Worried about the loss of older homes in Sabin? Come to the Demolition Forum and learn more about this trend...

What: discussion of affordable housing advocacy possibilities w/Oregon Opportunity Network
When: Thursday, June 5, 6:30-8:30pm
Where: NECN Office at King School - 4815 NE 7th Ave.
 
Oregon ON is a statewide coalition of community development and affordable housing organizations, which
is currently developing a campaign to advocate for "new, significant and sustainable resources for affordable
housing and anti-poverty services in Multnomah County." Executive Director John Miller will join us to talk about this new campaign, and how we can get involved.

We will also get updates on the work areas that were identified at our last meeting:

Coalition-building:
This sub-committee has prepared a draft letter that we can present to our various neighborhood associations and other community-based organizations, asking them to endorse our objective of increasing the stock of affordable housing. We will review and revise this letter, and discuss a plan for presenting it to our organizations.
 
Identify specific advocacy opportunities/campaigns: There are two immediate opportunities for advocacy that have come up in recent weeks: 1) A proposal by Commissioner Saltzman to dedicate funds from a lodging tax on short-term rentals (e.g. Air BnB) to affordable housing; and 2) The allocation of $20 million for affordable housing in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area. We will discuss how we want to be involved in these two issues.

"This week Hales convened a meeting with leaders of the African-American community, neighborhood and business representatives. He announced he would work to bring Trader Joe’s back to the table. He also called on the city to allocate an additional $20 million dollars in affordable housing money that would go for housing in the Interstate Urban Renewal Area, which includes the NE MLK Jr. and Alberta lot.

Listen to the interview with Maxine Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of Portland Community Reinvestment Initiative, here.

"Neighbors on Northeast 35th Place looked outside one morning last fall to see a man eyeing the views as he went up, up, up -- higher than the brick ranch house at number 3419. He was a builder preparing to raze the existing home, valued by county tax assessors at $839,000, and replace it with two new homes, each expected to cost as much as $1 million. Neighbors, who peppered nearby streets with “Stop the Demo” signs, hate the idea. But there’s nothing they can do."

Read more here.

Listen to the interview here.

"Something insidious is happening and Portland’s traditional neighborhoods are seeing the cumulative effects of the growing epidemic of the demolition of single-family homes. There is something at work here…perhaps it’s the combination of house “flippers,” people who like closer-in locations but want a house that’s brand new…BUT how can the costs of acquisition, demolition, and new construction be anything but enormous? Perhaps that’s beside the point. What we do know is that in early-December, 2013 the city had already issued at least 230 demolition permits for the year-to-date. Residents in SE and NE Portland have sounded the alarm bells, knowing all too well that among the impacts are the continuing loss of the qualities that make up a neighborhood’s character and its physical identity."

Read the rest of the article by Cathy Galbraith at Portland Preservation blog.

The Portland African American Leadership Forum and the North/Northeast Business Association are gathering community members, including residents and those who have been displaced, of all backgrounds and perspectives, to develop a community-based development plan for the site.

NEW DATE AND LOCATION
 
Date: March 4
Time:  6pm-9pm 
Location: NNEBA Building -  311 N Ivy Street, Portland

As of January 2014, the median home value in Sabin is $407,000, up 10.6% from a year ago.

The list price per square foot is on an upward trend, as well.

Data courtesy of Zillow Home Values.

It's trendy to say that we want a sustainable neighborhood, but what does that really mean? We tackled this question at our first Sustainable Sabin/King meeting on Jan. 21. While we didn't end up with a slick vision statement, we did find some common ground. We agreed that it's about working together to create a resilient, diverse and integrated community with affordable housing, access to healthy food and safe streets. It's about knowing our neighbors and being connected with each other.

We recognize that there are many nonprofits and community organizations already working on issues we are concerned about. The question is, how can people living in Sabin and King partner with these organizations to help build a stronger community?

After brainstorming some ideas, we narrowed the field to three potential projects:

— Create street paintings, build an earthen bench and plant bee-friendly habitat in parking strips as part of Portland's Village Building Convergence on Beech Street from 9th to 14th avenues.

— Expand Sabin’s annual cleanup day so unwanted items could be adopted and reused by other neighbors, rather than have all items taken to the city dump.
  
— Work with the Sabin Community Development Corporation (Sabin CDC) to increase the stock of affordable housing for families with moderate incomes through a land trust.

We're excited about all of these projects and hope you will be, too. If you're interested in participating or just want more information, please contact Diane Benson at [email protected] or Clay Veka at [email protected], and we'll connect you with the leaders.

A stretch of three empty lots and one home site on Northeast 14th Avenue just south of Beech and behind Whole Foods market have been rezoned as R-2.5 (2,500-square-foot lots) in preparation for development
into eight new single-family homes. Some could be ready for occupancy as early as fall.

Firenze Development Inc. owner and builder Peter Kusyk has met with Sabin’s Land Use and Transportation Committee as well as the Sabin Community Association’s Board to discuss his plans for building six homes on three of the former R-5 (5,000-square-foot) lots, which he purchased between August 2012 and September 2013. Kusyk says older homes on those lots were in “a definite state of disarray,” and he had them torn down.

Kusyk’s six lots will be the first phase of the eight-lot subdivision he is in the process of having platted under the proposed name of Lincoln Heights Estates. The remaining two R-2.5 lots, at the southwest corner of 14th and Beech, are occupied by a single-family home, which is being rented. The property owner also had her former R-5 lot rezoned for future development into two smaller lots.

Kusyk expects to begin building sometime this spring and may put up two homes at a time. Homes are expected to take between five and six months to complete. Exteriors will blend with the surrounding homes
and should look similar to a home Kusyk recently built at 4515 N.E. 14th  Ave, except the six new homes will have a narrower street frontage.

Prices for each of the six new three-level, 2,580-square-foot homes could range in the mid-$500,000s, depending on market value at the time of sale, Kusyk explains. Homes will include a garage on the bottom floor with storage and wine cellar. The main floor will contain living areas, and the top floor will have bedrooms and baths. Rooms will have detailed woodworking and built-ins consistent with the area’s older homes. Hardwood, tile and stone will cover floors, and amenities will include fireplaces, stainless appliances and stone countertops. For more information on the proposed development, contact Kusyk at [email protected].

“The Land Use & Transportation Committee has been very encouraged by Mr. Kusyk’s willingness to talk to the SCA about his plans for the lots,” says committee Chair Rachel Lee. “We supported his successful effort to rezone these lots because we believe that higher density development at this location will make efficient use of land that is close to a neighborhood commercial center, served by two bus lines, and is very compatible
with pedestrian and bicycle transportation.”