MHLD – Montavilla News

G&G Development Group, working under the name Timberline Development, recently received partial approval for zoning code compliance adjustments requested for its cottage cluster project at 305 SE 75th Avenue. The developer will add a pair of detached two-level homes behind the existing 1950-era single-story house. Demolition crews will raze a detached garage connected to the original house by a breezeway to make room for one of the two new units facing SE Pine Street.

*_{Demolition crews will raze 305 SE 75th Ave’s garage facing SE Pine St to make room for a new home}*

The current owner bought the modest 600-square-foot house surrounded by mature greenery in May with plans to create more housing. The corner lot is slightly smaller than the required size for this type of infill housing, prompting the design team to seek some adjustments to build the additional units. On June 4th, Portland Permitting & Development approved the developer’s request to reduce the minimum lot size for a cottage cluster from 5,000 square feet to 4,994 square feet, but denied the request to reduce the minimum width of an outdoor common area from 15 feet to 13.5 feet.

*_{Site plan from Land Use Decision LU 26-035176 AD, the developer is working on updates}*

The project planner allowed for a shared green space between the original home and the adjacent new structure. However, it was 1.5 feet short on one side but exceeded the minimum total area. The outdoor common area is part of the cottage-cluster style of middle housing land division (MHLD), which allows yard space to be shared among the homes, increasing buildable land. A Timberline Development representative explained that this denial will not change their plans to add two homes on the site, but they will need to adjust the layout. “We’re working through minor adjustments to the site plan with our designer to meet the common area standard.”

The new two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom homes’ front doors will each open directly onto SE Pine Street’s sidewalk. This corner configuration has regularly allowed more homes on a single residential lot without the need for a shared walkway, even before MHLD code updates. The extra street frontage on two sides provides added curbside parking space for future residents. The project is currently in its design and permitting phase, with construction expected to begin after permit approval.

Jacob Loeb

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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.

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.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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