09.08.2023

Today’s Forecast

79º | Sunny | 8% chance of rain | Sunrise 6:40 a.m. | Sunset 7:35 p.m.

Great things come in small packages

ADU 101: How to add a small, secondary home to your Portland backyard

A small, standalone dwelling painted sage green with a dark orange door and multiple windows, is surrounded by a lawn and a wooden fence.

In Portland, two ADUs are allowed on sites with a house, attached house, or manufactured home. | Photo via the city of Portland

We don’t have to tell you that Portland is in need of more affordable housing options. While local leaders work to fulfill the Metro Affordable Housing Bond and developers pitch plans for new construction, local homeowners can consider their own option: building an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU.

What qualifies as an ADU?

Also known as an in-law unit, granny flats, or backyard cottages, the city of Portland defines an ADU as “an additional dwelling unit created on a lot with a house, attached house, tiny house, duplex, or manufactured home.” An ADU is smaller than the main home and can be created by converting part of the existing house or garage, or by constructing a new building. Fun fact: a floating home cannot have an ADU.

Can I build one on my property?

Before you start loading up on lumber, you’ll want to research your home’s permit history and make sure your ADU dreams align with the city’s zoning codes. The Bureau of Development Services has a handy worksheet to help with the process.

Once you’re in the clear, you can start shopping for contractors — or learn what the state of Oregon requires if you plan to do the work yourself.

How much will it cost me?

Living Room Realty estimates that building a new, detached ADU from scratch costs at least $200,000-$250,000. You can explore different financing options, like taking out a home equity loan, through local institutions specializing in ADU builds.

Keep in mind that adding an ADU will lead to increased property taxes.

Where can I learn more?

Read more about Portland’s ADU building requirements, or schedule a free 15-minute appointment to talk with an expert (such as a city planner or permit technician) online or over the phone.

Events

Friday, Sept. 8

The Realms Unknown Festival | Friday, Sept. 8-Sunday, Sept. 10 | Times vary | Lewis River Golf Course, 3209 Old Lewis River Rd., Woodland | $15-$120 | Journey to a world of Vikings, knights, pirates, goblins, and merfolk to overcome fun and interactive challenges, with plenty of food and shopping.
CoHo Clown Festival | Friday, Sept. 8-Sunday, Oct. 1 | Times vary | CoHo Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh St., Portland | $5-$100 | Various acts demonstrating physical comedy, movement arts, humor, and fringe performance will feed your curiosity and tickle your funny bone.

Saturday, Sept. 9

AIDS Walk Northwest | Saturday, Sept. 9 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., Ste. 110, Portland | Free | Join this annual walk organized by Cascade AIDS Project to raise funds and awareness toward ending HIV/AIDS.
Catio Tour 2023 | Saturday, Sept. 9 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Various locations | $15-$50 | Visit six different outdoor cat enclosures, learn about building or buying your own catio, or take a virtual tour.
Serbian Fest 2023 | Saturday, Sept. 9-Sunday, Sept. 10 | 11 a.m. | St. Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church, 11447 SE 27th Ave., Milwaukie | Free | Experience Serbian culture and traditions through food, music, dancing, and singing.
CouveCon | Saturday, Sept. 9 | 11 a.m.-7 p.m. | Vancouver Mall, 8700 NE Vancouver Mall Dr., Vancouver | $0-$20 | Embrace pop culture, meet a celebrity, attend a panel discussion, and shop for unique fan gifts.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Trending

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… scientific balloon. Eagle-eyed Portlanders spotted a mysterious object floating over the Rose City earlier this week. Tillamook-based Near Space Corporation nipped UFO theories in the bud, explaining that it was a data-gathering balloon for a NASA project in compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration. (KOIN)

Number

80. That’s about how many tickets will be released today for a special fundraising dinner at Ox benefiting wildfire relief efforts in Maui. The Lahaina No Ka Oi dinner on Wednesday, Sept. 20, will be prepared by celebrity chefs like Gregory Gourdet, Mei Lin, and Lee Anne Wong. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Cause

See this year’s St. Jude Dream Home Showplace at the GRO Parade of Homes in Clark County. The future sale of the home represents the largest single fundraiser benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Tickets to take the tour are available now through Sunday, Sept. 24. (KOIN)

Outdoors

Metro wants to hear your thoughts as it plans for the next stage of renovations at Blue Lake Regional Park in Fairview. The park closed this week and is expected to reopen next spring. Weigh in and take a survey via an online, self-guided open house now through Monday, Sept. 25.

Civic

Starting Saturday, Sept. 30, Portland’s five downtown parking garages will be protected by 24-hour GardaWorld security. City leaders approved a three-year $6.3 million emergency ordinance that will fund the security guards. (KOIN)

Eat

A food festival celebrating women, non-binary, and trans people in the food industry returns to Portland next month. Roux includes multiple events, from the Dumpling Showcase to a brunch with an author talk, and runs Friday, Oct. 13-Sunday, Oct. 15, with most events at The Redd on Salmon Street.

Festival

Embrace East Portland’s multicultural community and businesses at the annual Festival of Nations. The free event presented by Division Midway Alliance takes place Saturday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at 14601 SE Division St. and includes performances, food, vendors, and the reveal of a new mural.

Active

Blade & Timber’s Axe Throwing leagues are back. Join them on Tuesday nights for an eight-week session kicking off Sept. 12. Save 70% on gameplay, compete for prizes, sharpen your throwing skills, and make new friends. Sign up.*

Outdoors

🌲 Volunteers who go out on a limb

Hoyt Arboretum’s 6K trees to get helping hand from volunteer arborists

A person wearing bright orange worker pants and a helmet hangs suspended from a harness high up in a tree.

Eight local arborists volunteered their time and expertise for the inaugural event in 1987. | Photo by Micheal Drewry via Hoyt Arboretum

This Saturday, Sept. 9, professional arborists from around the Portland area will descend upon Hoyt Arboretum for the 36th annual Arborists in the Arboretum event.

More than 100 arborists are expected to volunteer their time to help maintain the over 6,000 trees growing within the arboretum in Washington Park. They’ll be improving the trees’ overall health and making the space safer and more accessible for visitors by pruning limbs and removing brush, among other things.

Members of the public are welcome to watch the work from a safe distance, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Parking at the Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center costs $2 per hour or $8 per day.

Hoyt Arboretum — also known as a “living museum of trees” — was founded in 1928 to conserve endangered species from around the world. You can explore the arboretum’s collection online, or visit it in person along 12 miles of trails spanning 189 acres.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Cambrie

From the editor

Portland has a rich abundance of beautiful outdoor spaces where residents and visitors get to bask in fresh air, take in spectacular views, and wander through diverse forests. The Portland Japanese Garden is one of the most popular spots to enjoy all these things — and Sunset agrees.

The travel magazine named the garden one of the “Best Nature Experiences” in the country, alongside Bryce Canyon National Park, Channel Islands National Park, and the Point Reyes National Seashore Backpacking Adventure.

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