Portland’s Comprehensive Plan Update is an Onion By now, you’ve probably heard something about the city’s update to the Comprehensive Plan. This massive undertaking has been ongoing – in one way or another – for years now (roughly since 2007 if you count Vision PDX as part of the process). You’ve probably heard that is important because it helps to set the policies and direction for where and how Portland… Read More »Portland’s Comprehensive Plan Update is an Onion

A large property that once had a 1920s bungalow and a generous vegetable garden has been replaced by two separate lots – each with a home much larger than the original bungalow – and each with much less garden space. This is not an uncommon occurrence in Portland these days. As our population grows, so too does the number of lots. This division of land is colloquially referred to as… Read More »Lot Splitting

Stopping ‘Ugly’ Buildings Extending Portland’s Design Overlay Zone to ‘Neighborhood Centers and Corridors’ It was no less than Winston Churchill who said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” I think about this quote sometimes when I walk through our neighborhoods. Our buildings often give us a sense of place and help to shape our understanding of community. Every neighborhood has buildings that just feel special. Conversely, every neighborhood… Read More »Stopping ‘Ugly’ Buildings: Extending Portland’s Design Overlay Zone to ‘Neighborhood Centers and Corridors’

The SE Portland block I live on offers a snapshot of the city’s residential development eras. There are a couple of single family homes that were built in the 1890s. There are a handful of modest single family houses built in the late 1920s. There is a two-story 30-unit apartment complex that was built in 1972. And sprinkled in there are a pair of attached duplexes built in the 1950s… Read More »Portland’s Hidden Density

If you have been following the city’s process to update its Comprehensive Plan for how Portland will grow over the next couple of decades, you are probably keenly aware that much of this growth is directed toward mixed use zones situated along corridors and in centers. Portland is forecast to add about 120,000 new housing units over the next 25 years. If the city develops like it is laid out… Read More »BPS Looks to Tackle In-Fill Development Standards