Portland, OR Filter: "Family Compound" Living in Portland, OR in a fun, transit-accessible neighborhood? Possible? Crazy?

March 3, 2008 5:43 PM

Portland, OR Filter: "Family Compound" Living in Portland, OR in a fun, transit-accessible neighborhood? Possible? Crazy? Other ideas?

My family and I (parents, brother and his wife, me and my wife, possibly the in-laws) are fairly seriously considering moving to Portland, OR. Our absolutely ideal scenario would be to buy 3-4 houses adjacent to each other with shared yard (with each other) and possibly with some sort of shared common indoor space. Ideally this would be in a neighborhood that is transit-accessible and walkable.

I do recognize that these goals may be somewhat difficult to attain all at once. We are somewhat flexible. We're open to having these homes built, open to same structure with separate home size units, and somewhat open to doing it further out where bigger chunks of land might be easier to come by.

We're going up to Portland in a few weeks to check in out, visit neighborhoods, and possibly talk to some realtors. We'd really any thoughts on how to make this crazy idea real.

posted by krudiger to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Not sure if this is what you're asking for or if it's too obvious, but there's some info at N Street Cohousing's website on retrofit cohousing in Davis, California.
posted by flamk at 6:38 PM on March 3, 2008

I'd check our northeast Portland. There are many inexpensive lots and houses there, and the ethos matches your goals. I think you'd have some logistical hurdles, but that it's completely do-able there. Not at all crazy. Portland is fabulous for transit accessibility, walkability, and even things like zoning that allows completely urban residents to keep chickens (you didn't mention chickens, but I think they're cool). I think this is an absolutely great idea. In fact, I'd even suggest you give a call to the city attorney and see if there are planning commissions that could give you a hand. The buzz word here is Planned Unit Development, and what you're talking about is the kind of thing that the urban planners in Portland really love.
posted by Capri at 7:18 PM on March 3, 2008

Even with the housing decline, walkable and transit accessible neighborhoods in Portland are not cheap. You budget will determine how feasible this is.

There are several older homes just NE of Lloyd Center that have been converted into semi-split and split housing. Generally there will be a shared entry with living space per floor.
posted by IronSurfer at 7:36 PM on March 3, 2008

I'm going to second Capri's suggestion of NE Portland. I live in that area, my ex-wife and her partner (that we are fabulous friends with) live 4 houses down and we've talked about just the same sort of situation you mention. Going in with some other friends, buying a lot and building 3 places at once with similar plans to minimize costs and share resources. Depending on where you are in NE, the costs can really change a huge amount. But it is certainly doable and there is a lot nearby. I have a good grocery, a branch library, coffee shop, irish pub, new orleans-style bistro, large park, daycare center and a couple funky shops all within 4 blocks.

Portland is very friendly to the type of development you are interested in and I'd encourage you to look into it further. If you have other questions, feel free to send me an email, its in my profile.
posted by afflatus at 8:02 PM on March 3, 2008

If prices in NE turn out to be beyond your reach, you might have a look at the route of the Green Line light rail that's due to begin service in 2009. It's more remote, to be sure, but that's why it might be more affordable as well.
posted by mumkin at 10:45 AM on March 17, 2008