Comments on: Empty nesters planning Southeast Portland housing development

By: Susan Spitzer

Susan Spitzer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:12:23 +0000

Actually, I would like to see more of this kind of development in the suburbs too. Why must every new builder put up the biggest, dopiest designed-homes on the R-9 lots out my way (Washington County)? I have a great community right here, and people my age (early 60’s) don’t want to go to the city because we love our suburban friends. Eventually we will give up the 3-5000 sq ft homes we all live in, and most of us don’t want to go to the city. Speculative, uncreative builders are missing a huge market out here.

By: Joshua Klyber

Joshua Klyber — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:08:15 +0000

Tim,

I’m curious about your desire for detached homes.
It seems that your three arguments against town houses
can be mitigated by good design. Extra insulation/sound
deadening in party walls, delineating personal yard space
or even common yard space, and the uncontrollable HOA
fees would be of the same sort and range as you would
have to pay for proper upkeep on a detached house.

Unfortunately, the only way to do district heating at this
point is through condos, or the creation of a Public Utility
District. Though I don’t see much difference between paying
a monthly utility bill and an HOA fee.

What I am most excited about is seeing what kind of issues
arise when trying to scale up the passive house standards to
multifamily residences under our regulatory system.

By: Mike O'Brien

Mike O'Brien — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:58:16 +0000

This project exemplifies the future– as baby boomers retire and downsize they need less living space and more shared space. Owners will also share small cars. The goal is to reduce the footprint while enhancing livability. A very inspiring innovation!

By: Linda Noble

Linda Noble — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:01:06 +0000

How can I find out more about the units? Sounds great!

By: John Benton

John Benton — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:33:48 +0000

I don’t see any garages, or off street parking. So are the residents and their visitors a going to park around the neighborhood? Oh, I forget, in Portland we do everything by bicycle.

By: Tim Davis

Tim Davis — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:50:13 +0000

Wonderful! We need WAY more projects like this. However, we still have a huge need for SMALL detached homes: under 1200 square feet. Not everyone or every couple needs over 1000 square feet, and condos are certainly not the answer for everyone (neighbors through walls, no yard, uncontrollable HOA fees, etc).

I want to see a project like this, only with highly stylish homes around 900 square feet. I also want to see *district energy* used to vastly lower our energy use. We cannot continue to waste nonrenewable energy resources and using 10 times our fair share of each person’s eco-footprint. It cannot last.

By: Maria

Maria — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:00:33 +0000

Excellent idea…….keep us posted!