PORTLAND, Ore. – A house in the Eastmoreland neighborhood of Southeast Portland that had previously received an extended demolition delay in a preservation effort is being razed to make way for multiple new houses.
Photo submitted by Britt Dawkins
Built in 1924 at 3030 SE Rex St., the colonial-style house sat on a 9,700-square-foot corner lot and totaled 1,896 square feet in size.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo submitted by Britt Dawkins
On April 30 the county recorded a sale of the property for $645,000 to Eden Enterprises LLC, registered in Tualatin to Charles Thomas and Dean A. Reynolds.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo submitted by Britt Dawkins
About a week later the Bureau of Development Services received an application for demolition of the 91-year-old home, listing the contractor as Renaissance Custom Homes LLC, a development company registered to Randy Sebastian in Lake Oswego. This company has been involved in a number of demolitions in the Eastmoreland neighborhood.
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On July 1 Renaissance Custom Homes purchased the property from Eden Enterprises for $750,000, which is about $105,000 higher than the Tualatin-based company had bought it for just two months earlier.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo submitted by Britt Dawkins
InvestigateWest reported that Eden Enterprises is a frequent cash buyer often working on the inner east side.
The Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association filed an appeal to extend the standard 35-day demolition delay up to 95 days altogether, a process that was reworked through demolition code updates earlier this year. On June 24, the Southeast Rex Street house became the first to successfully receive a demolition delay appeal under the new regulations, while that same day the Multnomah Neighborhood Association was denied an extension.
Submitted Photo
The extended demolition delay period ran through Aug. 10 when the permit was issued.
“In spite of significant efforts by the neighbors, the developers would not even set a price to avoid the demolition of the home,” ENA president Robert McCullough wrote that day. “The law does not require that a price be set. This is the first case where demolition will occur with the developer refusing to even accept a substantial payment to avoid destroying homes with historical merit.”
The Portland Chronicle has reported on that phenomenon and others occurring in the demolition delay appeal process, which has so far been considered in six cases.
Submitted Photo
In discussing the house McCullough also commented on some problems with the cash sale to Eden Enterprises.
“A second important issue is that the older owners of the property had responded to a cash sale mailing,” he wrote. “The sale was below market price and while the promise was made to preserve the structure and the trees, it was not in writing. Such deceptive practices are common in the area — apparently directed mainly at older homeowners who may not understand property values or their legal rights.”
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Demolition of the 91-year-old Eastmoreland structure began Oct. 1.
Video submitted by Britt Dawkins
Renaissance Custom Homes applied to reopen two underlying lots on the property, which will allow two houses to be built despite the property’s R5 zoning that allows a maximum of one house per 5,000 square feet in new land divisions. Opening underlying lots circumvents this process, only requiring 3,000-square-foot lots for development.
On Aug. 17 the developer applied for the first new two-story house with a tuck-under garage, while the application for the second was received Aug. 31.
Submitted Photo