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The Portland City Council on Wednesday upheld a neighborhood association’s appeal of a hearings officer’s decision that had opened the door for development of a 21-home subdivision in Southwest Portland.

City commissioners expressed concerns about substantial tree removal, landslide hazards and an undefined disturbance area on the 14-acre lot located off of Taylors Ferry Road.

The commissioners’ unanimous vote was a rare rebuke of plans for development on land zoned for that purpose. The result came after more than three hours of testimony, mostly from South Burlingame Neighborhood Association members who organized a coordinated presentation.

The development proposal is from the Griffith family, which has owned the parcel adjoining Riverview Abbey Mausoleum Co. since 1945.

鈥淲e’re not out-of-state developers,鈥� said Stephen Griffith, who is co-owner of the mausoleum and part of the development effort. 鈥淲e’re just a family that’s owned land for 70 years.鈥�

The proposal calls for homes on 4 acres of the parcel. The remaining 10 acres would be donated to the city of Portland. The property is part of an environmental overlay zone; portions of the lot are heavily wooded, and Stephens Creek and Ruby Creek run through the property.

Stephen Griffith, who owns the land with his brothers 鈥� Robert, David and Mark 鈥� said the family intends to establish a preliminary plat and sell the property to a homebuilder. Each new home would be about 3,500 square feet and cost approximately $750,000, which Stephen Griffith called 鈥渕iddle income鈥� (the median sale price of a Portland-area home was $379,900 in 2017).

The parcel is one of the last potential locations for a new single-family subdivision within Portland city limits, and plans for Macadam Ridge come as Mayor Ted Wheeler and other city officials have pushed to expand the city’s housing stock.

鈥淚t is my view that this is a complex site, for obvious reasons 鈥� it has all of the overlay issues 鈥� but ultimately it is a developable site, and it is my belief it will be developed,鈥� Wheeler said. 鈥淪o now the question is: How do we shape that development and how do we take that from here?鈥�

The Griffiths planned to remove 470 trees while preserving 1,400 others. The family also agreed to build a bus stop requested by TriMet and make frontage improvements along Taylors Ferry Road. The development would create a short stretch of new public road that would link with Southwest Taylors Ferry Road, Hume Street and Ruby Terrace. The Griffiths also pledged to replace failing stormwater systems.

Commissioners were not sold on the proposal.

鈥淚 have significant concerns about the wildlife corridor, the landslide issues and the trees,鈥� Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said.

Commissioner Nick Fish suggested the Griffiths start over.

鈥淲e want to get to a better design that has full engagement of everyone from the beginning,鈥� he said.

The neighborhood association appealed a Dec. 27 decision by Portland hearings officer Melvin Oden-Orr, who found the environmental review requirements could be met with conditions. Oden-Orr has since been appointed to Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Neighbors zeroed in on landslide risk. The land is located within a city-defined potential landslide hazard.

A landslide in the area is 鈥渁n identified threat to our resources, and we need to protect against it,鈥� said Robert Lennox, president of the neighborhood association.

Plans to remove trees on the parcel would make a landslide more likely, Lennox said.

鈥淏y removing 500 trees, you remove 500 water pipes off the site,鈥� he said.

Neighbors said the trees also lower temperatures in the two creeks that traverse the property.

The Griffiths may appeal the City Council’s decision to the state Land Use Board of Appeals, or submit a reworked land-use application to the city.