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PORTLAND, Ore. – Blocks away from the demolition of a church in the King neighborhood of Northeast Portland, the same developer has razed a 1907 house and removed a tree despite neighbors’ attempts to petition an alternative.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Located at 4023 NE 7th Ave., the 108-year-old house was located on a 5,000-square-foot lot and totaled 1,424-square-feet in size.
As reported by the Portland Chronicle in April, the house sold to Firenze Development Inc. for $322,000 in June 2014. It had previously sold five months earlier for $277,400, representing a $44,600 increase in value over those months.
Firenze Development Inc. is registered to Peter Kusyk in Wilsonville, who demolished a 1904 church to build a duplex roughly two blocks from this property.
In April 2015 the Bureau of Development Services received an application for demolition of the 1907 house. The permit was issued Aug. 14 and the house has since been torn down.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo credit: Contributed Photo
Concurrent with the building demolition, Kusyk planned to remove a large willow tree at the rear of the property. This decision spurred a petition by neighbors beginning in May, which eventually reached 159 signatures.
“This tree provides shade to the play structures and is a great contributor to the tree canopy of the park,” the petition said. “We urge Mr. Kusyk to work with the neighborhood and the City of Portland to preserve this impressive natural history specimen.”
A neighbor reported Sept. 5 that the tree had been cut down.
In place of the demolished house Kusyk plans to build a two-story duplex with a tuck-under garage. That construction permit is under review.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo credit: Contributed Photo