Infill plan lands on Fish's doorstep

Commissioner sees demolition project as policy under scrutiny

City Commissioner Nick Fish is about to find out whether the growing anger about residential infill projects is justified.

A developer plans to more than double the size of the 90-year-old house next to where Fish lives on a quiet stretch of Northeast Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Portland Development Group Investment intends to tear down most of the one-story, 1,447-square-foot house and rebuild it as a two-story, 3,423-square-foot house.

The house was sold for $349,900 in September. The Portland Realty Group, which is marketing the property, plans to sell it for $849,000 when the remodeling project is complete. Real estate broker Barry Smith says the work should begin in about two months and be completed within six.

Fish told the Portland Tribune he has no reaction to the project, other than, I expect them to follow the code.

The project is an example of the kind of infill development that is being protested across Portland: older homes being replaced or remodeled into larger, more expensive ones. A group of neighborhood activists is drafting a proposal to slow the pace of such projects, which is increasing as the economy improves. They are circulating a resolution for presentation to the City Council in December calling for the creation of an citywide advisory committee to craft new policies on the issue.

Fish has not said much about the controversy. Commissioner Amanda Fritz has been working on some of the issues through the Bureau of Development Services, which she oversees.

But Fish has been criticized for not stopping the sale of surplus Water Bureau property to a residential developer in Southwest Portland. Residents living near an unused water tank protested its sale to Renaissance Homes, saying they did not even know it was being put on the market. Fish said he could not legally cancel the sale, which occurred before he was put in charge of the water bureau. Signs objecting to the sale continue to dot streets around the property, however.

No demolition permit

Residential demolition projects are increasing as the economy recovers from the Great Recession and more people want to live in close-in Portland neighborhoods. Last year, 273 demolition permits were issued by the Bureau of Development Services more than the 270 issued in 2006, shortly before the housing bubble burst. The number is expected to top 300 by the end of the year, and increase in 2015.

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Infill plan lands on Fish's doorstep