1930s English Tudor in Eastmoreland

A 1930s English Tudor in Eastmoreland, shown in 1993.

Eastmoreland residents rallying against density in their affluent enclave have found an ally in one of their own: Portland Mayor Charlie Hales.

Hales this month recommended that the city reduce allowable density in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, an area he's called home since 2007.

"This is good news," said Robert McCullough, president of the Eastmoreland neighborhood association. "It's nice to know one isn't punished for participation in the comprehensive plan."

But others, who are concerned about the rising tide of housing prices, have long argued that Portland planners should not decrease density in Eastmoreland.

The fate of Eastmoreland has been one of the most controversial aspects of Portland's new 20-year growth blueprint - called the comprehensive plan - and it could be a precursor of more fights involving other prominent neighborhoods. The City Council this year is expected to approve changes that, when fully implemented, will reinforce development patterns by encouraging growth in the central city and along key transit routes.

Back in July 2014, city planners rolled out a proposal that would decrease allowable density in Eastmoreland. But by March 2015, planners backed away from that blueprint and residents have been fighting ever since.

The battle reached its crescendo when McCullough filed a public records request in November, and a subsequent request Jan. 21, for city documents about zoning for his Southeast Portland neighborhood. At one point McCullough threatened a lawsuit over delays.

The records were made available Feb. 26 at a cost of $871.

McCullough said he met with Hales around the same time, although the meeting isn't listed on Hales' calendar. Hales told McCullough he "could see the logic" in their position to downzone the neighborhood, McCullough said.

And now, as of a March 4 proposal from Hales, Eastmoreland residents may get their way.

Hales has proposed downzoning the neighborhood from its existing "R5" designation to "R7." The change, if approved, would decrease allowable density in the neighborhood by requiring minimum lots of at least 4,200 square feet instead of the current 3,000-square-foot requirement.

That distinction is especially important in Eastmoreland, where savvy homebuilders have been scooping up homes on large lots, demolishing them and then replacing the old home with two. Residents have rallied against those projects, especially when large trees are threatened to be chopped.

Neighborhood leaders say the average lot size in Eastmoreland is about 6,925 square feet. Therefore, an R7 designation - which traditionally has included 7,000-square-foot lot development patterns - is most appropriate, they say, and could squelch demolitions.

Hales was on a plane late Friday and unavailable for comment, said his spokeswoman, Sara Hottman.

McCullough said he spent little time diving into the city's records after meeting with Hales. But he shared several documents with The Oregonian/OregonLive. In one, planners said their deliberations about zoning in Eastmoreland were verbal. In another, Hales confided to an aide in May 2015 that he agreed with McCullough's position about downzoning.

Some housing advocates have fought against reducing allowable density in Eastmoreland, which is a short walk from a new $1.5 billion light-rail line to downtown.

Last year, Housing Land Advocates said it makes sense to decrease zoning in some areas within the city - such as east Portland, where the school system is bursting at the seams, or on hillsides because of environmental concerns.

But not in Eastmoreland.

"Reducing housing capacity in one neighborhood results in price increases and redevelopment pressure on other neighborhoods, and as a result perpetuates gentrification and displacement," the group's president, Jennifer Bragar, wrote in a letter to the city last year opposing the downzoning.

"Many other neighborhoods in Portland have been similarly faced with rising land values and redevelopment pressure, but they do not receive special treatment that guarantees their preservation at current densities," she added.

McCullough scoffed at the notion of special treatment. Other neighborhoods may also try to score "R7" zoning to limit infill.

"It's been very arduous and very adversarial and very unfriendly," McCullough said. "If this is a silver spoon, frankly, I'd like to go back to regular silverware."

-- Brad Schmidt

bschmidt@oregonian.com

503-294-7628

@cityhallwatch