The market forces that push developers and landowners to build “more” and “bigger” have cropped up in some of the swankiest neighborhoods in Portland. So far, neighbors who oppose the projects are finding scant legal recourse to prevent the changes.
“Infill, tearing down an existing structure and putting up one or more replacements, has become common practice in some of Portland’s oldest neighborhoods over the past few years,” reports Anna Griffin. In fact, “[the] number of single-family home demolitions has skyrocketed since the end of the recession and was up almost 50 percent last year from 2011.”
Moreover, infill is even cropping up in “more upscale, established neighborhoods such as Irvington, Eastmoreland and…the pricey stretch of Beaumont-Wilshire along Alameda Ridge.”
Residents of these neighborhoods are struggling to find ways to oppose projects that demolish buildings to replace them with multiple residential units. “City policy allows property owners who simultaneously ask permission to demolish one home and put another to avoid delays. The idea is to prevent land from sitting vacant for too long -- a problem before the Rose City was a real estate hot spot -- but a growing number of Portland neighborhood groups want Mayor Charlie Hales and the rest of the City Council to rethink the policy now that infill is so popular.”
Meanwhile, residents of these neighborhoods are not pleased with the changes in their neighborhoods. Griffin quotes Al Ellis, president of the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association, whose opinion is sure to rile those who don’t believe neighbors should have veto power over the legal rights of a landowner: “At this point, the way the code is written, it’s so easy to get around informing anybody…So the shape and character of our neighborhoods are being determined by owners and developers.”
FULL STORY: Neighbors balk as infill spreads from up-and-coming streets to Portland's wealthiest zip codes

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie