"Middle Housing" in Oregon and PDX ADU Update

Portland has been a center for developing ADUs (accessory dwelling unit), but not other “middle housing.” That’s about to change with Portland’s Residential Infill Project (RIP). In Portland, and statewide with Oregon House Bills 2001 and 2003. It’s time to get serious about building new housing in our ever growing city for those of us in the middle. That’s me, that’s probably you, that’s pretty much everyone who works in Portland. Single family detached houses are averaging $475,000 now, not exactly first time buyer, or second time buyer, prices! So, we need more housing, we need more affordable housing, and affordable housing that’s not studio apartments. The RIP will allow developers big and small, like a homeowner that wants to build an ADU or to turn rebuild their investment property into a duplex, to build duplexes to quads (fourplexes), cottage clusters, and to have less parking required. Also, this is big, you can now have 2 ADUs on a lot with the main house, either detached or attached! Or attached to each other but not the main house! There are so many new options, please reach out to go through what you can build at your house!

House Bills 2001 and 2003 also help to bring “middle housing” to the rest of Oregon. The biggest change for the better, in my opinion, is that cities of 1000 or more can no longer ban duplex-fourplexes. They must have “areas” where they are legal to build. And, Oregon wrote a “model code” for cities to adopt fully or in part, and that model code is progressive, it goes further than the letter of the law to help cities have more middle housing!

If you are interested in building an ADU, or 2, in Portland, here are some options for what is allowed, and reach out for some fantastic contractor referrals!

Source: Kol Peterson through Earth Advantage, October 2020