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City Council unanimously approved a zone change Wednesday, turning a two-acre parcel in Northeast Portland from high-density residential to mixed-use commercial. The zone change makes it possible for developers to start the second phase of an affordable live/work artist community.
Developers Brad Malsin of Beam Development and Ted Gilbert of Portland Affordable Housing Trust are renovating the former Baptist Manor retirement community at 900 N.E. 81st Ave. into what will be called Milepost 5, a two-building complex of affordable for-sale and for-rent units with ground-floor commercial space.
The zoning change supports Portland’s comprehensive plan goals, Nan Stark of the Portland Bureau of Planning said. The change to an urban commercial designation “was found to be equally or more supportive of the comprehensive plan as a whole than the existing zoning,” she said.
Portland’s comprehensive plan guides future growth and development in the city.
The zone change was needed, Gilbert said, to allow for a gallery on the ground floor where artists can show and sell their works. The project will also house a business development center for residents.
“Portland is Portland in large part because of its support of the arts and artists that are coming here and have been here,” Malsin said. “I see this as a fundamental need to support Portland in the arts.”
Mayor Tom Potter, whose mother once lived at Baptist Manor, said “if she were alive, she’d be very happy you’re building a place for artists to live.”
Portland Affordable Housing Trust and Beam Development bought Baptist Manor for $2.2 million earlier this year.
Milepost 5’s rental units will be around 250 to 300 square feet and go for $200 to $300 per month. Fifty-four of the 123 units will be for sale, starting around $99,000.
The zone change limits the development to 123 residential units and 9,800 square feet of nonresidential uses. If the developers were to increase the project’s scope, Stark said, they would be subject to a Type II land-use review through the Portland Department of Transportation to prove surrounding streets could handle any increased traffic.