Are Only The "Bad" Houses Demolished?

Have you heard people say "only bad, dilapidated, eyesore houses get demolished"?

Here's a house that will be demolished soon, in Eastmoreland.

6930 SE 35th was bought by Renaissance Homes for $750,000 in July and will be torn down to build two McMansions.

7556 SE 29th St was bought by Everett Custom Homes for nearly $800,000 and torn down to build two McMansions.

3204 NE Oregon was bought for $400,000 and torn down this year to build a 34 foot tall, 4,900 sq ft luxury duplex.

115 NE 39th bought by Everett Custom Homes for $610,000 and torn down to build two McMansions.

And so on.

Over 30 houses have been demolished in Laurelhurst over the past several years. This is going on all over Portland. Laurelhurst is not immune. Many are good, sound older houses.

Sometimes they are replaced with more than one high-priced house,

townhouse, or apartment. The houses we've highlighted above are examples. When a developer can build multiple high-priced units, almost any house can be profitably torn down. Even Laurelhurst's historic houses.

The city is preparing to re-zone Laurelhurst and the rest of Portland's neighborhoods from single-family houses to multiple-units - townhouses, condominiums, and apartments, as many as four units per standard lot. This is called the Residential Infill Project (RIP).

If the Laurelhurst Historic District doesn't happen, then RIP will allow every Laurelhurst house to be torn down and replaced by a duplex, triplex, or quadplex. Like these.

Are Only The "Bad" Houses Demolished?

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