As Many As 116,644 Portland Lots Could Host Granny Flats

A Multnomah County proposal to place homeless families in granny flats, first reported earlier this week by WW, is drawing widespread interest.

One reason: there's a lot of available backyards that could host them.

As many as 116,644 lots qualify as "ADU friendly," according to an analysis done for Commissioner Chloe Eudaly's office. (Granny flats are technically known in Portland zoning code as "accessory dwelling units," or ADUs.)

Eudaly's office launched an application for homeowners to run an initial screening of their property, eliminating those at risk of landslide and floodplain risk.

Portland State University's Institute for Sustainable Solutions, which is working on an ADU project to reduce the cost and hassle for homeowners, analyzed the the 230,255 tax lots in Portland. 

The institute classified 70,863 (or 30 percent) as "prime" locations for ADU's, based on different criteria: areas zoned for single family homes with lots 5,000 square feet or bigger and outside the landslide zones among others. About 13 percent (29,363) meet their criteria and are also within 500 feet of a bus or train stop.

As of March 2, just 1,795 properties have ADUs. It's a relatively small but growing number. According to the Portland Tribune,  the city issued 615 permits last year alone.

Here's a link to the county's ADU project for interested homeowners.

Here's a link to the Portland State University's Institute for Sustainable Solutions project for interested homeowners.

Former PDC director Patrick Quinton's company Dweller is looking to lease space in backyards and build and manage ADUs for homeowners. The project can be found here.