PORTLAND, Ore. – New construction in the Sunnyside neighborhood has taken shape and appears to be in violation of the demolition delay ordinance exemption utilized by the developer.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
The property at 3301 SE Madison St., previously covered by the Portland Chronicle in February and December, sold last summer for $512,000.
The new owner of the property is CKW Construction LLC, registered in Milwaukee, Ore. to Amanda Williams.
The city received a demolition application for the 1894 house in the fall and the Bureau of Development Services issued the permit the same day. It was demolished shortly after.
As we reported in February, the demolition permit explains that the house was exempt from the delay due to “one new single family residence permit.”
The city received an application for a three-story single family residence on the property on Sept. 12, which was before the demolition. That house, listed with an address of 1388 SE 33rd Ave., was listed as being in conjunction with the demolition, waiving the delay requirement. The construction permit was issued on Jan. 21.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
However, the original lot has been partitioned into two 3,333-square-foot parcels and on Jan. 29, which was well after the demolition, the city received an application for construction on a second new three-story single family residence on the site, with an address of 1356 SE 33rd Ave.
The demolition delay ordinance states that a demolition must be subject to the delay if “the proposal is to replace the demolished residential dwelling with more than one residential dwelling.”
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
The Portland Chronicle has determined that the two new houses are more than the one new house the developer applied for in conjunction with the demolition, and that this action appears to be at least an exploitation, if not a violation, of the demolition delay ordinance exemption. A similar case is now taking place at Northeast 39th Avenue and Couch Street.
It is unclear what sort of enforcement the Bureau of Development Services would engage in in a case like this. However, the construction permit for the second new house has not been issued and is still under review.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
For more information, call the Bureau of Development Services Code Violations & Enforcement department at 503-823-2633.