Portland Residential Infilll Project - what are your thoughts?

[Nikolas Engel]

Hey everybody,

on 12 August PDX City Council adopted the Residential Infill Project, a massive re-zoning exercise for Portland. It opens up Portland's residential heighborhoods to housing types other than SFRs and more ADUs or DADUs on plots with existing SFRs. The adoption of the Residential Infill Project must now be acknowledged by the State and implementation is expected in 2021.

https://www.portland.gov/bps/rip/news/2020/8/12/portland-city-council-adopts-residential-infill-project

Obviously this is a big deal. Rezoning allows for more units, either through converting a SFR into a -plex and/or add ADU or DADU on the land. Lot sizes now become more important since you can actually do something with the land. It looks to me like a step in the right direction, a try to mitigate the pressure on the housing market in Portland. At the same time, it opens up opportunities for investment while being a tool to provide affordable living in the city. Potentially a lot of winners in this, no?

BUT - I have to admit - I have no clarity about the scale of change so far. Is this only happening on a few selected blocks in the city? Or are changes applied throughout Portland? Removal of 'a' overlay zones seems to be widespread, whereas proposals for change from R5 to R2.5 seems more spotty. 

Anybody got clarity on upcoming changes or thoughts in general on the Infill Project?

Thank you and best wishes, 

Nikolas