 2015-era detached ADU in the back. By 2021, they owned the 1910-built single-family home at 312 NE 57th Avenue. Then, in August 2023, the property owners requested an Early Assistance meeting with the city seeking guidance on a proposal to demolish three existing structures and build a 28-unit apartment building. The initial design included a courtyard, community room, and a tuck under parking lot.
Ground floor sitemap from Land Use 24-040947 Adjustment request
A year after consulting with the city, Kent Family Holdings submitted building permit applications for a development with four more units than first proposed and no onsite parking. This change to forgo on-property parking aligns with Portland’s goals to maximize housing in increased-density zoned areas with access to transit, bikeways, and resources within walkable range of people’s homes. However, some area residents rallied around a shared concern over street parking conditions. City staff upsized the zoning in this section of Portland to Residential Multi-Dwelling 1 (RM1) several years ago. This classification allows for low-scale multi-dwelling development up to three stories tall but smaller in scale than the Commercial Mixed Use 2 (CM2) zoning to the north and south of the property on NE Glisan and E Burnside Streets. The housing density recently built in response to the nearby CM2 zoned areas lacks onsite parking and has added hundreds of apartment units within a mile radius of the site. Residents have observed more vehicles parked on side streets as buildings fill with new tenants. The neighborhood group opposed to continued apartment development between the CM2 zones says that rapid growth in housing density has impacted livability and safety through constrained on-street parking. They expressed concern over their narrow streets and fear that cars will hurt non-motorists in this densely parked environment.
Portland Maps image showing site outlined in red on a zoning map
Parking issues often surround new housing developments when they deliver density at any size. Infill development will sometimes remove garages and driveways in favor of adding more residences to a lot, requiring street parking to meet residents’ needs. Recent changes to Oregon and Portland rules around zoning have removed many of the onsite parking requirements for housing and allowed multiunit construction on almost every residential property. As legislators intended, these changes have sparked new homes built in yards of existing houses. It has also incentivized the demolition of smaller structures to make way for new multiunit housing that uses more of the available land. Governments have limited ability to build new housing and rely on zoning code changes to convince private investment to create more inventory where planners feel the environment can support it. In Oregon, where regulations limit urban growth, cities must accommodate population growth through redevelopment instead of wider expansion. A prolonged housing shortage in Portland and constrained expansion have led to these zoning updates at a speed greater than some residents feel comfortable with.
NE 57th Ave and Flanders St looking south to apartments on E Burnside
Personal vehicle storage is often the first conflict experienced in rising density as it is a tangible concern for people to focus on. Navigating Portland without a car is more accessible than many places in the country. Still, it is not without challenges, and having access to a vehicle helps people secure better employment opportunities away from transit lines and facilitates the multistop trips families with young children of ten make. However, parking alone is not the only concern people have with redevelopment, and street parking in many Eastside neighborhoods is not at capacity. Some of the NE 57th and Flanders project’s online Public Meeting participants expressed other concerns besides parking. Some attendees said they preferred row housing because that would have created “family-sized” housing similar to what is already there. Another meeting attendee expressed his opinion that the renters of these apartments would not be members of the community, only living there for a few years and moving on. The national average for apartment turnover among renters is around two years, according to some estimates, but that varies by city and does not account for people who relocate within the same neighborhood. Also, community contribution is not definable by the duration of residency.
The group attending the meeting challenged the profit motive of the developer who is building a market-rate complex. The development team acknowledged the motive and noted that for-profit projects create the majority of new housing in Portland and are the primary builders of improved sidewalk infrastructure. The lack of an adequate sidewalk network was one of the community’s safety concerns. The builders also explained that this project will meet Portland’s Inclusionary Housing requirements with a percentage of units reserved as affordable to people earning below 80% or 60% of the Median family income (MFI). The city bases the number of units reserved on the income cap percentage a developer selects. A developer reserves 20% of units at 80% MFI or 10% of units at 60% MFI.
NE 57th Ave and Flanders St looking north to apartments on NE Glisan St
Although recent neighborhood efforts have targeted this 32-unit apartment project, they acknowledge this is just one of many developments contributing to their angst. The combined number of units constructed and planned in their area has some people in this neighborhood feeling like they are facing an undue burden as the city addresses the housing crisis. The neighbors hope to change the zoning to its previous level or, as one meeting participant put it, pay him a million dollars to move elsewhere. Many other Portland residents share his sentiment as they see property values rise and neighborhoods change, creating more redevelopment opportunities as they sell. The zoning changes in Portland do not force people to redevelop their property. However, their neighbors can and often do for the financial benefit it brings. Zoning can reduce the conflict between adjacent property owners who have different objectives for their properties, but planners do not intend zoning to be static; changes will happen as demand in the city calls for new density. The real estate market and property owners decide how fast the neighborhood redevelops to meet the new zoning standards.
NE Glisan St at 56th Ave with several newer multiunit developments
Frustration over changing parking conditions is understandable, particularly when people can no longer reliably park in front of their homes and have to walk a block or more. People often own cars and need to park them on the street if that is their only option. However, congested parking on streets is not necessarily unsafe. Narrow roads encourage drivers to travel slower, reducing the dangers for people walking and biking in the area. Some commuters cut through smaller streets to save time when heavy traffic jams primary routes. However, narrow and crowded side streets are less appealing to them because the slower speeds needed to navigate car-lined streets negate the value of the shortcut. Reducing through traffic in an area can increase safety.
This tension between residents and land use changes is a product of the transitional times cities face. Population growth demands new housing, and environmental goals have depreciated the value personal vehicles bring to society. Additionally, alternative transportation does not meet enough travel needs for all Portlanders, making cars a continued part of people’s lives. It is unknown if the North Tabor neighborhood’s call for a pause to development will find support in City Hall. Many of the concerns expressed have not occurred yet. As the zoning stands, builders in this area have permission to create the residential density officials are asking for as city leaders try to stabilize rising rents through rightsized housing inventory.
Article and photos by
Jacob Loeb
Main article rendering from Land Use 24-040947 Adjustment request documents
Update: Construction is underway on five new townhouses at 750-758 NE 91st Avenue. Crews completed wall framing and recently installed the gable roof trusses, defining the structure’s shape. The project is owned by J&I Properties, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), which took ownership of the property in March. Provision Investments transferred the property into the LLC, and its president is one of the three owners of the new company. His development business, Provision Group, is managing the project. Provision has built several projects in Montavilla over the last few years, including apartment buildings and other townhouses. Expect construction to continue through the summer.
Article originally published October 14th, 2024
In September, the townhouse development planned for 716 NE 91st Avenue received approval for an Adjustment to increase the allowable building coverage on the site. Since first submitted in April, the number of residences planned for this project has reduced from six units to five townhomes. The lot features a significantly sloping grade that requires stairs for resident access and a base support structure to level the building.
This undeveloped lot remained after the previous owner created two duplexes on the southern portion of the property. Those four homes fronted on NE Irving Street completed construction in 2019. After four years of sitting vacant, Provision Group submitted building permit applications for the new homes and shared site improvements on this open land. The builder required an Adjustment to zoning codes because this property’s Residential Multi-Dwelling 1 zone only allows a maximum building footprint coverage of 50%. This 4,900-square-foot lot allows building coverage up to 2,450 square feet. However, the builder proposed a footprint of 2,792 square feet, which is 57% of the land area.
The Bureau of Development Services (BDS) approved this increased footprint because the project would meet all other zoning standards, including maximum building height and minimum building setbacks. Staff also felt that approval would encourage development fitting the scale of surrounding structures that are one and two stories. The developer could have reduced the footprint of the building and created a third floor to achieve the same living area. That would have made the massing taller than its neighbors, overwhelming the scale of other homes in the area.
The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) initially opposed the Adjustment request out of concerns for sufficient stormwater management, but the developer submitted more documentation alleviating those arguments. The only other opposition came from residents concerned over the lack of onsite parking along a slender street. However, Portland Zoning Code no longer requires off-street parking anywhere in the city.
Building permits in Portland take months to process, pushing this project’s groundbreaking into 2024. Expect to see work begin next year after this housing infill project receives approval. The complexity of the site topography will likely extend the foundation portion of the project. Still, it should otherwise follow construction schedules similar to other developments of this size seen throughout the neighborhood.
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Work is underway on a new single-family residence at 817 NE 94th Avenue. The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home offers 1,355 square feet of living space spanning two floors. The upper level extends over the full-width front porch in an architectural nod to the Craftsman homes seen through this area. This infill development replaces a detached garage and large tree that was part of the 1927-era house at 825 NE 94th Avenue until 2023.
Rendering Courtesy DEZ Development
The main floor features a bonus room up front with a full closet, allowing it to act as an office or additional ground-level bedroom. A powered room sits under the staircase leading up to the second level. Designers placed an “L” shaped Kitchen in the center of the house with a large breakfast island separating the space from the combined great room and dining room that occupy the entire rear of the building.
Floor Plan Courtesy DEZ Development
On the second level, the main bedroom extends slightly over the front porch and has a full attached bathroom and walk-in closet. A front-facing window provides natural light into the spacious closet. Two standard-sized bedrooms at the back of the house share a full-sized bathroom. A stacked laundry closet and utility room sit at the center of the upper floor.
This housing project is another home created by DEZ Development, which is wrapping up work on Three Affordable Townhomes a few blocks away on NE 92nd Avenue. Per the current Portland building code, which prohibits attached garages on a street-facing facade less than 22 feet long, this home does not feature on-site vehicle storage. However, removing the previous curb cut and restoring the sidewalk’s edge will allow more curbside parking. People should expect to see construction continue at this site through summer.
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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.
Shadow over the garden seen at noon
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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This week, NW Development Inc. began the Middle Housing Land Division process to create four distinct properties at 26 NE 73rd Avenue. Each of the three new two-story homes will receive a house number from 92 NE 73rd to 96 NE 73rd Avenues, with the existing 1940s-era house renumbered to 98 NE 73rd Avenue. The new homes are mostly hidden in the back of the property and only visible from certain angles. This development is an example of maximum detached single-family housing on a standard lot. Further housing density would require a larger multifamily building and rezoning. Look for realtors to list these units later this year.
Site map from Middle Housing Land Division Proposal LU 23-110265 MLDS
92 NE 73rd Ave – Lot 4
94 NE 73rd Ave – Lot 3
96 NE 73rd Ave – Lot 2
98 NE 73rd Ave – Lot 1
Article originally published on May 9, 2023
On April 28th, NW Development Inc. purchased the 1,500-square-foot single-family residence at 26 NE 73rd Avenue, and the new owner plans to construct three additional homes behind the existing 1940s-era house. Each new detached residence will stand two stories tall and contain just under 950 square feet of living space. Demolition crews will remove the freestanding single-car garage to the east of the home, allowing access to the back structures.
Owner of NW Development, Brett Barton, explained why this property was an ideal location to bring affordable middle housing to the neighborhood. “The house is in pretty good shape. It needs some updating but is overall a solid house. The prior owners took great care of it, the hardwoods are in phenomenal shape, and it hasn’t been chopped up a whole bunch of times.” The home’s placement at the front of the lot also added to this project’s viability, leaving over half the property open to development. The first new home will sit ten feet behind the original structure, facing south, and the other two houses will sit side by side at the back of the lot facing west.
Image from Portland Maps
Each new building will offer a similar floor plan with a great room, kitchen, and half-bath on the main floor. Upstairs, two bedrooms share a full bathroom and a side-by-side laundry. Each freestanding property will have its own lot without a Home Owners Association (HOA) fee, as many other similar developments previously required. “[They’ll be] sold as fee-simple ownership. There will not be condos or HOA or anything like that, and they’ll be on their own tax lots,” said Barton. He explained that Portland’s Residential Infill Project and House Bill 2001 paved the way for a more reasonable approach to this type of infill development. Before those changes, developers had to create an HOA system to manage shared access to units not adjacent to a city street. That adds monthly costs and can turn away buyers during the financing process. The new Middle Housing Land Division rules allow certain middle housing types to exist on an individual lot with separate ownership, but the lots do not require direct street access. Instead, an easement for utilities and a walkway ensure residents have the access they need to their property, even when it is behind several others.
Brett Barton explained that the driveway would remain during construction to provide equipment access to the site. However, after crews complete construction, they will rebuild the pathway to support pedestrian access to the other homes, and the driveway will not accommodate vehicle storage. “The City of Portland changed their attitude towards parking as we’ve had this housing crunch. The parking requirements have actually gone the opposite way. They’re not allowing garages on skinnier lots anymore,” said Barton. He feels that losing onsite parking and the utility of a garage can detract from a home’s functionality. Still, he accepts the tradeoff when creating homes accessible to first-time buyers. Each new home will sell below the affordable housing cap currently set at $455,000 or less. Although that Portland set cap could seem unaffordable, the program helps keep prices from spiking during high demand and can be the only way certain buyers are not priced out of good neighborhoods.
Barton said permit applications are taking over six months for approval. However, he may demolish the garage and begin upgrade work on the existing home before then. The 1948-built house will receive new paint, heating and cooling system upgrades, and full kitchen and bath modernization. Expect to see crews start that work in the coming months and construction of the new homes towards the end of 2023.
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