New Homeownership in Montavilla: How Cedar Corner Cottages Is Getting It Right

I host a lot of open houses — over 100 a year across Portland. So when one genuinely surprises me, I pay attention.

That's exactly what happened at 6909 NE Multnomah Street in Montavilla, where a local developer named Neil Heller is doing something I think more of Portland needs to see.

The Project: Cedar Corner Cottages

Here's the concept. Instead of tearing down a charming 1951 home and replacing it with something massive, Heller kept the original house and built two brand-new detached cottages on the same lot. The result is a micro three-unit condo called Cedar Corner Cottages — and Unit B is currently available at $370,000.

Each new cottage is around 889 square feet with two bedrooms and a full bath upstairs, plus a kitchen, living area, and half bath on the main floor. New construction, clean design, and a price point that actually makes sense for first-time buyers in 2026.

What makes this project special isn't just the homes themselves — it's the how and the why behind them.

A Developer Who Lives Seven Blocks Away

Neil Heller isn't some out-of-state investor parachuting in. He lives in Montavilla. He walks to the job site. And he cared enough to preserve the original home on the property — a house that belonged to Robert and Suzanne Matney, longtime residents who planted the big cedar tree on the corner and raised their kids there. When neighbors heard the house wasn't being torn down, they were relieved.

Heller runs an urban planning consulting firm and teaches with the Incremental Development Alliance, a national nonprofit that trains local people to invest in real estate and contribute to their own communities. His philosophy is simple: small-scale, neighborhood-level development that adds housing without erasing what was already there.

He built these units as ADUs rather than going through Portland's middle housing land division process, which saved roughly $25,000 per unit in System Development Charges and avoided the cost of major right-of-way improvements on the unimproved street. Those savings get passed directly to the buyer in the form of a lower purchase price.

That's smart, intentional development — and it's exactly the kind of thing I love to see happening in Portland's neighborhoods.

Why Montavilla Keeps Landing on People's Short Lists

If you haven't spent time in Montavilla recently, you might be surprised by how much is going on. This neighborhood has quietly become one of Portland's most complete places to live — walkable, affordable relative to the inner eastside, and packed with personality.

The heart of it is the stretch of SE Stark Street between roughly 76th and 82nd. In just a few blocks you've got Ya Hala (a beloved 25-year-old Lebanese restaurant), Bipartisan Cafe (famous for its homemade pies and coffee), Stark Street Pizza Company (over 50 years and counting), Montavilla Brew Works, the Academy Theater, Futura Coffee Roasters, and a growing list of newer spots like Yaowarat, inspired by Bangkok's Chinatown. Board game nights at Board Bards, craft beers at Gigantic Brewing's Robot Room, vintage finds at Copper Moon — this is a neighborhood that has something for everyone.

And then there's 82nd Avenue, which has evolved into one of the most diverse food corridors in the entire city. Asian markets, bakeries, international restaurants — the options run deep.

Beyond the dining and shopping scene, Montavilla backs right up to Mount Tabor Park, Portland's famous extinct volcano with hiking trails, reservoirs, and skyline views. Montavilla Park is great for families, and the year-round Sunday Farmers Market has been a community staple since 2007.

The neighborhood scores a 76 Walk Score overall, with spots closer to Stark pushing into the mid-80s. MAX Blue, Green, and Red lines all stop nearby at NE 82nd Ave, and multiple bus routes serve the area. You can realistically live here without depending on a car for everything — and that matters more and more to the buyers I work with.

The Housing: Character Meets Value

Montavilla's housing stock is one of its biggest draws. You'll find Craftsman bungalows, mid-century ranches, smaller cottages, and increasingly, thoughtful new construction projects like Cedar Corner Cottages. The homes here have character — tree-lined streets, established yards, the kind of neighborhood feel that the inner eastside has largely priced out.

With an average home value around $473,000 and new-build options starting under $400K, Montavilla remains one of the best values this close to central Portland. It's a popular landing spot for first-time buyers, and projects like Heller's show that you can add new, quality housing without losing the soul of the neighborhood.

Bottom Line

What I love about Cedar Corner Cottages is that it represents the best version of what Portland housing can look like: a local developer preserving an original home, adding smart density, keeping costs down, and creating real paths to homeownership in a neighborhood people actually want to live in.

Montavilla is a place where you can walk to dinner, grab coffee on the corner, hike a volcano on the weekend, and find a home you can actually afford. That combination is getting harder to find — and this neighborhood still delivers.

If you're curious about Montavilla or want to explore what's available in the area, I'd love to help.

Michael Perkins | Your Networking Realtor Open House PDX — Real Broker 503-800-7878 | michael@openhousepdx.com openhousepdx.com | Instagram: @michou_portland

Sources: Montavilla News | Homes.com Montavilla Neighborhood Guide