skinny houses kenton

Skinny houses in the Kenton neighborhood, shown in a 2009 file photo.

(Olivia Bucks/The Oregonian/2009)

Portland development officials are backing off an earlier order to say "no" to developers more often, particularly when it comes to building so-called skinny houses.

City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who oversees the Bureau of Development Services, ordered planners to "raise the bar" earlier this year after the city council overturned several land-use decisions made by bureau staff. Two of those cases focused on splitting lots in half for construction of new, narrower houses.

The bureau, which had come under pressure from homebuilders, will now go back to approving those land divisions. The developers had argued in a pair of tense meetings with Fritz, her staff and bureau staff that the policy shift amounted to a change in code without due process.

"Sometimes things don't go well, but there's always the option to try to make it right," said Paul Scarlett, director of the Bureau of Development Services. "We can't be too proud to admit when things may not have gone right."

The policy shift, articulated in a February memo, had been a victory for some neighborhood groups that have long opposed the construction of skinny houses. (Fritz got her start in city politics years ago as a neighborhood activist fighting against the construction of skinny houses.)

But it left in limbo some housing developments for which land had already been purchased. Builders in the city were considering legal action, but Scarlett said that didn't affect the decision to reverse course, which he said came at his recommendation and met with Fritz's approval. No one in Fritz's office was made available to comment.

The decision affects a small portion of the city (roughly 4.6 square miles of Portland) zoned R2.5, which call for one dwelling unit per 2,500 square feet. In a city where a standard lot is 5,000 square feet, builders say it's clear the R2.5 zone is built for skinny houses or attached houses of similar dimensions.

But the houses are often unpopular among neighbors, who say they're out of character with the traditional neighborhoods and are often too tall or too close to the property line.

Members of the Brooklyn Action Corps neighborhood association met with Fritz in May to discuss a quartet of tall, skinny houses built on a site previously occupied by just one house, which they said was a poor fit for a narrow, already cramped street and a small piece of land.

"If they can make a skinny house fit with the neighborhood, that's great," said Eric Wieland, the group's chair. "I've seen smaller homes that blend into the ones surrounding it. But the nature of the neighborhood should be included in the discussion."

Builders say the skinny houses they build are popular among homebuyers seeking a lower price point, however.

"They're by far -- and it's not even close -- the most popular style of house out there," said Vic Remmers, whose Everett Custom Homes has become one of the city's most prolific homebuilders. "The reason is it's affordable."

One of Remmers' developments, proposed as eight 24-foot-wide lots along a stretch of Southeast 65th Avenue in the Foster-Powell neighborhood, got caught up in the policy shift, Remmers said. Because planners found the skinny houses weren't compatible with the neighborhood, the city forced him to cut the project down to six slightly wider lots ---- despite support from the Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association for the eight-lot plan, expressed in a letter to city development officials.

Remmers said the difference means the eight houses, which would have cost about $325,000 each, will be replaced with six houses that will be listed at around $450,000 each.

"If you're a politician pretending to be progressive and to care about housing costs, you should be bending over backward to make more lots available for homes," said Douglas MacLeod, a real-estate broker who rounded up the group of builders to meet with Fritz.

The recent reversal means the bureau will evaluate the lot divisions as it had been doing previously -- if builders meet a series of conditions, the project is approved without introducing the more subjective standard of compatibility.

That could change if the city council decides to amend the zoning code. The city planning bureau is launching a $480,000 study to rewrite the rules for new single-family houses with a focus on neighborhood compatibility. The process is expected to take 18 months.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus

This story has been updated to reflect the approved budget for a study to rewrite the rules for new single-family houses with a focus on neighborhood compatibility. The project was originally proposed with a $600,000 budget, but the request has been reduced to just over $480,000.