Residential Infill Regulations Designed to Slow the Advance of McMansions

Portland for Everyone writes a post explaining the city's residential infill project, expected to appear before the City Council for consideration at the beginning of November.

The basic idea behind the new residential refill regulations is to reduce the number of 1:1 demolitions in much of the city, which usually turns an older, affordable home into an expensive McMansion. The residential infill project recommends the following changes, all explained in clear detail in the post:

• Greatly reducing the maximum size of new homes.
• Re-legalizing midblock duplexes, corner triplexes, and multiple accessory units.
• New rules about building height and distance from the street.
• Create more tree-lined streets.
• Preserve more on-street parking space.

The post also notes the limitations in how much the ordinance can accomplish, including how many demolitions are likely to be prevented and how affordable new units will be under the new regulations.