Portland's Residential infill project is alive!

In August of 2020 the Portland's city council approved a major North American housing reform known as the Residential Infill Project. Rest In Peace to the bureaucratic nightmare of restricted development and YES! to relaxed rules, greater variance in size, structure, amount, resident capacity and parking.

In all,  a total of six residence can be allowed on one property or a combination of ADU, single family home, cottage, basement dwelling, tri-plex, du-plex  and more. It's your land and you have options like never before! Plus, gone are the sometimes impossible parking standards. 

Key developments (which are laid out nicely in the above diagram from the article https://www.sightline.org/2020/08/11/on-wednesday-portland-will-pass-the-best-low-density-zoning-reform-in-us-history/ on Sightline.org) include

• Accessory Dwelling Units: Allows up to two provided one is attached to the main home
• Cottage Clusters: Legalizes cottage clusters with the same building size and unit count constraints
• Parking: Makes off street parking optional
• Accessibility: For 3 and 4 plexes, at least one home must be "visitable": no-step entry, wide doorways, ground floor bed and bath. Affordable projects need two such units
• Family size 4 and 6 plexes with affordability requirement: Allowed if half the units are affordable to households with income that is 60% variable to median income, or for-sale homes that are affordable to households with income that is 80% of area median income. Maximum building size 6K ft2.
• Basement Apartments: Legalizes street-facing doors for basement Accessory Dwelling Units

These maximum building sizes are based on a floor area ratio allowed on a typical 50' x 100' lot in the R-5 zone.

To see how your property registers on the map you can visit the Portland City website at https://www.portland.gov/bps/rip and scroll down to Featured Content. 

Overall, the RIP program is welcome news to a city that is growing and with so much potential for development. Each property faces a unique set of obstacles and options. Western Oregon Builders is happy to help you navigate the codes and requirements for your situation. Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions and ideas