Tag: Slavik Dezhnyuk

Montavilla

Growing Housing Density on NE Glisan

DEZ Development is wrapping up construction of a seven-unit townhouse project on the southwest corner of NE 72nd Avenue and Glisan Street in a primarily commercial section of the main street. This three-story building replaces a single-family home with two units facing NE Glisan Street. The remaining five homes have addresses on NE 72nd Avenue. This project maximized housing density while still offering homeownership in a walkable, transit-oriented section of Portland.

Three-story townhouse building with multiple units, featuring a mix of grey and white siding, surrounded by greenery on a sunny day.
Rendered view of the seven townhomes seen from NE 72nd Avenue. Courtesy DEZ Development.

The property is zoned Commercial Mixed Use 2 (CM2), allowing up to four stories and a building floor-area ratio of up to two-and-a-half times the property’s dimensions. As this building will not cover all the buildable land, the three levels proposed fit within the development scale for this area. Montavilla is seeing more multi-level projects on NE Glisan Street, with two affordable apartment buildings recently opening within the Glisan Landing complex, two blocks east of this project. These new homes sit across NE 72nd Avenue from a two-story commercial mixed-use building constructed in 1890. Across NE Glisan, the “Tool Building” will open with retail and dining space after an extensive renovation.

Front view of a newly constructed three-story townhouse featuring two units with a modern design and multiple windows, located at 7192 and 7194 NE Glisan Street.

The transformation of NE Glisan Street is a return to its former usage when it hosted a streetcar line running down its center, providing a Portland connection to the town-turned-neighborhood of Montavilla. Many buildings along the transit line were commercial-oriented and offered above-storefront apartments. Remnants of that history are visible in the older buildings that survived the seventy-five years since rail transit ceased operations on NE Glisan.

Video courtesy of listing agent Darryl Bodle, Keller Williams (CTP Visuals)

The attached condominium units range in price from the high $ 300,000s to the low $ 400,000s, depending on the number of bedrooms. The NE Glisan-facing units are larger, with an extra bedroom. The price fluctuates based on a buyer’s eligibility for the Portland Housing Bureau’s System Development Charge (SDC) exemption program, which promotes affordable housing in Portland. In July 2025, the Portland City Council adopted an ordinance that temporarily exempts newly created housing units from SDCs for new housing unit permits issued from August 15th, 2025, through September 30th, 2028. However, this project predates that change. Qualified buyers can also take advantage of the “Homebuyer Opportunity Limited Tax Exemption” (HOLTE) program, which grants a property tax exemption of up to ten years for single-unit homes, as long as the property and owner remain eligible under HOLTE Program requirements. If the buyer’s finances exceed the limit before the ten-year period ends, they begin paying the new tax rate. Owners remain responsible for the original assessed value of the land without a building during the exemption period. This program applies only to housing with at least three bedrooms or to some two-bedroom homes within transit-oriented areas.

Exterior view of new townhouse units at 477, 479 NE 72nd Avenue featuring modern design with porch steps and landscaping in a commercial area.

The developer reconstructed the sidewalk around the site, adding an extended corner that pushes into the parking lane on NE Glisan Street, shortening the crossing distance for pedestrians and making people waiting at the corner behind parked cars more visible to drivers. Each home has direct access to the sidewalk, eliminating the need for a shared walkway that mid-block projects often require in townhome developments. Most units have a small back or side yard with a modest patio. Residents will have three to four bedrooms based on unit type, with three bathrooms and an open floor plan on the main level.

  • 475 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 477 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 479 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 481 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 483 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 7192 NE Glisan Street
  • 7194 NE Glisan Street

Managing Member of DEZ Development, Lavik Dezhnyuk, grew up in the neighborhood and has completed several housing projects in this community he feels connected to. Darryl Bodle is the listing agent on these properties with more information available at darrylbodle.com. Mixing commercial and middle-density residential spaces along the corridor has the potential to make the street more active at all hours of the day and create an active streetscape as people walk to local destinations for basic needs. These townhouses are blocks away from Fred Meyer’s grocery store, restaurants, coffee shops, and retail destinations. Expect these units to sell to new residents throughout the remainder of 2025 and into 2026.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Check out East Portland News as it continues to advocate for and report on outer East Portland. You will find frequently updated articles and an archive of more than 5,000 stories written over the past 20+ years alongside a robust Community Calendar of events.

Construction, New Residence

New Slender House on NE 74th

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 Ave provided 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.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Update April 4, 2025: Crews completed exterior work on the structure and will focus on internal finishes ahead of the home’s listing later this year.

Construction, New Residence

Three Affordable Townhomes on NE 92nd

Construction crews working at 825 NE 92nd Avenue recently completed the foundation for three affordable townhomes. The two-story building will occupy an area once used for a detached garage belonging to the corner 1925-era home. The building’s design hides the two rear units behind the street-facing home, giving the appearance of a large single-family house, blending into the streetscape.

Instrinsic Homes LLC bought the 100-foot by 100-foot property at 811 NE 92nd Avenue in 2022 and split the land into three parcels, selling the corner house to new residents. Dez Development purchased the two undeveloped lots with the intention of creating nine additional residences. These three homes are the first of the two developments underway, and they target homeowners who have struggled to find options in Portland’s high-priced market. “We have partnered with the Portland Housing Bureau and are committed to delivering these units as affordable residential housing units,” explained Slavik Dezhnyuk, Managing Member of DEZ Development. Portland offers several programs to increase home ownership affordability, but most only reserve units for buyers earning at or below the median family income (MFI) level for a four-person household. They are not low-income housing, as the MFI annual income limit is $114,400 as of 2023.

The developer geared each townhome towards a smaller household with just over 600 square feet of living space per unit. The two-bedroom homes place the sleeping areas on the second floor with a shared bathroom. The front home has its stacked laundry closest to the upper floor, while the two back units have those facilities located on the main level under the stairs. All residences feature a half-bathroom on the ground floor and an open-concept living area with an L-shaped kitchen. Mini-split heat pumps maintain the temperature on the main level. The bedrooms and upstairs bathrooms have heat supplied by Cadet in wall units.

Rendered view of the three townhomes seen from NE 92nd Avenue. Courtesy DEZ Development.

Residents of the rear units will access their homes via concrete paths to the north or south of the structure, leading to small corner alcove porches. Six-foot high side gates towards the front of the building will create small private yards for the rear townhouses. This design allows separate access to each home while disguising the housing density created by the development. Plans for the property show a four-foot-wide curbside planting strip with a new street tree replacing the existing driveway curb cut. The builder will also add a new six-foot-wide sidewalk to connect with a curb-tight pathway north of the property. Work on these new homes will continue into 2024.

Update April 18th, 2024: Principle construction is complete as the homes ready for sale.

Article and photo by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account or you can pay for a full year directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Construction, New Residence

NE 72nd and Glisan Townhouses

Next year, DEZ Development plans to break ground on a seven-unit townhouse project at 7132 NE Glisan Street. This three-story building replaces a recently demolished single-family home on a corner lot. Two units will face NE Glisan Street, with the remaining five having addresses on NE 72nd Avenue.

  • 475 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 477 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 479 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 481 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 483 NE 72nd Avenue
  • 7192 NE Glisan Street
  • 7194 NE Glisan Street

The property is zoned Commercial Mixed Use 2 (CM2), allowing up to four stories and a building floor area up to two-and-a-half times that of the property’s dimensions. As this building will not cover all the buildable land, the three levels proposed fit within allowable development in this area. NE Glisan is seeing more multi-level projects in Montavilla. However, this building sits across NE 72nd Avenue from a two-story commercial mixed-use building constructed in 1890. NE Glisan once had streetcar lines running down its center, providing a Portland connection to this town-turned-neighborhood community. Many buildings along the transit line were commercial-oriented and offered above-storefront apartments. Remnants of that history are visible in the older buildings that survived the seventy-five years since rail transit ceased operations on NE Glisan.

Rendered view of the seven townhomes seen from NE 72nd Avenue. Courtesy DEZ Development.

This townhouse project continues the expansion of housing density along NE Glisan Street and represents a local builder’s response to demand. “We are very excited about this project and feel that this will bring much-needed housing to a neighborhood that I love and grew up in,” remarked Slavik Dezhnyuk, Managing Member of DEZ Development. Each home will provide between 1,000 and 1,300 square feet of living space, split between three levels. Look for work to begin in 2024, depending on permit processing times.

Update March 25th, 2025: Crews have completed exterior work on the seven-unit townhouse project.

Article and photo by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account or you can pay directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.