Some of Oregon's most exclusive neighborhoods could dodge state's bid to ban single-family zoning

Some of the state’s most exclusive neighborhoods could be effectively exempt from a proposal to allow duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes in single-family zones across the state.

House Bill 2001, sponsored by House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, would allow the higher-density plexes and “cottage clusters” on any single-family lot in cities with 10,000 or more residents. The goal is to increase the supply of rental homes and drive down rents — and in the process open desirable neighborhoods, with amenities such as good schools and parks, to more people.

But restrictions recorded on property deeds when the neighborhoods were developed — even some from a century ago — sometimes prohibit the construction of anything other than single-family houses.

“In the residential areas, they show up with some frequency,” said Alan Brickley, a longtime Portland real estate attorney.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/02/some-of-oregons-most-exclusive-neighborhoods-could-dodge-states-bid-to-ban-single-family-zoning.html