A developer plans to demolish the Flanders House and replace it with market rate apartments
A newly formed tenants’ collective is speaking out against the possible demolition of an 1890s Alphabet District house that some of the neighborhood’s lower income residents have called home for years.
The house, referred to as the “Flanders House” by the North Portland Tenants Collective, has 14 single occupancy units with shared bathrooms. The group is calling on its supporters to provide testimony against a development plan that would replace the home with a five story building containing 19 market-rate dwellings, during a Historic Landmark Commission meeting on July 27.
Organizers say the Flanders House is one of few sources of affordable housing for tenants in the historic Northwest Portland neighborhood. It is uncertain when the building would be demolished, but the tenants collective is worried it could happen as soon as next year.
“We know from tenant contact there that there are several people there that are low income, that have lived there for a long time," Mario Correa, who is part of the organizing committee for the collective, told Street Roots. "And so, it would be very difficult for them to find another place to go if they are to be evicted,”
One such tenant, who is lives on a fixed income, agreed to speak with Street Roots on the condition of anonymity.
He said he fears that if the proposed new building is approved, it could result in displacement and homelessness for him and other low-income tenants.
In an email, the tenant said that he’s been able to cope with various medical issues, including HIV/AIDS and diabetes, on a fixed income, thanks to the stagnant price of his rent, which has cost just over $400 for the past decade.
“I have no family or friends who can house me,” he stated. “My only hope in the immediate-term would be a first-come, first-served SRO (single room occupancy) downtown.”
He’s currently on several waitlists for Section 8 housing, but fears it could be years before a spot opens up.
“I’m just concerned about keeping a roof over my head with a refrigerator to keep my insulin — a stable situation to keep my health stable. Managing my conditions is going to be tough, and I could end up resorting to using the ER for daily diabetes management,” he added.
A company registered as 2124 NW Flanders LLC purchased the property, valued at $1.25 million, in 2018. The corporation was established in July of that year, according to the Oregon Secretary of State website, and lists Elliot Gansner as the registered agent.
Gansner did not provide comment by press time, saying he needed more time to respond. This story will be updated accordingly.
At a recent board meeting, the Northwest Neighborhood District Association’s Planning Committee discussed the possible new housing development. According to meeting minutes, the committee motioned to express criticism over the building proposal due to a loss of affordable housing and because the proposed building appears to be too large for the property.
2124 NW Flanders LLC’s proposal requests eight modifications to the Alphabet District’s zoning code development standards to construct the possible new building, which would exceed the building height maximum of 25 feet by more than 30 feet in some places. Other modifications include a proposed narrowing of bike parking outside the building and a decrease in the setback line for the building on the east and west sides.
It’s not the first time that the house, currently sporting blue paint and cream-colored trim, has caught the attention of Portlanders.
In 2011, the Flanders House came into controversy as local developers plotted to demolish it and raise a 28-unit apartment in its place. At that time, The Oregonian and the Daily Journal of Commerce both reported that neighboring residents opposed the project, which never came to fruition.
The house, in the heart of the historic Alphabet District of Northwest Portland, is listed as a “non-contributing” historic building, rendering it ineligible for the State Historic Preservation Office Special Assessment, in part due to changes to the building over the decades.
But those who know about the history of the home feel it should be categorized as “contributing” because it adds to the history of the Alphabet District.
According to the North Portland Tennant’s Union, and The Oregonian’s reporting on the house in 2011, it was built in the 1890s as a home for Nathan Simon, the brother of a former senator and Portland mayor, Joseph Simon.
“The Simon family houses are part of a cluster of historic Jewish homes that were built during a time when Jews in Portland were very much discriminated against,” stated Correa in a press release Monday.
In 2010, the Northwest Examiner reported that a neighboring house may have been mislabeled as the Nathan Simon House, receiving a “contributing” designation instead. The house at 2144 NW Flanders, listed as a “contributing” property in the historic Alphabet District, is hailed as the Nathan Simon House among some local real estate agencies, including Realty First.
The North Portland Tenants Collective formed in March. It was comprised of a group of tenants living at the same apartment complex in the North Portland Kenton neighborhood, and staged actions to call for rent concessions from Palisades Property Management, a company presided over by former Le Bistro Montage owner Scot Abplanalp.
Now, they’re expanding their reach beyond the boundaries of North Portland and into Northwest.
“Why is Gansner looking to evict these tenants to build new unaffordable housing when thousands of brand new apartments remain empty?” a recent post on the collective’s Facebook page asks.
In January, The Oregonian reported that rental vacancies had climbed to 5%, leading some property management companies to incentivize with the promise of 8 weeks rent free and pricey move-in gift cards.
Tenants at the Flanders House have not yet received eviction notices, with development plans paused until January 2021, according to the North Portland Tenants Collective.
It's unknown whether the state's eviction moratorium in response to the pandemic would be extended into next year, but per HB 4213, it does apply to termination notices issued "without cause," including those related to demolition.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article indicated that the state's eviction moratorium does not apply to evictions related to development. We regret the error.
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