1910 Home Will Be Razed, While Tree Removal Denied by City

PORTLAND, Ore. – A notorious residential development company will demolish a 105-year-old home in Southeast Portland’s Richmond neighborhood, while according to city permits trees on the site of the development will not be cut down following the denial of a removal permit.

Photo credit: Portland Chronicle

Located at 2224 SE 32nd Place, the house was built in 1910 and sits on a 5,364-square-foot lot. The house is 1,160 square feet in size.

A real estate listing gives a better visual on the house as it is now obscured by trees. Photo credit: Redfin

While city and county records show the owner as Louisa Heamish, permit records suggest a developer has purchased the lot and Movoto recorded a pending sale of the property as of March 27 for $350,000. It had most recently sold in 1991 for $44,500.

The real estate listing noted the possibilities of either restoring the home or demolishing it.

“With the right buyer, this century-old home could become a great addition to the developing community it sits in,” the listing stated. “Due to the nature of the lot, there is also the possibility of a beautiful new home with an underground garage and additional living unit at the back of the property.”

Photo credit: Portland Chronicle

On May 16 the city received an application for demolition of the house. The applicant on the demolition is listed as Gene Hubbell of Portland Development Group, while the contractor is simply described as “Gene” of the same development company.

In place of the single-family home the developer plans to build a new single-family home, two stories tall with a detached garage.

The demolition permit explains that the “scope of work does not include removal of trees.” While this is a fairly common notation in demolition permits, a prior permit case on the property is not as frequently seen.

A fair amount of greenery grows on the lot. Photo credit: Portland Chronicle

On April 22 the city received an application for a “private property tree removal permit.” The case required a Title 11 permit with “conditions required.”

On May 5 the city denied the removal permit. This application was received and denied well after Movoto had recorded the sale in March, suggesting it was a plan by the developer to remove trees on the property. The criteria for the denial is not clear from the city’s permit records.

Portland Development Group, registered to Mike Hubbell, previously purchased a house directly to the south of this property in 2013, for a price of $270,000.

Photo credit: Google Maps

The developer demolished the 1907 home on the property, replaced it with new construction and sold the lot for $725,000 in 2014, about $450,000 higher than the purchase price in 2013.

Photo credit: Google Maps

The demolition permit on the house at 2224 SE 32nd Place expires July 23.