Demolition builds frustration for neighbors

City considers better notification rules to avoid future infill fights

City officials are considering ways to encourage developers to tell neighbors when they plan to demolish a house for an infill project.

An advisory committee to the Bureau of Development Services discussed several options during its monthly meeting last Thursday morning. They ranged from a standard notice that could be posted on the door of the house to door-hangers that can be left at neighboring homes.

No one on the Development Review Advisory Committee proposed making the notifications mandatory, however. That disappointed several neighborhood representatives at the meeting who argue that neighbors should always be notified before a nearby home is demolished. Under the existing City Code, notification is not required on homes where a developer applies for a demolition permit and a construction permit on the same day.

According to Anne Dufay, executive director of the Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Program office, notification is especially important for houses built before 1973, when asbestos and lead paint were common.

Asbestos and lead paint chips can be thrown into the air if a demolition isnt done right, Dufay says. Neighbors need to know when its going to happen so they can leave or monitor the work.

Some developers arent opposed to mandatory notification requirements, including Randy Sebastian, president of Renaissance Homes, one of the largest builders of infill projects in the city.

We always go door to door and notify residents when were coming into a neighborhood, whether were planning on demolishing a house or not, says Sebastian.

Notification doesnt always stop protests, however. Sebastians company is building two new houses on a lot where a single home was demolished in the 3800 block of Southwest 46th Avenue. Anonymous handmade anti-infill protest signs have recently popped up near the project. They show a smiling small house next to a larger house with a slash mark through it.

People have the right to their opinions, we understand and respect that. But we are responding to the market. Portland is a very popular city and people want to live here right now, and many of them prefer newer, more energy efficient homes, says Sebastian.

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Demolition builds frustration for neighbors