The Portland City Council adopted the Residential Infill Project ordinance on August 12th. Drafted by a coalition of housing advocates, homebuilders, climate activists, and environmentalists, the ordinance includes changes to zoning regulations for the development of triplexes, fourplexes, sixplexes, and cottage clusters in Portland's single-dwelling zones. This proposal has been in the works for about 6 years and has been credited for moving the State to outlaw single-family zoning, which it did with Senate Bill 608.
The goal of RIP is to ensure that our city can meet the future housing needs of all our residents. The ordinance “right sizes” Portland’s single-family homes by resetting the maximum square footage from 6,500 to 2,500 sq. ft, a constriction that will mean higher volumes of housing available to residents at more modest prices. Additional changes in the RIP accommodate people of all ages and abilities in new residential development by requiring at least one of the homes in a triplex to be ADA-compliant.
The zoning map was amended to rezone approximately 7,000 parcels from R5 to R2.5, remove the former ‘a’ Alternative Design Density overlay, and add a new ‘z’ Constrained Sites overlay zone. Minor aspects of the ordinance (allowing development on most historically narrow lots, bringing Portland into conformance with SB534) will go into effect on September 11, 2020, and the remaining aspects will become effective on August 1, 2021.
RIP is the biggest rewrite of Portland’s zoning code since 1991 when the city allowed the construction of duplexes on corner lots. And while it's goals are sustainability and equity, there are some who say it misses the mark on both...such as Commissioner Fritz who voted no.
Stay tuned for future opportunities, hosted by Love Portland, to learn what RIP means for you as a property owner. In the meantime, find more information on RIP here.