PORTLAND, Ore. – Property owned by a Buckman neighborhood Baptist church is proposed to be developed into a high-density apartment complex.
Update: The Oregonian is reporting the city made a mistake in describing the size of the proposed development and that it is actually a 12-unit project, rather than 120 units. As of April 11 the city report still lists 120 units.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
The lot, the address of which is not identified in permits but which the Portland Chronicle has identified as a parking lot at the corner of Southeast 18th Avenue and Southeast Madison Street, is 7,500 square feet in size.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Owned by Hinson Memorial Baptist Church Inc. whose church location is three blocks away at 1137 SE 20th Ave., the lot is set up as a parking lot. During its ownership by the church it has been exempt from property taxes.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
On March 27 the city received a request for a pre-application conference for development on the property. The application describes the proposed development as a 120-unit apartment building with ground-level parking. (Update: The Oregonian is reporting the city made a mistake in describing the size of the proposed development and that it is actually a 12-unit project, rather than 120 units. As of April 11 the city report still lists 120 units.)
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
It also states that the developer will be asking for “conditional use.” While it is not clarified, it would likely be a conditional use because the property is located within an R1 zone, meaning there can be one residential unit per 1,000 square feet of land. A building with more than seven units would seem to be outside the scope of that R1 zoning.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
The applicant on the potential development is Douglas Dillavou, registered in Lake Oswego.
The Hinson Memorial Baptist Church, located three blocks from the parking lot, is the listed owner. Photo credit: Portland Chronicle