ICA Newsletter Spring 2015

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Newsletter from Irvington, Portland, Oregon

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HISTORIC
IRVINGTON
NEWSLETTER





A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E I R V I N G T O N C O M M U N I T Y A S S O C I AT I O N

SPRING 2015

FREE

ADUs Are Coming of Age in Portland
(That’s “Accessory Dwelling Units”)
By Jim Heuer

H

ave you been thinking about adding an ADU
(Accessory Dwelling Unit) to your property?
Have you heard the term but wonder exactly
what it is and if it’s something you should think about? Are
you questioning whether an ADU might be allowed in the
Historic District? I’ve been doing some research, hoping to
add an ADU to our home in the next year. Here’s what I’ve
been learning.
First, ADUs are not only allowed in the Historic
District, but a number of them have already been constructed, either as stand-alone structures or as rehabs of
basements. So much for the Cassandras who claim that
the District is a “museum” or frozen in time. Typically,
a stand-alone ADU or a remodel of
a garage or other existing secondary
structure on your property into an
ADU will need to go through Historic
Resource Review, but this will be just
one of a number of permitting steps
that you’ll work through in the process.
So what, exactly is an ADU?
According to City Code it is “a smaller,
secondary dwelling unit on the same
lot or within a house, attached house
or manufactured home. The unit
includes its own independent living
facilities with provisions for sleeping,
cooking, and sanitation, designed for
residential occupancy independent
of the primary dwelling unit.” Some
folks call this a “granny flat” or an
“inlaw flat” – basically a small apartment on your property that you can
rent out for extra income or can make
available to friends or relatives who are
visiting the area. Basically, you can
build an ADU in your back yard or
convert your basement or attic to ADU use.
While small apartment additions to homes are common
all over the country, Portland is the first major US city to
completely legalize them in single family residential zones
and to set up a clear set of rules for how they should fit
into the fabric of their neighborhoods. Here are the basic
ground-rules:
No larger than 75% of the floor area of the main house
up to a maximum of 800 square feet
If stand-alone, they must be built at least 60 feet from
the front sidewalk and 5 feet from the side and rear property lines
Stand-alone ADUs must be compatible architecturally with the main house, including matching roof pitch,

matching siding materials, proportional roof eaves, and
similarly sized and proportioned windows (Note that this is
a city-wide requirement, not just something imposed in the
Historic District, although these considerations will come
up during Historic Resource Review.)
They must have independent electrical systems with
separate electric meters
Single family homes in all residential zones in Irvington
(R5, R1, RH) are eligible
You do not need to provide additional parking, but if
you eliminate some of your existing parking area to build
your ADU, you may need to create new off-street parking
elsewhere on your lot
If you are thinking of building an ADU, you should get
moving now. If you file for your permits between now and
July 31, 2016, the City will waive its System Development
Charges, amounting to a savings of
upwards of $10,000. This waiver has been
extended once already; don’t count on
another extension!
Is adding an ADU worth the cost? Allin costs for building a stand-alone ADU
may run from $75,000 to $100,000 and
for in-house construction from $40,000 to
$80,000, according to some experts. Plus
you’ll find that the tax assessor will take an
additional bite in property taxes. Still, with
rents for 500 square foot apartments in the
inner Northeast area running upwards of
$1000 per month, ADUs may potentially
pay for themselves in from 4 to 8 years –
not a bad payback in these low interest rate
times.
Can you use an ADU for AirBnB? Yes,
you can. But I’d urge you to plan to go
through the necessary steps to get your
short-term rental license. It’s a modest
cost compared to the cost of the unit itself,
and gives you the peace of mind of being
in compliance with city and insurance
company regulations. Also, experts warn
that with the ever increasing number of ADUs being built
around the city, you may not be able to count on AirBnB
revenue year round, due to expanding competition.
If you want to learn more, check out the City’s ADU
Program Guide downloadable here: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/index.cfm?a=68689
For questions about how Historic Resource Review
might impact your ADU plans, including issues of basement egress window exemptions and other considerations,
get in touch with the ICA’s Land Use Chair, Dean Gisvold.
Finally, for inspiration and ideas for how ADUs can be
designed to create great small living spaces, browse www.
accessorydwellings.org, a Portland-based website devoted to
all things ADU.

Can you use
an ADU for
AirBnB?
Yes, you
can. But I’d
urge you to
plan to go
through the
necessary
steps to get
your shortterm rental
license.

Spring 2015

HISTORIC IRVINGTON NEWSLETTER

Demand Redesign:
Update on the
development at
NE 7th Ave and NE
Russell St
By Susan Stringer

T

wo representatives from the steering committee
of Demand Redesign, Susan Stringer and Montse
Shepherd, presented a statement to city council
on Wednesday, January 28th regarding the development by
Dan Neal of Paradigm Properties at NE 7th Avenue and NE
Russell Street. Mayor Hales and all four commissioners were
present and were very attentive to Demand Redesign’s issues,
concerns and recommendations. Demand Redesign addressed
the potential impact on street parking, dangerous congestion
at the entrance and exit to the parking garage, traffic speed
issues South of Knott Street and the lack of a visible crosswalk
at Brazee Street. Demand Redesign also requested that the
city ask the developer to reduce the height of the building
to 45 feet which is the maximum allowed per the proposed
Portland Comprehensive Plan’s downzoning of the lot to R1
medium density . Without any action from the city council
the adjacent neighbors are facing a 6 story 62 unit apartment
building which is grossly out of scale and character with the
rest of the neighborhood.
Demand Redesign is awaiting a response from the
Mayor’s office but in the meantime it urges residents to
email or call the city council members and express their
concerns. Also, the comment period for the Portland
Comprehensive Plan has been extended to March 13th if
anyone wishes to comment on that lot.
The contact info for the city council and the website
for the comprehensive plan are listed below:

Portland Comprehensive Plan map app for comments
- http://www.portlandmaps.com/bps/cpmapp2/
Charlie Hales • 503-823-4120
[email protected]
Amanda Fritz • 503-823-3008
[email protected]
Nick Fish • 503-823-3589
[email protected]
Dan Saltzman • 503-823-3589
[email protected]
 
Steve Novick • 503-823-4682
[email protected]

PAGE 1

From the PRESIDENT
Steven Cole

T

hank you to everyone who attended and helped
with the Holiday Party. I think it was a resounding success given that there were multiple power
outages in the neighborhood. We probably had about 75 people in attendance. A big thank you goes out to the 15th Street
Hophouse for donating a micro keg of Laurelwood Workhorse
IPA and the Grant Park Village New Seasons for giving us a
substantial discount on two Turkeys. In addition to great food,
we had a youth jazz band, the Innovation Project, who provided great entertainment.
It is probably obvious that someone has once again
been filing complaints with the city about sidewalks. I
spoke to the city sidewalk inspector who acknowledged
that it was largely a single person making the complaints.
Once the city receives a complaint, they have to address it.
Multiple homeowners have expressed dismay that they have
been ordered to make thousands of dollars of repairs in
many cases where a repair does not appear warranted.
There has also been an increase in car prowls. I notified
our community officer, Joshua Buller. He was aware of the
issue. As always, if you are unfortunate enough to be the
victim of a crime, please report it to the police so that they
will increase patrols.
Many of you may have seen news stories related to a
small group of people challenging the National Historic
District designation. They are attempting to “delist” 24
blocks in the northeast quadrant of the historic district
from the historic district. Their argument is basically that
the homes in that neighborhood are more like Alameda
and not like Irvington. They rely on the fact that there are

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Page 2

a larger number of newer homes which are often smaller
than the majority of homes in what they refer to as “true
Irvington” or “the heart of Irvington.”
While it is true that the further north you go, the
newer the homes get, on average, that fact is not a basis to
challenge an historic district based on its being a streetcar
suburb. The historic period lasts until 1948, when the
streetcars were removed. All of the contributing homes
fall within that period. The area in question is not any
less Irvington than the part of the neighborhood west of
the “heart of Irvington” or any of the other quadrants of
the historic district. As the accompanying story notes, at
the time the homes were being sold, the area in question
was either always Irvington (west of 24th) or known as an
extension of Irvington (east of 24th).
While it has no bearing on the legitimacy of the historic district, it is worth noting that living within the challenged section, there are three ICA board members, including the current president, as well as members of the home
tour committee.
The group that is challenging the legitimacy of the
historic district held a meeting at the Fremont Methodist
Church where they presented their argument and had a
couple officials present to inform people of the process.
The group subsequently sent out several emails asking
for people to attend the landmarks committee meeting to
testify in opposition to the historic district. Unfortunately,
as has been the case in the past with this group, there was
some misinformation contained in their subsequent emails.
For example, it was claimed that homeowners cannot add
a new laundry room to their home. This is simply not
true as can be attested by the many homeowners who have
enlarged their homes by adding new additions or new dormers. It was also implied that the group, United Neighbors
for Reform (UNR), supported the overlap group’s efforts
to delist the contested blocks. The UNR had to ask the
author of the email to send a retraction.
On February 9th, a hearing was held before the
Portland Historic Landmarks Commission. The petitioners and the ICA each made presentations and each side
had seven people sign up to offer public comment. Depsite
there being approximately 200 homes in the challenged
area, the petitioners only had about 12 people present to
contest the boundary. This was in stark contrast to the over
100 people who were in attendance during the Mt. Tabor
Reservoir discussion which occurred before our issue.
The Commissioners determined that the petition failed
to meet certain technical requirements and had certain
logical flaws. One commissioner agreed with Fred Leeson’s
comment that smaller, working class bungalos were no
less worthy of historic preservation than a large Irvington
mansion. The smaller, more modest homes were also an
important part of Irvington’s and Portland’s history. While
Irvington’s boundaries existed long before the Alameda/
Irvington overlap came into existence (1975), it was noted
that neighborhood association boundaries and school
boundaries were not a basis for challenging an historic district.
The commissioners voted unanimously to recommend
that the petition to “delist” the 24 blocks be denied. Based
on their comments, we are confident that the State Historic
Preservation Office will reach the same decision.
Because I still hear complaints that the district prevents
adding a new roof, painting a home, putting in a new
fence, putting in a new patio, adding an ADU, or making some other change, it is clear that some homeowners
are still not clear how the historic district impacts them.
Whether that is due to disinformation being disseminated, or an inadequate job by the ICA to educate people,
or, likely, a combination of the two, it is clear that some
people are upset about perceptions which are not accurate.
Hopefully, we can remedy that going forward.

HISTORIC IRVINGTON NEWSLETTER

ica board members • 2014-2015
OFFICERS
President: Steven Cole
[email protected]

503-754-7713
Vice President: William Archer
[email protected]
503-287-3804
Treasurer: Jeff Jones
[email protected]
503-281-1023
Secretary: Susan Hathaway-Marxer
[email protected]
503-281-5629
DIRECTORS
Jim Barta
[email protected]
Nathan Christensen
[email protected]
Barb Christopher
[email protected]
Christine Coers-Mitchell
[email protected]
Nathan Corser
[email protected]
Dean Gisvold
[email protected]
Susan Hathaway-Marxer
[email protected]
Pam Lindholm-Levy
[email protected]

Michela McMahon
[email protected]
Thomas Mertes
[email protected]
Jason Messer
[email protected]
Peter O’Neil
[email protected]
Tiffanie Shakespeare
[email protected]
Kysa Kelleher
[email protected]
Beverly Burn
[email protected]

503-544-2429
503-727-2172
503-740-5216
503-335-1476
503-493-0671
503-284-3885
503-281-5629
503-460-3100
503-287-6196
310-990-9786
503-312-4175
503-471-3402
503-680-2840
503-680-2840

COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Beautification
Jason Messer • [email protected]
Charitable Giving
Susan Hathaway-Marxer • [email protected]
Historic Preservation
Barb Christopher • [email protected]
Home Tour
Kim Bissell • [email protected]
Land Use
Dean Gisvold • [email protected]
NECN Representatives
Steven Cole • [email protected]
Peter O’Neil • [email protected]
Newsletter
Steven Cole • [email protected]
Newsletter Advertising
Nathan Christensen • [email protected]
Parks
Jason Messer • [email protected]
Jeff Jones • [email protected]
Website
Tiffanie Shakespeare • [email protected]
NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCES
Abandoned Vehicles (24-hour hotline)
Abandoned Vehicles (daytime)
Animal Control
Bicycle Program
Garbage Service Info/Problems
Graffiti Cleanup (Info/assistance)
Graffiti Hotline (Police)
Landlord/Tenant Mediation
NE Coalition of Neighborhoods
NE Crime Prevention
NE Precinct (Police)
Neighborhood Mediation
Noise Reporting & Control
Office of Neighborhood Involvement
Parking Enforcement
Rider Advocates
Street Light Outages & Tree Trims
Tree Planting Information
Zoning/Code Enforcement

503-823-7309
503-823-6814
503-988-3066
503-823-2925
503-823-7202
503-823-5860
503-823-4824
503-282-1964
503-823-4575
503-823-4763
503-823-2122
503-823-3152
503-823-7350
503-823-4519
503-823-5195
503-823-4223
503-823-5216
503-823-4489
503-823-7526

LEGISLATORS
State Representatives
Lew Frederick
[email protected]
503-986-1433
Barbara Smith Warner
[email protected]
503-986-1445
State Senators
Michael Dembrow
[email protected]
503-986-1723
Chip Shields
[email protected]
503-231-2564

spring 2015

Counting Trees
By Peter O’Neil

W

e pride ourselves on our beautiful Irvington
trees – our canopied streets, our freshened air,
our stunning fall colors, and the lovely fee
we pay to have the leaves removed once they hit the streets.
Okay, maybe not so much the last part, but we do love our
trees! But how many trees do we have? Where are they?
What species? Are they healthy (and safe)?
Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry is taking
on an ambitious project to survey the city’s trees and create plans for their stewardship. The Irvington Community
Association is heading up our neighborhood’s involvement,
and of course, we want volunteers from all over the neighborhood to help out. You don’t need to know anything
about trees to participate, but you may learn something
along the way.
Here’s what’s involved. Over the summer, volunteers
will spend three or four half-days surveying our trees. We’ll
count, measure and locate them; we’ll identify species;
we’ll comment on each tree’s general condition; and note
site conditions and available planting spaces. After the
raw data is gathered, we will work with PP&R to create a
Neighborhood Tree Plan.
In the long term the Neighborhood Tree Plan will set
strategies to improve and preserve existing trees, expand the
tree canopy, and connect Irvington with city and nonprofit
resources. It will include recommendations for specific
neighborhood actions to improve our urban forest for the
entire neighborhood. The immediate need is to get the
trees surveyed, and that’s where you can help this summer.
The Irvington part of the project is in the planning
stage, but so far we know that on Saturday March 14 our
tree survey volunteers will attend a training workshop
in SE Portland. This training is primarily for those who
want to help organize the survey. All other volunteers are
encouraged, but not required to attend. The training will
cover inventory logistics, planning tools, and responsibilities of our group and PP&R.
Three or four inventory work days will be scheduled
for Saturdays 8:30 AM to noon along with Wednesdays
(morning or evening) between June 20 and September 28.
The exact dates will be decided when things are a little
more settled.
So what do you say, can you give us a hand? We have a
large neighborhood with a lot of trees, and we need many
people to cover it all. If you’d like to get involved or if you
just want to find out more, contact Peter O’Neil at 503
863 7877 or [email protected]. Or see www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/53181.

THE
IRVINGTON
COMMUNITY
ASSOCIATION

P.O. BO X 12102, P O RT L A N D, O RE GO N 97212

The ICA meets on the second Thursday
of every month (except July and August),
7 p.m. at the Irvington Elementary
School, 1320 NE Brazee St.
Local issues are discussed and all Irvington
residents are welcome to attend.

Are you looking for the minutes from our recent board meetings?
Minutes are posted in full on our Web site at www.irvingtonpdx.com.

Nextdoor Story

By Laurie Harquail

T

o create a safe and vibrant community, its been
said it takes a village. Or, you might say it takes
a neighborhood – perhaps one assisted by 21st
century technology. Maybe it takes something like Nextdoor,
a free and private social network designed to serve specific
neighborhoods.
Unlike Facebook, which consists of “friends” from near
and far, Nextdoor is focused on the people in your backyard. In the company’s own words, Nextdoor was designed
to “use the power of technology to bring back a sense of
community to the neighborhood”, and to “enable members
to easily connect and communicate with each other.”
The medium might be relatively new, but the idea is
not. Nextdoor is basically the online sweet spot where the
community bulletin board meets the neighborhood watch
program. It’s a virtual place where you can find a close-by
babysitter, plan a neighborhood block party, and sell and
exchange things. It’s also a place to stay abreast of suspicious activities in the neighborhood.
So how does Nextdoor work? A neighborhood (or
person representing a neighborhood) creates a private
Nextdoor website accessible only to that neighborhood’s
residents. Neighbors must verify their addresses to join.
Once a member, they can invite others to join. There’s
also a feature that taps into “nearby neighborhoods” – the
idea being that it’s helpful to know what’s happening in
areas adjacent to your own. (For example, why did five fire
engines just barrel down a nearby street? Or, did the new
pizza place open yet, and if so, is it any good?)
And although I’m the first to admit I don’t need another password or any more emails in my life, from a community engagement standpoint, I do find Nextdoor intriguing.
Plus, as a homeowner, I’m concerned with home safety. So
I signed up.
After being logged in for only a few minutes, I immediately experienced that Nextdoor does do a good job of

keeping you posted on what’s happening in the ‘hood. In
fact, almost too good of a job – a few minutes after joining, the email alerts started rolling in. If and when you do
join, I suggest you set your email preferences right away, so
that you only receive information you find relevant.
In a world overloaded with all kinds of online services, there’s another reason I found Nextdoor compelling.
Several statistics on the site underscore how modern life
doesn’t always encourage community, but that people actually do feel better when they’re acquainted with their neighbors and friends.
For example: 67% of homeowners feel safer in their
home/neighborhood because they know their neighbors
(August 6, 2012 Harris Interactive Survey)
And my favorite: 93% of Americans say it is important
for neighbors to look out for one another (July 13, 2011
Harris Interactive Survey)
If you can handle another password, that just might be
reason enough to join.
For more information about Nextdoor, check out nextdoor.com. There’s also a downloadable PDF available at the
site that goes into greater detail about the company and
their plans for the future.

HISTORIC IRVINGTON
NEWSLETTER
HISTORIC IRVINGTON NEWSLETTER
P.O. Box 12102
Portland, OR 97212
For advertising inquiries, contact:
[email protected]
For editorial contributions or comments, contact:
[email protected]
Published four times a year.
Comments, suggestions, and/or contributions
are welcome. This is your newsletter!
For general ICA info or questions, contact:
[email protected]
Don’t miss the ICA Web pages:
www.irvingtonpdx.com
www.irvingtonhometour.com
Deadline for Summer Issue: April 1, 2015

Spring 2015

HISTORIC IRVINGTON NEWSLETTER

PAGE 3

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503-227-0202

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House Demolitions and
“the Art of the Possible”
By Jim Heuer

P

olitics has been called “the Art of the Possible”, and
this has been in vivid display in the effort by the
grass roots organization United Neighborhoods for
Reform (UNR) to better regulate and slow down the pace of
demolitions of single family homes – currently exceeding 300
per year. As a member of the ICA’s Land Use Committee who
is volunteering as a member of the UNR steering committee,
I’ve been a close observer of the work the group has done since
its formation in the summer of 2014.
As this article is going to press, the City Council is preparing to vote on a package of changes to city code that are
backed by UNR – but not without considerable misgivings.
You’ve likely heard or read some recent coverage of the
“epidemic of demolitions” affecting many Portland neighborhoods. So what’s the City Council voting on, and how
does it affect Portland’s neighborhoods?
The package the Council will adopt was developed by
city officials with heavy lobbying by UNR that was only
partially successful in countering political pressure by the
home building industry. There are four key changes being
adopted:
1. A 35-day delay will be imposed on all residential
demolitions. Prior to this change, a demolition
involving a replacement by another single family house required no notice or delay – with the
result that neighbors might come home from
work and find the house next door gone and their
own property covered with demolition dust and
debris.
2. Notice will be required for all demolitions and
“virtual” demolitions – the latter newly defined as
“major remodel”. This means that nearby neighbors and the neighborhood associations will be
notified by mail of the impending demolition and
will have time to prepare for the inevitable disruption it will cause.
3. A definition of “demolition” is established which
is more stringent than the informal one applied
previously. Under the old rules, a house could
be demolished down to a partial basement wall,
a new house built with that wall included, and
the result was called a “remodel”. The new rules
include not only a definition of “demolition” but
one for “major remodel” in which most of the
house is removed and the house altered beyond
recognition.
4. During the 35-day delay the neighborhood
association or “any interested party” can apply
to the city for a 60-day mandatory delay in the
demolition to seek an alternative such as moving the house, or purchasing and rehabilitating
it. The rules are strict for granting the delay, with
the result that this delay provision is much more
restrictive than the previous rules.
While UNR is supporting these changes, the last one
on demolition delay has caused a lot of debate, with many
neighborhoods demanding a longer delay period and
more flexibility in the rules for granting it. On the other
side were the homebuilders who fought against any kind
of delay beyond 35 days, and really didn’t even want the
35-day delay. “Possible” was the best way to describe the
compromise that resulted. The City Council has promised
a full-scale review of the new rules in 18 months, and we
hope that will give us a chance to fix any major problems
that surface between now and then.
Does this solve the demolition problem? Absolutely
not. The new rules simply alleviate some of the worst
problems with the current system. Big issues remain:


PAGE 4

ished in Portland is 87 years) contain significant
amounts of hazardous materials including leadbased paint and asbestos. With current demolition practices and the near total lack of regulation
of hazardous materials at demolition sites in Oregon, studies have found these highly toxic materials can be scattered as far as 300 feet from the site.

Older houses (the average age of a house demol-

HISTORIC IRVINGTON NEWSLETTER

UNR is working with the City Council on recommendations for new regulations to contain hazardous wastes from demo sites.


Portlanders object as much to what is being built
after a demolition as they do to the demolition
itself. Typically, the replacement houses are 2.4
times as big and cost 2.3 times as much as the
house that was demolished. They tend to overwhelm the surrounding homes, blocking light,
invading privacy, and disrupting the streetscape.
Worse yet, they exacerbate Portland’s problem
with housing affordability.
UNR has proposed a city-wide task force with a
mission to craft regulations for the size and massing of replacement homes in established neighborhoods. Mayor Hales says he agrees with this
idea… We’ll see! Agreement by a majority of the
Council is not a given.



If a house must be removed from its site – how
can at least some of the embodied energy in its
materials be saved for re-use? We don’t mean
grinding up the woodwork for garden mulch or
heating fuel… we mean removing it and much
of the rest of the house for salvage and re-use in
remodeling or new construction. This is called
“deconstruction”. It costs a bit more than “smash
and haul” demolition, but is vastly more environmentally responsible.
The City Council, UNR, and advocates for
deconstruction are deep in discussions to find a
way to make deconstruction the norm rather than
raw demolition.

Will all of these initiatives eliminate residential demolitions? Hardly. There are tremendous economic pressures
including limited available suburban land, bank preference
for lending in the city, and chronically low inventory of
homes for sale in Portland’s highly prized traditional inner
city neighborhoods. No legislation or regulation under
consideration will ban demolitions. Regulations on size
and scale of replacement homes might slow them down
– but crafting meaningful rules will be extremely controversial considering they must apply throughout a highly
diverse city. What, if anything, is ultimately adopted will
likely still allow builders to demolish homes in our traditional neighborhoods and build replacements that many
neighbors will feel don’t belong.
The ICA has been supportive of UNR throughout its
brief history and has signed on with its key principles –
along with 40 other neighborhood organizations. But that
has been in a spirit of neighborliness rather than in hope
of protecting Irvington itself. Fortunately, the rules which
protect the integrity of the Irvington Historic District effectively prohibit demolition of our contributing properties
(about 89% of our houses) and apply compatibility criteria on any replacement construction that broadly include
size, scale, massing, and architectural features. State law
prevents cities from applying such broad rules outside historic districts, so for the foreseeable future, only a historic
district designation provides complete protection against
the ill-conceived demolition and replacement afflicting so
many nearby Northeast neighborhoods.

Spring 2015

IRVINGTON GIVES
(Green Bag Program)

Irvington’s Heritage Trees
Barb Christopher

D

Peggy O’Neil

G

reen Baggers of Irvington, pat yourselves on the
back! With your participation in the Portland
Food Project, over 18,000 pounds of food found
its way to hungry families in our Portland communities last
December alone. And that’s something to celebrate.
Truth is, the Portland Food Project makes it easy to
make a real difference in the lives of hungry Portland
families. Here’s how it works, one green bag at a time.
Neighborhood Coordinators head groups of donors of whatever size they feel comfortable with – a couple, a dozen, a
couple dozen – usually in their own neighborhood. Each
donor is given a reusable green bag to fill with nonperishable food and personal items like toilet paper, paper towels,
toothpaste and the like. Then, on the second Saturday of
every other month, donors put their full green bag out for
collection -- and go back to bed if they like! Coordinators
pick up the bags, drop off new ones, and deliver the full
bags to a NE collection center. Hard to believe something
so simple can make such a difference – but it does. Last
year, it’s estimated that because of the Portland Food Project,
over 74,000 meals were consumed people in our community
who otherwise would have gone hungry.
My husband, Peter, and I became neighborhood coordinators last year, with a group of about 24 donors. We
thought we’d probably do the coordinator job for a year,
but now we can’t imagine giving it up. I think we were
surprised at first by how much we enjoy it. It’s been such
a joy to work with our donors and so satisfying to see our
own bag fill up with food and then our car fill up with
bags. Our Irvington donors are so generous! One asked
guests at her annual holiday party to bring a donation food
item -- and surprised us with an extra three very full bags
that month! Another donor fills two green bags every collection, one from her and one in memory of her mother.
People who aren’t going to be home on collection day try
to make other arrangements to get their bags included.
Sometimes they choose to give a check instead of a full bag,
and that’s a huge help too, to an all-volunteer organization
without one paid position and a serious need for more and
more green bags. We come home from every collection
day feeling a little more positive about the world in general
and our Irvington neighbors in particular.
The Food Project began in Ashland in 2009 and has
spread across the country. Richard Nudelman brought
the 501(3)(c) organization here as The SE Portland Food
Project in 2012. That year 12 donors gave a total of 237lbs of food to two food pantries. About a year ago they
expanded into North and Northeast Portland, and things
have really taken off since then. It’s The Portland Food
Project now and it boasts more than 1,000 donors and 15
Portland recipient food pantries, which received 106,766lbs of food from them in 2014. And the program is growing all the time. Affiliate Food Projects have just started up
in Milwaukie, Hillsboro and Beaverton, and an upcoming
partnership with Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon should
help the Portland Food Project spread its word even further
and increase its volunteer base.
You can learn more at www.portlandfoodproject.org,
where you can also sign up as a volunteer neighborhood
coordinator or donor, learn how to make a cash donation
or how you could help them in other ways. If you’d like
to be a donor in our Irvington group, just email and we’ll
get you set up with a green bag and the information you’ll
need: [email protected] or [email protected]

Spring 2015

id you know that about ten percent of all the
Heritage Trees in Portland are located here in
Irvington? Heritage Trees are formally recognized by Portland City Council for their unique size, age,
historical or horticultural significance. The Heritage Tree
ordinance became part of the Portland City code on May 19,
1993, and the first Heritage Trees were designated in 1994.
Now, there are nearly 300 Heritage Trees throughout Portland.
The Irvington Community Association website, www.
irvingtonpdx.com, has a neighborhood list of all the
Irvington Heritage Trees. Check it out and then impress
your friends when you point out the canopy of Caucasian
Wingnut trees on Knott St. Or visit the amazing Weeping
Cherry on 18th Avenue when it blooms each Spring. You
can go to http://pdxtrees.org to learn more about the free
app for iPhone and iPad that will let you explore all the
Heritage Trees.
Heritage Trees are protected by City Code; once
designated, no Heritage Tree can be removed without
the consent of the Urban Forestry Commission and the
Portland City Council. No tree on private property can be
designated without the consent of the property owner. This
consent binds all subsequent owners as well. The Heritage
Tree Ordinance further states that it is unlawful for any
person, without a prior written permit from the Forester,
to remove, destroy, cut, prune, break or injure any Heritage
Tree.
Once accepted by City Council, Heritage Trees are
given a small plaque so they can be identified by the public, and they are listed in the Heritage Tree Database. Go
to http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/41049 to see the
entire database. New trees are added each year. Anyone can
nominate a Heritage Tree! Maybe there is one in your yard
worthy of this special honor?
Nominating a Heritage Tree
The Heritage Tree ordinance calls for the City Forester
to annually prepare a list of trees that - because of their
age, size, type, historical association or horticultural value
- are of special importance to the City. A group of citizen
volunteers visit each nominated tree, confirms the species,
measures the tree, and determines whether the tree meets
the criteria. Upon recommendation of the Urban Forestry
Commission, the City Council may designate the tree as a
Heritage Tree provided the tree’s health, aerial space, and
open ground area for the root system have been certified as
sufficient.
Complete and return the form at: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/article/293314 to nominate a tree.
The nomination deadline is May 1 each year. It takes
about a year from nomination to receive Heritage Tree designation if the nomination is accepted.

right-of-way or on private property. Permits for tree work
excluding tree removal are free and include a consultation
by an Urban Forestry Tree Inspector. Go to: http://www.
portlandoregon.gov/trees/59507 for more information on
tree permits. Several local tree care providers offer discounts
on Heritage Tree work. The City’s website provides a list
of these arborists: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/
article/443667 Call Urban Forestry at 503-823-4489 to
obtain your free permit prior to beginning any work on a
Heritage Tree.
A Heritage Tree can only be approved for removal
if it is dead, dying, or dangerous. The Urban Forestry
Commission and the Portland City Council must formally
decommission the tree before a permit can be issued for
removal.

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Caring for a Heritage Tree:
A permit from Urban Forestry is required before
pruning, removing, inoculating, or doing any other tree
work on a Heritage Tree, whether the tree is in the City

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PAGE 5

What’s in a Name? What Makes Irvington “Irvington”?
By Jim Heuer

I

f you’ve ever looked closely at the title to your property here in Irvington, you may be puzzled about
the “official” description and where it comes from.
Typically, it will indicate a plat name plus a lot number and a
block number. For many of us, the plat name is “Irvington”, a
sizeable tract developed by or under the influence of Elizabeth
Irving, whose husband, William Irving acquired the land in
the 1850s as a Donation Land Claim. That certainly explains
how your house is in “Irvington”, but what if your title says
“Edgemont” or “Gleneyrie”? There are actually about 13 plats
included in the present Irvington Historic District. Are they
really part of “Irvington”?
To help answer this question the ICA’s Historic
Preservation Committee has dug into the history beyond
what was uncovered during the original historic district
nomination. In some cases, the connection between the
plats and the original Irvington is obvious: in the case of
John Irving’s First Addition, John Irving was Elizabeth
Irving’s son, and the plat was filed at about the same time
as Elizabeth sold 288 acres of her land to developers to
create the Irvington tract. In others, the connections have
been more difficult to tease out.
Take Edgemont for example. Edgemont was platted
as early as 1890, but few lots were sold. Many lots were
held by investors awaiting the growth of the city being

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spurred by the expanding streetcar network.
The connection with
Mrs. Irving and the
Irvington development
turns up in large land
holdings in Edgemont
by one Oscar Heintz,
president of Pacific Iron
Works. Mr. Heintz
was related by marriage
to Elizabeth Irving’s
daughter, and lived with
her daughter’s family
over a period of many
years.
One of the largest
tracts outside of the
original Irvington plat
was Gleneyrie. It was
platted in 1911 along
with the much smaller
Stanton Street subdivision by members of
the Taggert (sometimes
spelled Taggart in the
documents) family.
But once development
started in 1913, the
promoter and owner of a great many of the lots was the
Tate Investment Company. In their marketing campaign,
they set out deliberately to link their new tract to its successful neighbor to the west, Irvington, as made clear in
their fanciful advertisements claiming Gleneyrie to be the
“natural outgrowth of Irvington” like this example from
The Oregonian on April 9, 1913:
Odd, you might think, that a developer would so
shamelessly link its own tract with that of a successful
neighbor. Perhaps, but in this case the Tate Investment
Company was simultaneously marketing an equally large
tract named Dixon Place, just north of Irvington. Dixon
Place, like a number of similar tracts, was controlled by
more of Elizabeth Irving’s relatives, the Shavers – Sarah
Dixon Shaver, whose maiden name was “Dixon”, not only
owned the land but gave her name to it. Clearly, this
Gleneyrie linkage to Irvington via the Tate Investment
Company was not an accident.

Did these initial connections stick? Did the folks who
lived in these satellite tracts consider themselves to be living
in Irvington? It turns out that the answer is overwhelmingly “yes”. Using the full-text search capabilities in the
Historical Oregonian Archive, we checked out all the real
estate ads for homes in the area composed of Edgemont
and Gleneyrie and a few other plats to the immediate east
of the original Irvington plat – covering a period from
1900 to 1948. We found a total of 344 advertisements
during that period that mentioned specific addresses, of
which about 2/3rds mentioned the area where the house
was located. Of those, 94% indicated “Irvington”. So,
for years after the original marketing efforts linking
Edgemont, Gleneyrie, and other tracts to Irvington, these
areas retained their Irvington name and connection to Mrs.
Irving’s bold project to build a “high class” neighborhood
on Portland’s East Side.
So, to lay your mind at rest, if your title doesn’t say
“Irvington”, that doesn’t mean that the area you’re in wasn’t
considered “Irvington” in historic times – not all the historic connections are visible in that official title!

I’ve lived in and loved Irvington for 23
years – you’ve probably seen me around
the neighborhood! I’d love to help you
buy or sell in Irvington and beyond!

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated
237 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232 503-287-8989

JUDITH ROLFE
PAGE 6

HISTORIC IRVINGTON NEWSLETTER

503-516-8632 [email protected]

Spring 2015

DeMuro Award to
Irvington Tennis Club

C

ongratulations to the Irvington Tennis Club
and Scott|Edwards Architecture and P&C
Construction on being honored with Restore
Oregon’s 2014 DeMuro Award for the astounding renovation
of the tennis clubhouse. The prestigious award recognizes
extraordinary historic renovation and rehabilitation projects
across the State of Oregon – residential and commercial,
urban and rural, private and public. To be one of just five
recipient projects in the entire state is a tremendous distinction.
The DeMuro Award is named in memory of Art
DeMuro, a long time Irvington resident, developer and
champion of historic preservation. Tragically, he died far
too young in 2012 at the age of 57. A history major at the
University of Notre Dame, he had become a teacher when
he realized his true passion: historic redevelopment. He
brought that passion to Portland in 1991, and set the standard for quality and creativity in preserving and revitalizing
many of Oregon’s important historic properties.
Many of our readers will have toured the newly renovated Irvington Tennis Club as part of the 2014 Irvington
Home Tour and saw firsthand what the award committee
describes: “Beautiful and functional, a reconceived addition to the original Ellis Lawrence designed clubhouse is
highly compatible with the historic main building and the
surrounding National Register listed neighborhood.”
The Irvington Club, one of the oldest tennis clubs in
the country, was founded in 1898. The first clubhouse
on the current site was a one-story affair built in 1905.
Ellis Lawrence was commissioned to design a renovation
and addition to the clubhouse in 1911-12 and another,
nonconforming addition was constructed in 1957. The
challenge that the design and construction firms now faced
was to completely renovate the exterior and interior of the
newest addition to make it compatible with the neighborhood, the historic buildings and with its place in American
tennis history.
Along with extensive interior renovation, structural
challenges and other exterior adjustments, new windows
were designed, siding went up, a new main entry was created, exterior ADA upgrades were installed and the flat
roof became hipped. The exterior façade changes were
subject to a Type II Resource Review, and the ICA’s Land
Use Committee was asked to consult with the designers
to help them meet the requirements of both the National
Historic District and the City of Portland in this challenging project.
Tennis Club representatives and their architect
and builder met with the ICA Land Use and Historic
Preservation Committees several times to discuss their
plans and to look for comments and advice.
From the committees’ point of view, it was a pleasure to
work with them. The architect created a project that functions well for the Tennis Club and also complements the
historic character of our neighborhood. In several meetings, interspersed with many emails and phone discussions,
the ICA worked with the architect and Club representatives
while they came to a final design that deserves all the praise
it’s now receiving.
When the process was complete, Land Use Chair Dean

The Lawrence designed part of the structure is
individually listed on the National Register. Here’s
an excerpt from its nomination application:

Gisvold wrote to the Portland Bureau of Development
Services (which does the final approval of Historic
Resource Reviews) to summarize our experience:

Situated in the historic Irvington
Neighborhood,
in
northeast Portland, the building is an
integral part of this single family neighborhood. The club historically served as a social
focus for the residents of the area and still
does today. Lawrence designed only five
Craftsman style buildings during his forty
years of professional practice. The Irvington
Club is rare in terms of property type also;
only two other buildings of this property type
are extant in Oregon; the Sellwood YMCA
and the Masonic Temple in Salem.
For 85 years, the Irvington Tennis Club
has been a recreation and social center and
catalyst for community spirit in the Eastside
Portland community of Irvington.

We wish all applications would take the
same course as did our several encounters
with the Club and its architect. At the
first meeting, we made several comments,
some of them negative. To their credit,
they took all of our recommendations
and went beyond our comments to create
a final product that we think will enhance
the neighborhood and the district. We
sincerely thank the Club and its architect
for a job well done.
The Committee has no objections to this
application. We look forward to a fine
finished product.
And what a fine finished product it is!
The once tired and nearly obsolete building has a new,
beautiful life thanks to the tireless efforts by the Club,
Scott|Edwards Architecture and P&C Construction.
The ICA Land Use and Historic Preservation
Committees do much more than consult on major projects
like the Irvington Club. We help all residents formulate
plans to improve their homes with additions, alterations
and remodels that maintain the historic character of
Irvington and also enhance the livability of our homes.
We’re here to help. Contact Dean Gisvold for more information.

After
lessons and clinics daily
coached by US #1 pro player
portlandsquashacademy.com
[email protected]

Before

4586

By Peter O’Neil

Design makes
National Register

A Place to Play

It’s never too early to plan a
retirement future that will free you
to play more, in a friendly community
filled with pursuits you enjoy and
people you cherish.
Ask about the new Holladay Place!
Call today for a tour.

503-280-2216

1300 NE 16th Ave., Portland, OR 97232
www.retirement.org/hpp
An Affiliate of Pacific Retirement Services, Inc.

Spring 2015

HISTORIC IRVINGTON NEWSLETTER

PAGE 7

SPRING 2015
Spring is Irvington Home
Tour Season

S

igns of spring are popping up everywhere from
the bulbs in flower beds to members of the Home
Selection Committee busily signing up home owners for the 33rd annual Irvington Home Tour, scheduled for
Sunday, May 17th this year.
The Irvington Community Association uses the proceeds from The Home Tour to support and fund grants to
local non-profits, schools, beautification projects, neighborhood events and preservation of the qualities inherent in
our historic Irvington community.
So, grab your friends and family members (teens &
adults only, please) and sign up to volunteer for a morning
or afternoon shift to be a Home Tour Guide by contacting
Kay Mosby ([email protected]).  You will
not only be benefiting your neighbors but will get to see
the other homes on the tour for free, a $25.00 value per
ticket.

Storm uproots
trees in Irvington

Neighborhood
Calendar of Events
Irvington Community Association Board Meetings
7 PM Irvington School Library
2nd Thursday of every month (except July/August)
March 12, April 9 and May 14
Contact Steven Cole ([email protected])
Irvington Land Use Committee Meetings
4th Thursday of every month (except July/August)
7:00 – 9:00 PM Westminster Presbyterian Church,
NE 16th & Hancock
Contact Dean Gisvold ([email protected])
Irvington Historic Preservation Committee
Meetings
2nd Wednesday of every month (except July/August)
7:00 – 9:00 PM Westminster Presbyterian Church,
NE 16th & Hancock
Contact Barb Christopher ([email protected])
SAVE THESE 2015 DATES
Irvington Home Tour:
May 17
Irvington Cleanup:

May 9

PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 88
GRESHAM, OR

P.O. Box 12102
Portland, OR 97212

Irvington Community Association

HISTORIc

IRVINGTON

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