Land Use & Design Review

Design Review / Historic Resource Review Consult

The Land Use Committee (LUC) also provides a support program for Irvington property owners planning to submit an application for Historic Resource Review. In order to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood, the City of Portland officially began regulating the Irvington Historic District on November 2, 2010. These regulations state that all new construction and most exterior alterations are subject to historic resource review, which is a land use process -paint colors and repairing/replacing roofs are not subject to historic review.

The LUC can make suggestions about navigating the process, may be able to point out ways to comply with the regulations cost effectively, and otherwise make the process clearer and easier for you.

The nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places can be used to learn a little bit about the structures in the district. This document IrvingtonDistrictNominationComplete2010 has most buildings. It is 324 pages long, but can be searched with the Ctrl-F feature. Some additional material for a few structures can be found in smaller files NationalRegister_Noms_10000850_Addtl, NationalRegister_Noms_AD10000850 (which pertains only to 3224 NE 25th Ave), and NationalRegister_Noms_AD10000850_3 (which pertains only to 2107 NE 14th). It might be easier to call the 3rd and 4th files simply by the address, since they only refer to one structure each.

Read more about the process, answers to frequently asked questions, and how the LUC can help you.

Land Use

The Irvington Community Association (ICA) Land Use Committee (LUC) oversees the neighborhood's relationship with all of the City's land use and urban planning functions. The LUC reviews, and frequently comments on: transportation projects, code improvements, zoning issues, good neighbor agreements, liquor licenses, code compliance, and, of course, historic resource reviews.  There are a lot of moving parts in our urban neighborhood, and your Land Use Committee tries to stay on top of all of them.

Good Neighbor Agreements

• Blackwater Brewpub

• Hophouse

Zoning Issues

• Better Housing by Design (BHD) - This modification of zoning laws was approved by the city council and came into effect March 2020.  https://www.portland.gov/bps/planning/better-housing

• Residential Infill Project (RIP) - Another modification of zoning laws, passed in two parts by the city council. It includes descriptions of the "Floor Area Ratio" (FAR) that says how much can be put on a lot, and other matters of interest to people involved in remodeling and construction.  https://www.portland.gov/bps/planning/rip

The interaction of Better Housing by Design and the Residential Infill Project is complicated by the rules for the Irvington Historic District, so please email landusechair@irvingtonpdx.com for help. 

Contact

If you have a land use issue or question to bring to the committee's attention please email: landusechair@irvingtonpdx.com.