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A group campaigning for the Buckman neighborhood in Southeast Portland to become a historic district recently was thrown a curve ball.

A procedural tool that would have frozen the Buckman Historic Association’s application for listing on the National Register of Historic Places was deemed inapplicable by the state. Now, after five years of work, the Buckman group is facing a fall deadline to submit its application.

Christine Yun, an architect at and a main driver for the BHA, believes a historic designation would help citizens influence what kind of development occurs in their neighborhood. Past proposals in the area have called for demolishing century-old homes to make way for new multifamily complexes.

鈥淩ight now it is the only citizen-initiated avenue of 鈥� voice over what kind of development happens in our city,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he current zoning code 鈥� all it talks about is what is allowed to the developer by right, and it doesn’t talk about what the neighborhood can ask for by right.鈥�

But in March, in the face of overwhelming opposition from neighborhood residents concerned that a historic designation would disproportionately raise the cost of design review for home improvements, the BHA opted to delay its effort seeking a Determination of Eligibility.

Since applying for the DOE in February, the BHA has formed a think tank to try and figure out ways to make the design review process more palatable to residents. The Portland Coalition for Historic Resources represents the Buckman and Irvington neighborhoods, the Bosco-Milligan Foundation and the Portland branch of the American Institute of Architects’ Historic Resources Committee. The coalition’s primary goal is to identify ways to lower design review fees for simple home improvements.

Yun said the BHA plans to host small home gatherings in the coming months to discuss in greater detail the possibility of Buckman becoming a historic district.