UPDATE 2

Artist housing comes on line

By Sam Pfeifle

Proving that idealism can become reality, developer Peter “I hate that term” Bass announced this week that he is “97 percent done” with the condos he’s been building on 145 Anderson Street in Portland’s Bayside, and that seven of the eight total units have already been sold — to artists.

I’m just waiting on the closings,” says Bass, “but I’ve been successful at finding artists to live in these live/work spaces.” Some are single, some married, some older, some younger, but they all are professional artists. They’ve even used a variety of financing options to buy their new homes, from traditional bank mortgages to using city programs like New Neighbors or Home Port.

And the best news is that, for Bass, it was actually worth it. “Absolutely, I’d like to do it again,” says Bass. “The hardest part is finding the location, finding the land. I can think of a couple of good locations in Portland, but they’re not necessarily for sale.”

It’s a really positive step for Portland,” says Jessica Tomlinson, who, as a founder of Portland Artist Dwellings and Studios, has been another voice for artists looking for live/work space. “The best thing about Peter is that he’s a pioneer, and what he’s done is make this possible for other people in the city.” By talking with the city council and planning board about the zoning changes and other minutiae involved with these sorts of projects, Bass has made it easier for others with similar goals to get a warm reception from Portland’s elected and appointed leaders.

Of course, says Tomlinson, Bass’s approach is more bite-sized than what she has in mind. “We want to do 40 to 75 units all in one building,” she says, “with community space and galleries and other things. We just can’t find space on the Peninsula.” That’s the upside to Bass’s approach: “He can actually do it his way.”

However, Bass doesn’t see his plan as any sort of panacea for Portland’s low-income, affordable housing woes. “I think it addresses a fairly small market niche,” he says, “and probably if too many of them were built it would lose its uniqueness. I think there are other ways to build affordable housing. For what I did, it’s a narrow interest, so it worked.”

New owners will be moving into their new homes (and out of the studios they currently call homes?) within the next couple of weeks.