North Portland Demolition and Redevelopment: Vancouver and Williams, Fargo and Cook

PORTLAND, Ore. – Major redevelopment is underway on a block in the Eliot neighborhood of North Portland, involving the demolition of several single-family homes and the construction of multiple multifamily buildings bringing more than 150 dwelling units to the single block.

The lot on the corner of North Vancouver Avenue and Cook Street has been vacant for years, most recently hosting a billboard. A house one lot east at 100 N. Cook St. built in 1904 was demolished in February.

A house one lot east of that house at 32 N. Cook St., built in 1905, has an open demolition permit still under review. The permit was applied for in October while the property was under previous ownership. Its demolition permit lists “basement excavation (and/or foundations) to be re-used for new house to be built on lot,” a scenario that seems unlikely given recently-approved permits.

An Eliot neighborhood resident told the Portland Chronicle that neighbors tried to save these two houses, but were unable to get in touch with the owners. The neighborhood requested and received a delay on the blue house. That delay period ends in mid-March.

The lot at the corner of North Vancouver Avenue and Fargo Street and a lot to the east of that one are vacant.

All five of these lots were sold by Legacy Health Systems to William Reed, operating under a business called Renz Vancouver Avenue LLC, in 1998 for $90,000. Renz Vancouver Avenue LLC transferred the property into Reed’s name in 2000, then back into Renz Vancouver Avenue LLC’s name eight days later, then it was transferred into Bill R. Lenz‘s ownership in 2003, then back into Renz Vancouver Avenue LLC’s ownership five months later. All of these transfers involved no money, according to county data.

In 2014 the property transferred into Reedberg Holding LLC, also registered to Reed as well as Lydia Lundberg, before a sale in January 2015 to Cook Street Lofts LLC for $1,507,500.

Cook Street Lofts LLC is registered to Lance Yoshio Inouye, registered at an address on West Burnside Street with a mailing address in Vancouver, Wash. Inouye also makes up half of Yoshio Mckennon LLC, registered at the same Burnside address. The other half of that company is developer Aaron Jones, responsible for a number of other developments around Portland.

On Feb. 20 the Bureau of Development Services issued a construction permit for a five-story, 104-unit apartment building on the site. The applicant is Mike Coyle of Faster Permits, while the contractor is Jordan Gaither of Gaither & Sons Construction Co. registered in Vancouver.

It is unclear how much area that building will cover, but since Cook Street Lofts LLC owns those five lots it is likely the building will take up at least that space. A sixth lot on Fargo Street would give the developers ownership of the entire west half of the block, but that one lot is still under other ownership.

That lot is home to a 1902 house.

County data does not give much history, but Deborah Parker of Santa Ana, Calif. owns the property. It was transferred out of her name and into ownership by KDL LLC in 2008 for no monetary amount, although KDL LLC is also registered to Parker in California. There are no demolition permits open on that house, although city complaint data indicates it has been unoccupied for a number of years.

The corner lot at North Williams Avenue and North Cook Street, also vacant, is also owned by Parker.

The property to the east of the house on Fargo Street is owned by Solterra Canopy LLC registered in Seattle.

On Feb. 17 the BDS sent out a notice that applicant Andrea Wallace of Solterra Systems has proposed construction of a on that site with 50 residential units and 13 vehicular parking spaces.

There is no development proposed on property owned by Parker at this time.

In 2010 Parker was quoted in a Portland Development Commission document titled “Vancouver/Williams Corridor Infill Strategy.”

“I’d like to see developments designed to create a sense of open space using windows, lighting, and landscaping, and provide access for people who are disabled or elderly … new businesses should revitalize the feeling of community,” Parker said.

To the north of this block a six-story mixed use building with 206 apartment units is under construction, a development which required demolition of a single-story structure formerly home to a Hostess retail outlet as well as a parking lot. That property is owned by Cook Street Apartments LLC, registered in Seattle.

All in all, between the two blocks 360 residential units are in development on property formerly home to three residential dwellings.