tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11422297038388204432024-02-19T02:12:09.577-08:00Portland Land Mattersmargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-90369821221528512522020-10-13T14:04:00.003-07:002020-10-13T20:21:18.254-07:00Portland voters! It's (a very) short story time<p>This one's so good, I reprint the original words of a longtime respected Portland artist, along with his insta-worthy background visual: </p><p><br /></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="pybr56ya dati1w0a hv4rvrfc n851cfcs btwxx1t3 j83agx80 ll8tlv6m" style="align-items: flex-start; display: flex; flex-direction: row; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-top: 12px;"><div class="buofh1pr" style="flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa fgxwclzu a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb mdeji52x e9vueds3 j5wam9gi knj5qynh m9osqain hzawbc8m" color="var(--secondary-text)" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.2308; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;"><span id="jsc_c_7m" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="jpp8pzdo" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="rfua0xdk pmk7jnqg stjgntxs ni8dbmo4 ay7djpcl q45zohi1" style="clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); font-family: inherit; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; width: 1px;"><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; white-space: pre-wrap;">A decade ago, I was asked by the local placemaking org. City Repair to assist with designing & building a community project in SE Portland called the Arleta Triangle project. It was sited in a corner triangle parcel at a busy intersection that was once a turn for the Mt. Scott trolley. Many fine people from that neighborhood stepped up to generously volunteer. We built an earthen and flagstone wall, landscaping, toolshed & info kiosk, & I welded up a metal framed canopy. I was working on a solar lighting component to be mounted to the top, & the illuminated canopy was to suggest the historic streetcar's form.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_7n" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa fgxwclzu a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" color="var(--primary-text)" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5jVG4nhpCPOhptPWGaUTsMSMV44kriA-F0mYp4VgF392Rq0ATtwuJu5QIJ4GV4G1dPNWegyTgsJZjakZ2w-ThW1yPrVAQu7-adLoXOlUD3eWrWaCudslOh4OFXDma5MglAfg3Ui35u8/s1932/95967234_10220943878239421_3210021027606167552_o.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1449" data-original-width="1932" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5jVG4nhpCPOhptPWGaUTsMSMV44kriA-F0mYp4VgF392Rq0ATtwuJu5QIJ4GV4G1dPNWegyTgsJZjakZ2w-ThW1yPrVAQu7-adLoXOlUD3eWrWaCudslOh4OFXDma5MglAfg3Ui35u8/w640-h480/95967234_10220943878239421_3210021027606167552_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of Brian Borrello</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: 12px; white-space: normal;"><div class="pybr56ya dati1w0a hv4rvrfc n851cfcs btwxx1t3 j83agx80 ll8tlv6m" style="align-items: flex-start; display: flex; flex-direction: row; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-top: 12px;"><div class="buofh1pr" style="flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa fgxwclzu a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb mdeji52x e9vueds3 j5wam9gi knj5qynh m9osqain hzawbc8m" color="var(--secondary-text)" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.2308; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;"><span id="jsc_c_7m" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="jpp8pzdo" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="rfua0xdk pmk7jnqg stjgntxs ni8dbmo4 ay7djpcl q45zohi1" style="clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); font-family: inherit; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; width: 1px;"> </span></span></span><span class="g0qnabr5" style="font-family: inherit; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-content: inherit; align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; justify-content: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; width: inherit;"><span class="ormqv51v l9j0dhe7" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative; top: -2px;"><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; white-space: pre-wrap;">"A decade ago, I was asked by the local placemaking org. City Repair to assist with designing & building a community project in SE Portland called the Arleta Triangle project. It was sited in a corner triangle parcel at a busy intersection that was once a turn for the Mt. Scott trolley. Many fine people from that neighborhood stepped up to generously volunteer. We built an earthen and flagstone wall, landscaping, toolshed & info kiosk, & I welded up a metal framed canopy. I was working on a solar lighting component to be mounted to the top, & the illuminated canopy was to suggest the historic streetcar's form.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-size: 12px; white-space: normal;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_7n" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa fgxwclzu a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" color="var(--primary-text)" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"However after delays, mismanagement, & even major injuries to volunteers, I had to step away from this effort. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"The organizer and manager of the project, Sarah Iannarone, became upset and sent me a scathing letter. Several days after that, on Feb. 14, 2009, she felt compelled to vandalize my studio door in North Portland with a vulgar spray painted stencil -of a giant pink male sex organ.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"I couldn't prove this- until she called by phone 2 days later and asked me, 'Well, Brian, as an artist, did you approve of my compositional skills, color choices, and subject matter?' " </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">He goes on to say, </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"<span color="var(--primary-text)" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;">I don't believe that we need or deserve (more) individuals with a history of erratic, incompetent, and vindictive behavior in leadership positions- whether at the local or national level of our society. Please choose wisely."</span></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-24102963376018538382019-07-17T15:46:00.001-07:002019-07-17T15:47:47.814-07:00Neighbors tell it like it is<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkxcj_WQDBS_U8QCUrjgOdYIhPIN_fxBu-vizRpIyVkroeQXtfi5PNhouHXipvNyQMaM_-QBkLDjS84tMXibUQ6XCQ0wnc2-P38S-44Isomu7IZuWxk5v0kQ3EC2Fcn1DKOy6tFrXPxc/s1600/64547315_10216128318734316_8100421814766796800_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkxcj_WQDBS_U8QCUrjgOdYIhPIN_fxBu-vizRpIyVkroeQXtfi5PNhouHXipvNyQMaM_-QBkLDjS84tMXibUQ6XCQ0wnc2-P38S-44Isomu7IZuWxk5v0kQ3EC2Fcn1DKOy6tFrXPxc/s400/64547315_10216128318734316_8100421814766796800_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Courtesy of Teresa Lillian McGrath</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-67232976144176610262019-01-11T18:26:00.000-08:002019-01-11T18:26:56.564-08:00Truth and creativity can't be quashed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrwxN8mpl-A41niK0p0M1eeG_m6JQXW8X5uxjF-Ap4QCfiWgvzTi74EkeEKC5Ysfxe1wC0qghMztDSQsRFxIpb9X7ukT-FtLx9MEy2fTgvw_BFMWVTmcUf-ajxg0q8qhs1r_iPZREycE/s1600/49298210_594710964286678_1010151143805812736_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="750" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrwxN8mpl-A41niK0p0M1eeG_m6JQXW8X5uxjF-Ap4QCfiWgvzTi74EkeEKC5Ysfxe1wC0qghMztDSQsRFxIpb9X7ukT-FtLx9MEy2fTgvw_BFMWVTmcUf-ajxg0q8qhs1r_iPZREycE/s400/49298210_594710964286678_1010151143805812736_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySUGJKNXQcjvpwqq1mWRmd666n0tjrtk9mo5vaPTSIadg3zE0-EfC1f50JFhLY6jk7oQt2NKm-NjzDbTnOimscElCOlAJdENnVwBZpkbS3xpsh1YBkMAvtSQgnwYdfKQ2g7369vNNpg0/s1600/49476396_1992381597519184_6040910014795743232_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySUGJKNXQcjvpwqq1mWRmd666n0tjrtk9mo5vaPTSIadg3zE0-EfC1f50JFhLY6jk7oQt2NKm-NjzDbTnOimscElCOlAJdENnVwBZpkbS3xpsh1YBkMAvtSQgnwYdfKQ2g7369vNNpg0/s400/49476396_1992381597519184_6040910014795743232_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAe-BT-soksfqaMhq3R-zbxc12io6DbtuZgIFmAoIYp010cwI-YNTktMIJMsHD1Ornqnc8fVm5CZuWRcaMZyRxQh-TczidefN7rGK1iRSEdgUySuFL-mZS8nKyD9qgGCw_8Llj0Le5NpA/s1600/49669458_593468664410908_3056262156187074560_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAe-BT-soksfqaMhq3R-zbxc12io6DbtuZgIFmAoIYp010cwI-YNTktMIJMsHD1Ornqnc8fVm5CZuWRcaMZyRxQh-TczidefN7rGK1iRSEdgUySuFL-mZS8nKyD9qgGCw_8Llj0Le5NpA/s320/49669458_593468664410908_3056262156187074560_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Thanks to Portland Assembly and SDP for today's content.</i></div>
margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-34329820287212759232018-07-19T12:51:00.002-07:002019-01-11T18:27:35.623-08:00Teardown developers: Let them eat ca...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9X5XmcSR5d8l0BSK7rsNUHnb55q6xEhqwXOmKp-BytK3BZvZ4RXLQDPf5U5_8vsfRdP6IXAQQz07MNIoxN-cCd5PYkNJvtnfnOU7WC0Hd3uUK9RPFP22hecE_2FZGYUH9hFchrDiNWLU/s1600/20228908_1623660507645175_6664062567892922706_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9X5XmcSR5d8l0BSK7rsNUHnb55q6xEhqwXOmKp-BytK3BZvZ4RXLQDPf5U5_8vsfRdP6IXAQQz07MNIoxN-cCd5PYkNJvtnfnOU7WC0Hd3uUK9RPFP22hecE_2FZGYUH9hFchrDiNWLU/s400/20228908_1623660507645175_6664062567892922706_n.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of the Internet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-13825852173872502162018-03-07T23:33:00.001-08:002018-03-07T23:36:26.413-08:00It finally happened<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mawDPG-NxX46u3svul8cYhbbMasKTwgVEfOiUHNoO3pWLqeWOyDlWdSg3vu6fjddPp0RRTV7Dm4ojMUNFpi15aD9F_lKvj91xnsN2dTct86ZhKJDXNYGqm1jODZJs8wA0jr4cgqq8AY/s1600/IMG_20180207_114542303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mawDPG-NxX46u3svul8cYhbbMasKTwgVEfOiUHNoO3pWLqeWOyDlWdSg3vu6fjddPp0RRTV7Dm4ojMUNFpi15aD9F_lKvj91xnsN2dTct86ZhKJDXNYGqm1jODZJs8wA0jr4cgqq8AY/s400/IMG_20180207_114542303.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm sure it's not the first time, but it was for me, seeing a sign in a yard where a home used to stand that housed people of color.<br />
<br />
How to spread the word about these new builds, and what came before them, so people can align their values with their consumer choices?<br />
<br />
The years-long demolition epidemic continues unabated, and with it the economic redlining of Portland's neighborhoods, but there is change in the air, more important on City Council, where at least teardown builders can no longer pollute and endanger people's health and kids' IQs with impunity. That's according to rules taking effect July 1 (or earlier), with great faith placed in enforcement.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDn1nbwHItFnwr09jWBYy5dFS-E1-f2KEFofAO_-q7L02szfsR2DS8Ku51koQ-444rRL_i47R0P1zpD_UPuQyAzz_1Q6wWjE-EoPHiwP_TmUOMYY36fdErlIxjYH9Le7Szj1C7zh5Y0Mo/s1600/IMG_20180207_114604921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDn1nbwHItFnwr09jWBYy5dFS-E1-f2KEFofAO_-q7L02szfsR2DS8Ku51koQ-444rRL_i47R0P1zpD_UPuQyAzz_1Q6wWjE-EoPHiwP_TmUOMYY36fdErlIxjYH9Le7Szj1C7zh5Y0Mo/s320/IMG_20180207_114604921.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black lives matter; so does affordable housing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Early last month City Council overwhelmingly voted in favor of methods to reduce the spread of hazardous materials during mechanical demolition.<br />
<br />
Even though federal studies show demolition dust travels up to 400 feet, under the new rules people living within 300 feet of the plume will be given notice and hopefully can take precautions, even though the particulates that settle on the land around them may yet pose a problem for residents, and future generations. If you know of a demolition, and get notice, do your neighbors a favor who might be a little farther out, and warn them too. You never know which way the wind will blow, and demolitions are allowed to occur as long as the wind registers under 25 mph.<br />
<br />
As Mayor Wheeler noted at the February 1 session, "That's a pretty stiff wind."<br />
<br />
<b>Teardowns RIP this city</b><br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the Residential Infill Project heads to the Portland Planning Commission.<br />
<br />
Attention and enthusiasm for the teardown side seem to be flagging, perhaps because Portlanders are used to following the money trail. As time goes on, and developers' properties languish on the market, there may be fewer contributions to garner needed grassroots support for a teardown blitz mostly brought on by out-of-town interests. Hopefully those developers find that no matter how many former environmental groups are bought along in this process, or no matter the pretty, eager faces hired to drive the drumbeat, Portland people tend to look and think deeper.<br />
<br />
As we've lost diversity in our neighborhoods, trees, and community (buyers of the new homes tend to move on soon), the truth emerges at ground level.margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-53658556334998556342018-01-27T16:21:00.001-08:002018-01-27T16:23:19.942-08:00The cartoon says "Later in Detroit" but Portland owns it too<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK6kFDYI-G-ai0RhyQrsUyNlIeBTIAQfLR0456L6SDuPulqIJUgl7QStuB0n-Q5C9yVHjnKox4gVsNiT9eh4hlrmr9Vbx7nGFNmvF57E8dlKScRM92Dm0nEKX386qHMBeFkdC7Nhyq5I/s1600/blogcartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="640" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK6kFDYI-G-ai0RhyQrsUyNlIeBTIAQfLR0456L6SDuPulqIJUgl7QStuB0n-Q5C9yVHjnKox4gVsNiT9eh4hlrmr9Vbx7nGFNmvF57E8dlKScRM92Dm0nEKX386qHMBeFkdC7Nhyq5I/s400/blogcartoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Zac Finger modempunk.tumblr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-62336376553464567472017-11-30T20:17:00.003-08:002017-11-30T20:22:59.006-08:00The bamboozling goes big-time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwwpM3lZqACvimPoCJE96iTwjGrB17k-4aR8ugZvM2lPUZtVmFte7r3nsaR_8gR8yeDXtPM6KiIWsXyiJ3EiL6BmDfm9Tq_TWvt75mp3sKZo8PvIv8L_hnfoERYRcbgjmRrgagyaalLw/s1600/23847490_10156059544461520_1083208614320922335_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="973" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwwpM3lZqACvimPoCJE96iTwjGrB17k-4aR8ugZvM2lPUZtVmFte7r3nsaR_8gR8yeDXtPM6KiIWsXyiJ3EiL6BmDfm9Tq_TWvt75mp3sKZo8PvIv8L_hnfoERYRcbgjmRrgagyaalLw/s400/23847490_10156059544461520_1083208614320922335_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Much is happening on the land-use front, with developers going for gold at the local level in Portland, Oregon. You can read much more about it <a href="https://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECHa9O-g6CsKWwPkn3XqEa0o23J6PU_JmVbUgvMTbbsKY5RteBzArUN2kmioksZH-v0v6K-YBJb8Zd2fEzP3CPfclatbhPDZhf4eI9lvcx8kEcd9OIZEw4UsRiJhuuw8E9gNb6quNqes/s1600/PricedOut.16x9.brand.WEB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="506" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECHa9O-g6CsKWwPkn3XqEa0o23J6PU_JmVbUgvMTbbsKY5RteBzArUN2kmioksZH-v0v6K-YBJb8Zd2fEzP3CPfclatbhPDZhf4eI9lvcx8kEcd9OIZEw4UsRiJhuuw8E9gNb6quNqes/s320/PricedOut.16x9.brand.WEB.jpg" width="320" /></a>The good news is that there are even more chances to see <a href="http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/380050-267251-screenings-set-for-documentary-on-portland-gentrification">a fine movie</a> sharing important Portland history lessons. Hopefully masters of the plan mentioned above will watch <i>Priced Out </i>and scrap the city's proposal that would entail yet more Urban Removals.<br />
<br />
<br />margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-50116607869064772112017-10-16T17:28:00.004-07:002019-01-11T18:28:04.003-08:00Farewell, old friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo3JZNTnmHoqIUlf5Gko80xFsbB25_OCw_m-SLr60tW6cb49yJQM0rKlWy56e4kaWLLby3ADmatxekHGZbCParo0EC93CRSi5IhFmPPAeflfNySXBKdsto1xPWxu-5SK6mjSz-ctK-Lo/s1600/20229833_10156430741774502_5355349719799105055_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo3JZNTnmHoqIUlf5Gko80xFsbB25_OCw_m-SLr60tW6cb49yJQM0rKlWy56e4kaWLLby3ADmatxekHGZbCParo0EC93CRSi5IhFmPPAeflfNySXBKdsto1xPWxu-5SK6mjSz-ctK-Lo/s400/20229833_10156430741774502_5355349719799105055_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrZw0qs9Bif6iguoYrTt2A3MWZQIZclDK4XQzxAA6XXK77T06dxkt0wEdU88sUGtF4oakWnt_JVUMLKSaLiSDwFU_5VAdGhAY7bGIYoK_mUX0l1wehnfrRzfWc98aP4o_GCZ6Ktr9gxQ/s1600/21083576_10156582366689502_4540435434540927935_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrZw0qs9Bif6iguoYrTt2A3MWZQIZclDK4XQzxAA6XXK77T06dxkt0wEdU88sUGtF4oakWnt_JVUMLKSaLiSDwFU_5VAdGhAY7bGIYoK_mUX0l1wehnfrRzfWc98aP4o_GCZ6Ktr9gxQ/s320/21083576_10156582366689502_4540435434540927935_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Every demolition hurts, considering the history that vaporizes with walls that could have sheltered more lives and witnessed more stories. The Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple, which fell to airborne jackhammers and other heavy machinery last month, had ruled the intersection of Southwest Second Avenue and Taylor Street downtown since 1892. What an incredible building it would have been to reuse! What a wasted opportunity.<br />
<br />
In this photo essay, Portland photographer <a href="http://www.scottaticephoto.com/">Scott Tice</a> documents the building as it left our landscape.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWe3Lj8Vl7P4qYU0AanzJVX8iyGEqvyP6jgwikrAZaAkdwAiMb59x6od2P2moI1JnuOuQ85B4vICN-JEfGJfmeksXSPaREPlKI61czh8XfQvX4VSObmMYjECfywkLlatquGnnBX7hiq8/s1600/21248426_10156598636234502_674178776504420026_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWe3Lj8Vl7P4qYU0AanzJVX8iyGEqvyP6jgwikrAZaAkdwAiMb59x6od2P2moI1JnuOuQ85B4vICN-JEfGJfmeksXSPaREPlKI61czh8XfQvX4VSObmMYjECfywkLlatquGnnBX7hiq8/s400/21248426_10156598636234502_674178776504420026_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJwrkewwEUPPpAcIxqhebOoJnRqG7zp1xCerGpXH0wBc3owo8k0Qy0Z5HO4Yc-Pklt_KaQUDbfWndO9pkZ5GJ6oqCjNBfYgwlwfeqo8fCbnVeYR9vY_8fqql0DBqVeB8BgdRumo_NNiY/s1600/21741076_10156643606284502_9220027030652726860_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJwrkewwEUPPpAcIxqhebOoJnRqG7zp1xCerGpXH0wBc3owo8k0Qy0Z5HO4Yc-Pklt_KaQUDbfWndO9pkZ5GJ6oqCjNBfYgwlwfeqo8fCbnVeYR9vY_8fqql0DBqVeB8BgdRumo_NNiY/s400/21741076_10156643606284502_9220027030652726860_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeIT5bE2I56b-nZz4MJyaHM2KZ2DrX8bkRO8WfPpphQZ018aslpp4_mMi3ibbntSqa4caktTPGb8FSLgtMniBD9SDxzgBBDdklcEeXHHvtLbDUQGFNLIZrZpw_FhZQ5RizGPkhMdO0oE/s1600/16402501_10155783050624502_276853601822254054_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1501" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeIT5bE2I56b-nZz4MJyaHM2KZ2DrX8bkRO8WfPpphQZ018aslpp4_mMi3ibbntSqa4caktTPGb8FSLgtMniBD9SDxzgBBDdklcEeXHHvtLbDUQGFNLIZrZpw_FhZQ5RizGPkhMdO0oE/s400/16402501_10155783050624502_276853601822254054_o.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDiPrRFwu5aHf4uIYxbhyphenhyphenrHuONDDMIBfvxwdiuLGBdhc5CDp061Mlp2C2n2h82P8aVIWO7PZ5HimaP8XU5JkOKZ2lvuOD-LZvjo_M2eQiyXJiFtK_1mnWN9LVueFW8K1a9q23zkvidWE/s1600/21731858_10156640549854502_7976925742845870799_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDiPrRFwu5aHf4uIYxbhyphenhyphenrHuONDDMIBfvxwdiuLGBdhc5CDp061Mlp2C2n2h82P8aVIWO7PZ5HimaP8XU5JkOKZ2lvuOD-LZvjo_M2eQiyXJiFtK_1mnWN9LVueFW8K1a9q23zkvidWE/s400/21731858_10156640549854502_7976925742845870799_o.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3drIgu77W52gj9NVuEqeZc9pM9lznHRtGpfl_-0lE8LNHenPjLiPQ_j8j43JSwPoYF-IFltnHfvxywNQ_KygNp3epPTjyZqNrgXyQJW0HCrv3-X_739YG8jtBSUF1IdvtWa6rrtbF4Y/s1600/16403360_10155780287204502_4988856024027105302_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3drIgu77W52gj9NVuEqeZc9pM9lznHRtGpfl_-0lE8LNHenPjLiPQ_j8j43JSwPoYF-IFltnHfvxywNQ_KygNp3epPTjyZqNrgXyQJW0HCrv3-X_739YG8jtBSUF1IdvtWa6rrtbF4Y/s320/16403360_10155780287204502_4988856024027105302_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uld2DOPZcgws4SlIIYjrK8ObU_MsEdBOP1BmlJQr0UA4gb9HQhMuVfRaWkIMfQYCWTH5H-Oas4iFTNs5pwbKOJTnW_OBYfgSgpWmykbaiJNkoNmhFgh-nhIdhMaJvCLevaTNOOiqftA/s1600/21949973_10156678217014502_4424631827537353343_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uld2DOPZcgws4SlIIYjrK8ObU_MsEdBOP1BmlJQr0UA4gb9HQhMuVfRaWkIMfQYCWTH5H-Oas4iFTNs5pwbKOJTnW_OBYfgSgpWmykbaiJNkoNmhFgh-nhIdhMaJvCLevaTNOOiqftA/s400/21949973_10156678217014502_4424631827537353343_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLR_LVurre8_J2eCS6RDS99bwd9bANvwXqyAMSiUogbSl5dQ8SWU6nuDxoOlJLlI12zvXrygz8AANTdMY3GafAShfJKFsaiRnvHy9eI3rDl4HJ7YLLK1UmOkk7QM4-wViHky4j65Uai0/s1600/16251565_10155780815509502_8705184837076917131_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLR_LVurre8_J2eCS6RDS99bwd9bANvwXqyAMSiUogbSl5dQ8SWU6nuDxoOlJLlI12zvXrygz8AANTdMY3GafAShfJKFsaiRnvHy9eI3rDl4HJ7YLLK1UmOkk7QM4-wViHky4j65Uai0/s640/16251565_10155780815509502_8705184837076917131_o.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fantastic reuse opportunity, wasted.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-31964793009225076332017-07-12T19:23:00.001-07:002018-03-07T23:34:20.001-08:00Middle housing also gets demolition treatment<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY3FIWdoNSBDiMFgWodIThrmP7_exEiYGVVQxCgCxvJVU6IXpxX1S5jxHkvo2mQySwdvASzzGH8MaDvRaHuebiSH-JiZHkzvDGzOMLKegXU0aucql7ZjIC5t3fv2iSW_pia6mrNhET2o/s1600/18422525_10209745161530311_366333712908968764_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY3FIWdoNSBDiMFgWodIThrmP7_exEiYGVVQxCgCxvJVU6IXpxX1S5jxHkvo2mQySwdvASzzGH8MaDvRaHuebiSH-JiZHkzvDGzOMLKegXU0aucql7ZjIC5t3fv2iSW_pia6mrNhET2o/s400/18422525_10209745161530311_366333712908968764_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shiny batch of units rises along the river in Portland, while another resident<br />
pitches a tent. Demolitions remove the affordable in-between.<br />
<i>Courtesy of Stephen Poole.</i><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Midway through the city's troubled Residential Infill Project the term "Middle Housing" became the buzzword. Introduced by the developers' lobby, it also turned into the battle cry for housing activists bankrolled by developers in another all-too-transparent bid to maintain dominance at City Hall and take down more of Portland's viable, affordable housing stock for cheaper construction with a greater rate of return.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.portlandchronicle.com/eleven-weeks-residential-demolition-permits-image-heavy/">latest list of demolitions</a> shows dozens of units more affordable than what is being built now—the sort that city leaders and staff, not to mention neighborhoods, say we need. Among the properties destined for the landfill are duplexes of that so-called middle housing, apparently not expensive enough for the teardown crowd to keep standing.<br />
<br />
In another irony, don't miss the demolition permit issued to the firm that calls itself "Sustainable Development." Has Portland finally jumped the shark? (We do know <a href="http://www.kgw.com/news/local/more-portlanders-moving-out-of-city/439388174">Portlanders increasingly are jumping ship</a>.)<br />
<br />
How long until we say No to the destructive and outsize impacts of this kind of development?<br />
<br />
The city's Urban Forestry gang has gone on the offensive looking for ways to stop or reverse an alarming loss of mature urban tree canopy. Going around to the neighborhood association meetings, the staffers harangue neighbors to plant trees, especially the large, old-growth-suitable kind that teardown developers love to raze for cookie-cutter units across the city.<br />
<br />
Preserving this neighborhood old growth benefits everyone and requiring it would lead to more creative and site-specific buildings. A more robust, preservation-oriented tree code—instead of the pay-to-clearcut program in place now—could score a win for everyone, even for developers who might be able to make even more money with a plan less out of a plan book and a project more driven by the beauty of an established tree.<br />
<br />
We love trees, don't we?<br />
<br />
Win-win-win.margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-41539742625171689532017-02-01T00:10:00.003-08:002017-05-23T00:03:08.037-07:00Here come the 4,375-square-foot bungalows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZMw9s5QPBhkfDakiRwsQozY35_CEEHUF_5uZNcTK6V-05BNGrngPkvvgIedGxVOe5ON3q8UuC_zpKjH6z_QN2kYZ80gjYiKks2wCuKycm4hoCoP-Bugxf-gi1hilsJid5fQQyT_Ljks/s1600/IMG_20161111_160404043-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZMw9s5QPBhkfDakiRwsQozY35_CEEHUF_5uZNcTK6V-05BNGrngPkvvgIedGxVOe5ON3q8UuC_zpKjH6z_QN2kYZ80gjYiKks2wCuKycm4hoCoP-Bugxf-gi1hilsJid5fQQyT_Ljks/s400/IMG_20161111_160404043-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pair of Northeast Portland houses illustrates the trend in recent development,<br />
which would proceed unabated under the proposed Residential Infill Project.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've written more about the Residential Infill Project (RIP) <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2017/01/disposable-housingold-and-newmakes-hard.html">here</a>, but not about its scale provisions.<br />
<br />
Planners and proponents of RIP still say that the proposal would limit the size of new construction. But one RIP committee member, architect Sarah Cantine, has found the proposal would do nothing to change the shape of the outsize construction we see now. Listen below starting at 1:26 where she presents the math that finds homes would be "limited" to 4,375 square feet, which no developer builds to these days, not even the new house in the photo above. It's only 3,520 square feet.<br />
<br />
In this way RIP doesn't change anything about the size of new construction; it maintains business as usual. Many people want to believe that RIP will address the issue of scale of new construction, especially because planners said it would, but they may not be able to wade through the pages of technical proposal language to find that it isn't so. Hopefully planners will familiarize themselves with the proposal specifications and stop telling people about how new construction will be smaller.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4sdceglIJ7Q" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
(Also in that same City Council session, at 3:03, neighborhood endorsements of developer- and AirBnB-funded Portland for Everyone are called into question by Cully activist Chris Browne. It's <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2016/08/who-let-unicorns-out_15.html">not the first time</a>.)<br />
<br />
Hopefully all this will be moot soon if those funding the so-called "affordable housing" effort see the writing on the wall with the new City Council makeup and public awareness of who the RIP proposal is for, and what it is meant to do for the building industry. Given all the saber rattling over the recently adopted inclusionary zoning, developers and the Home Builders Association may have their hands full anyway.<br />
<br />
Planners still want to say that measures such as the deconstruction mandate (which only applies to a small percentage of homes being demolished) should assuage anti-demo activists, but we've already seen developers game their way out of that requirement—look out for the "dangerous building" exemption, already applied to save a few thousand bucks and to keep on dusting neighbors and neighborhoods with hazmat the old-fashioned way.<br />
<br />
Portland has many creative, caring people who work in construction; it's worth wondering why these folks aren't getting a crack at the playing field. Surely we don't have to settle for the gamers, the polluters, and the people making short-term investments that have long-term impacts on everyone else.<br />
<br />
We can do better, and now with new leadership in place, we will.margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-90587608880860503002016-11-01T23:43:00.002-07:002016-11-02T17:17:03.851-07:00Sometimes the truth hits you between the eyesWe've written about <a href="https://portlandforeveryone.org/">Portland for Everyone</a> before, <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2016/08/who-let-unicorns-out_15.html">here</a> and <a href="http://portlandlandmatters.blogspot.com/2016/06/weve-got-1000-questions-for-1000-friends.html">here</a> when they made their debut with stolen artwork, and now apparently they have some <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/residential-infill-testimony-prep-happy-hour-1-tickets-28665601586?aff=erelexpmlt">treats in store</a>. Free food! Never mind that the munchies likely will be sponsored by Vic Remmers and Everett Custom Homes (Portland for Everyone underwriters), and perhaps other teardown darlings wreaking destruction across our city, throwing away unique well-built homes to build market-rate units unaffordable to many.<br />
<br />
Hopefully those snacks won't be laced with the lead and asbestos that Remmers and the other teardown developers regularly unleash on neighbors, but the swag has a cost: You will be urged to testify against your interests, your city, and your neighborhood by embracing a plan to increase demolitions beyond even current record-breaking levels.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQxMFhNd9ds2M1utdXFfjLDIg1zlJzW6zpLXTEEn5KwOxQl_0-l3hf2GDpbzMGJ-n3LtI-CM9M9cLKcGM4PTxokEQhzniVlXJlIYjGP34J_DsVwdF4jynxvOqXmt4RSADz-2gtLGeXgY/s1600/14902701_10209528034951469_7555182450545225813_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQxMFhNd9ds2M1utdXFfjLDIg1zlJzW6zpLXTEEn5KwOxQl_0-l3hf2GDpbzMGJ-n3LtI-CM9M9cLKcGM4PTxokEQhzniVlXJlIYjGP34J_DsVwdF4jynxvOqXmt4RSADz-2gtLGeXgY/s640/14902701_10209528034951469_7555182450545225813_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Eat up, but look beyond the slick slide show and the feel-good promises. All you have to do is check out the masthead for the group and you'll see that front and center is an illegal AirBnB that rents for <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4963976">$160/night</a>. The place looks cute, but at $4,800/month it sure isn't for "Everyone."margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-65712094351148363122016-10-31T17:37:00.003-07:002018-05-01T22:30:26.846-07:00This round of testimony, see if you can spot the engineering<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8C9LQ3mdYEv70HmNWWOLfqQ032OnC9y9GjQCJck-idylxwjqFYdlF6ed7njUaHO7t-prL_pDvWKiaIZfNAJA0wucctkoTFYFxNe6Cf1HxpYS1Hju9AlDeFajWBwwuApNPi991tgR3IY/s1600/P1120008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8C9LQ3mdYEv70HmNWWOLfqQ032OnC9y9GjQCJck-idylxwjqFYdlF6ed7njUaHO7t-prL_pDvWKiaIZfNAJA0wucctkoTFYFxNe6Cf1HxpYS1Hju9AlDeFajWBwwuApNPi991tgR3IY/s320/P1120008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Halloween, let the RIP rest in peace.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Remember the demo tax? I know, painful memories all around. The Home Builders Association—always against anything that cuts into profits, especially if it means retaining the well-built affordable housing we have around here—now <a href="http://demandaffordability.org/files/NAHB_%20AEA%20-%20HBA%20Awards%20Winner%20Directory.htm">brags that it harpooned the whole thing</a> by recruiting a parade of people to clamor against it.<br />
<br />
Dunno if they were paid actors, but I remember at the time scratching my head and wondering where all these suddenly passionate advocates of teardown construction were coming from. Turns out at least some weren't from Portland at all. There was, for example, the Esco engineer Clinton Wood, who opined long and hard about how he simply could not find any housing in Portland that fit his needs—this in a roomful of Portlanders who had somehow managed it.<br />
<br />
The application for the award of "best government affairs effort" is full of inaccuracies, namely that Portland has very little available land (in fact, according to city officials, we have twice as much as we need to meet growth projections until 2035) and that the tax would restrict building affordable housing (now that the demo tax is long dead, we should have seen some of that elusive affordable housing already), but the meat of it is the great pains the HBA took to sway City Council with seemingly authentic voices from the ground level. In the HBA's words:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Since Portland prides itself on being progressive, t</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he HBA engineered a testimonial lineup that featured a leading housing/economics professor from Portland State University – the training ground for most of the city planners, an expectant mother seeking to tear-down her existing home and rebuild but could not afford an additional $25,000, a gay gentlemen [sic] who had recently adopted a son with his husband hoping to move their new family back into Portland but realized that the tax would hinder the chances of finding an affordable home, and an African-American retiree living in a rapidly gentrifying area of the city who understood that any tax would hinder the value of his “nest egg” and was not fair to him and other long-time residents that had seen that neighborhood through from the 'tail to the top.'"</span></span></blockquote>
As we approach testimony time for the latest HBA dream in the guise of the Residential Infill Project (or RIP), prepare for more gaming of the system and keep an ear out for flash recruits to the pro-demolition cause. Even better, be the honest voice of the Portland resident, and tell City Council what you think about the <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2016/10/in-runup-to-halloween-planners-release.html">RIP recommendations</a> that would exponentially increase demolitions and the uncontrolled release of hazardous materials, loss of tree canopy, and more.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKmIKfHEQlMxMf3Wt2W6L_aNeasIK0ejFCU262lY1-Oez2dOyT_fKTsnr1wTyxx8HfO3MZbmG1qwtRtbk0EIba9e92MPGgFAWBviBxl9ZM2nrweZiq529vjLYPGnZSC1ToYxhowQDn3g/s1600/P1110831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKmIKfHEQlMxMf3Wt2W6L_aNeasIK0ejFCU262lY1-Oez2dOyT_fKTsnr1wTyxx8HfO3MZbmG1qwtRtbk0EIba9e92MPGgFAWBviBxl9ZM2nrweZiq529vjLYPGnZSC1ToYxhowQDn3g/s320/P1110831.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy Thorington (center) leads a city subcommittee that's<br />
meant to address hazmat fallout during demolition. During this<br />
early September meeting, however, she said "we can't" 16 times.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Until Portlanders see leadership more responsive to their needs instead of those of short-term and (usually) out-of-town investors, neighbor activists would do well to focus less on policy and more on ground-level actions that are making a difference. Look for a guide to teardown-proofing your block (coming soon), and keep distributing the neighbor pledge (at right margin and bottom of page <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/">here</a>), keep demanding hazmat control at city meetings (right) and demolition sites, and keep making your voice heard, whether it's expressing concern over the scale and value of new construction in the neighborhood, educating would-be buyers about not letting their kids play in the dirt there or growing food (if mechanical demolition took place), and so on.<br />
<br />
These guerrilla efforts are slowing sales, and reducing motivation to send to the landfill well-built unique housing that's served generations of Portlanders.margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-9575134353912274932016-07-31T23:27:00.001-07:002016-08-01T00:02:39.980-07:00It's a long way from conceptual to actual, and the devil may be in lack of detailSome illuminating questions and answers have come out of the open houses dedicated to proposals brought about by the Residential Infill Project (more info and background <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2016/07/talking-points-come-in-nick-of-time.html">here</a>).<br />
<br />
Among the queries heard from the keen audience at the East Portland Neighborhood Office event:<br />
<br />
<b>• "Is this the proposal for developers or for homeowners?"</b><br />
<div>
<b>• "I have $90,000 in student loans, is there anything in this proposal that would help me afford a house?"</b><br />
<br />
I did not hear how the first query was answered, but for the second, planning chief Joe Zehnder said the proposals will not help with affordability.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosekLYKpRMxWHhRmNUtgubgrscoeZdCXj8BZNkHCt79SWQVTo-W-URi88nI7kJ-D7waOLfgqzS0avl8Shx3jASIqcE9E7RWmR-TALlN9FO2swiwJzpXsSSDLUh0DKztA7hflQUeEGFRY/s1600/IMG_20160713_195457828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosekLYKpRMxWHhRmNUtgubgrscoeZdCXj8BZNkHCt79SWQVTo-W-URi88nI7kJ-D7waOLfgqzS0avl8Shx3jASIqcE9E7RWmR-TALlN9FO2swiwJzpXsSSDLUh0DKztA7hflQUeEGFRY/s400/IMG_20160713_195457828.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City planners Morgan Tracy (left) and Joe Zehnder take questions at the<br />
East Portland Neighborhood Office on July 13, one of several outings<br />
for proposals issuing from the Residential Infill Project.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The building bonanza of the last several years has seen housing prices skyrocket, further proof you can't build your way to affordability (even more proof: New York City). You can, however, make creative use of the vacant land that remains—as the planning department reported, we have twice as much as we need to meet density goals until 2035. In the meantime, let's adapt solid old buildings for new uses, and treat the vacant sites as opportunities to show new development can benefit the entire community. Wouldn't we all love additional great neighborhoods to live in and explore?<br />
<br />
Even more worrying for the loan-burdened student at the East Portland event, if we continue to lose single-family homes at such an astonishing rate, there will be ever fewer of them available to buy. The city's current demo-favorable policies decrease the type of housing that respondents in a Metro study overwhelmingly favored: the good old detached home. Read on for stats about places whose streetscapes are dominated by single-family homes and yet they're not dumping them into landfills because "in density we trust."<br />
<br />
One of Portland's dense <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/07/80_people_displaced_after_nort.html">new buildings that went up in a hurry recently caught fire</a>, just three years after opening. The fire, according to the news report, "disabled the complex's fire detection systems." Eighty residents were displaced, but are probably counting themselves lucky.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JQnYiqE3ceuMZd92y7voJulKnUVkbbRUsmLks9e0sEMa4caIHFkgwX90hoVx8pFclIz663ylyApgOiEXWUoB2VYz3pfZE4Pur3BIg2IrmtSAByfsycFdjwVfTqU7epttmgTwj5QqF2c/s1600/Citylovebig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JQnYiqE3ceuMZd92y7voJulKnUVkbbRUsmLks9e0sEMa4caIHFkgwX90hoVx8pFclIz663ylyApgOiEXWUoB2VYz3pfZE4Pur3BIg2IrmtSAByfsycFdjwVfTqU7epttmgTwj5QqF2c/s320/Citylovebig.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i>Courtesy Patrick Hilton/Citylove</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Neighbors dig into data</b><br />
<br />
Patrick Hilton of Citylove crunched the numbers the city gives for population forecasts and desirable density increases. Slides from a recent presentation show some of his findings. He found we already have sufficiently dense neighborhoods—even higher than what seems to be the city's target—so why keep demolishing already?<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Pucm4NQptl1WyMwxVTDUFF0f1a7YZ8Cpqq70YirPrgxbldrRMvsG74mHhQeVhdl4EQhCLIFL7oieSzT_javKhKQoZC05wKXh6nvXqkjW9FYI7Qc5HUJjC4-Mte1GyQKp4l4sZ_F2gFg/s1600/densityinfo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Pucm4NQptl1WyMwxVTDUFF0f1a7YZ8Cpqq70YirPrgxbldrRMvsG74mHhQeVhdl4EQhCLIFL7oieSzT_javKhKQoZC05wKXh6nvXqkjW9FYI7Qc5HUJjC4-Mte1GyQKp4l4sZ_F2gFg/s400/densityinfo1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Courtesy Patrick Hilton/Citylove</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7FQgm92-puxK3XauZYycYqqsuKRACxFdxi6C6MdtQoqTr-0JXHUQDCrTgsYrBDUkkTRqECqYS_A45Oj5zJHiavbVSDs-usKV75s2YxGuFVYtvVw-IN66CrSuxuePgSTzTvHNB7nkiBI/s1600/densityinfo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7FQgm92-puxK3XauZYycYqqsuKRACxFdxi6C6MdtQoqTr-0JXHUQDCrTgsYrBDUkkTRqECqYS_A45Oj5zJHiavbVSDs-usKV75s2YxGuFVYtvVw-IN66CrSuxuePgSTzTvHNB7nkiBI/s400/densityinfo2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Courtesy Patrick Hilton/Citylove</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphk6F-Nn70Mc9NBaUKDfg_4lZEFkCgDrtIxTFCRIO28ALCtTyqRHV4Vpg-wUZ9fgF7rIBkwyIbtVXRK8OeBTzjnLvobzByk2Lkw9YWpk0CFqYBparj2H2mmZbgDIxUPX9aSQ4HoORZo0/s1600/densityinfo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphk6F-Nn70Mc9NBaUKDfg_4lZEFkCgDrtIxTFCRIO28ALCtTyqRHV4Vpg-wUZ9fgF7rIBkwyIbtVXRK8OeBTzjnLvobzByk2Lkw9YWpk0CFqYBparj2H2mmZbgDIxUPX9aSQ4HoORZo0/s400/densityinfo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Patrick Hilton/Citylove</span></div>
<div>
<i style="text-align: center;"><br /></i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Small setbacks spur creative response</b><br />
<br />
Roseway neighbors who in the wake of new construction faced a window staring into their breakfast nook devised this privacy screen:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1vxYCNZblp4rMGH0TXFFH2skQ4OGmeqF40Q5EM8vBJJHbTCctjDfwKQq-f6rHMun2yCPPAScnG3Js7lagQUxjqM_fgaLJmEYwbJRnvz1fbq6akr_IjtxlkqxVirbFIBAW419yz5h0xQ/s1600/creditRandelPerkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1vxYCNZblp4rMGH0TXFFH2skQ4OGmeqF40Q5EM8vBJJHbTCctjDfwKQq-f6rHMun2yCPPAScnG3Js7lagQUxjqM_fgaLJmEYwbJRnvz1fbq6akr_IjtxlkqxVirbFIBAW419yz5h0xQ/s400/creditRandelPerkins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Courtesy Randel Perkins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-82415130184076671202016-06-27T22:05:00.002-07:002017-04-12T00:40:56.787-07:00We've got 1000 questions for 1000 Friends<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3-MKjgIAqo8gTjXjjPdCR3zvJwo3pHCL_DzYmMlXAZsc-xSF_AX1IuhEraUFK-B4J9VoysDrmz9mQmggtiesZaV10DrrXmBCLBk107dR06vZs8CA4RbEcST8bLbrTATMFLJ5zAKKaEc/s1600/P1110393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3-MKjgIAqo8gTjXjjPdCR3zvJwo3pHCL_DzYmMlXAZsc-xSF_AX1IuhEraUFK-B4J9VoysDrmz9mQmggtiesZaV10DrrXmBCLBk107dR06vZs8CA4RbEcST8bLbrTATMFLJ5zAKKaEc/s400/P1110393.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Québec, new construction (right) matched in size, setbacks, and volume to<br />
older construction shows how easily the two can co-exist. Note how<br />
established trees are allowed to remain as well. Portland can learn from this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Portland may strive to be a world-class sustainable city, but its recent record-breaking years of demolitions speak otherwise.<br />
<br />
Fox News is contacting local activists for a coming exposé focusing on the ironies of our "green" city—tossing old-growth homes full of character and craftsmanship in the landfill, mowing down mature trees, and unleashing plumes of hazardous materials across neighborhoods. Why?<br />
<br />
What's even harder to believe are the recommendations coming out of the Residential Infill Project (actually, more the city staff's, but the group was capably led to the foregone conclusions—something <a href="http://www.portlandchronicle.com/city-failing-promise-infill-project-letter-editor/">astute observers picked up on right away</a>). After wonking out in an office building downtown for months, the developer-heavy group (surprise!) went beyond the mission of the project and decided to propose opening up much of the city to even more demolition; start reading from Page 12 <a href="http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/580581">here</a>. Modest homes don't stand a chance in the face of a radical rezoning that allows a free-for-all of use. They will be plowed under in a second by those who speak "affordable housing" but really only want to mine real estate gold.<br />
<br />
If "affordable housing" was what these developers crave to create, then let's see some already. It is difficult to give a nod to more construction when what is being built brings such outsize impacts and so little benefit to the neighborhoods. Antidemolition activists can point to a litany of code violations large and small; add to them the fallout of hazardous materials from mechanical demolition, unpaid fines (some are just factored into the pro forma, or never paid at all), lax oversight, noncompliance with code, and lack of accountability and there's reason for skepticism.<br />
<br />
<b>Opportunities exist to build better</b><br />
<br />
The Urban Growth Boundary is not to blame. Again, there's that <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-smash-and-dump-crowd-brings-us-down.html">city study showing we have enough vacant land</a> to meet density goals <i>twice over </i>until 2035. Even <a href="http://www.kgw.com/mb/news/local/demands-for-portlands-core-housing-leaves-suburbs-slow-to-grow/252970213">television news stations are tuning in to the fallacy that we need to demolish to make room,</a> showing that there's plenty of vacant, buildable land within the UGB. It's just that developers would rather trash the lower-hanging fruit of smaller well-built homes in established and well-functioning neighborhoods. How about creating new exciting neighborhoods to live in and visit?! Let's bring quality and creativity back to our built landscape.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA45VYvyWbJEnqiTz17RFt4_BH9tHXmC0mpKaxBeAnl0Mp8L97Q7ELh1F6fDFoeImZ7g5MYSqHOgEU9nNZhLixluOtaFIaa5wJ_O09o8W314jf8Th71uTNFPP354XaXzDu_NzgMTAuufw/s1600/P1110392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA45VYvyWbJEnqiTz17RFt4_BH9tHXmC0mpKaxBeAnl0Mp8L97Q7ELh1F6fDFoeImZ7g5MYSqHOgEU9nNZhLixluOtaFIaa5wJ_O09o8W314jf8Th71uTNFPP354XaXzDu_NzgMTAuufw/s320/P1110392.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Québécois trick for new<br />
construction: Save a historic, handsome<br />
facade, and build behind it (and another old-<br />
growth tree). </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Show Portlanders a preponderance of solid, creative construction that actually addresses housing needs beyond offering market-rate, amenity-poor apartments, and it could be easier to look forward to more. I've long wondered why the developers don't pony up for some good public relations, they need it so. Now it looks like they've found that outfit in the form of 1000 Friends of Oregon.<br />
<br />
It's hard to imagine that a group inspired by Tom McCall would embrace recommendations to further raze quality housing made of old-growth materials. What happened?!<br />
<br />
McCall's not here to speak for himself, unfortunately, but a staunch preservationist as he was likely would be appalled that thousands of Portland homes were painted with bull's-eyes, just waiting to go to the landfill to make way for another MDF manse or plex. This was a guy who would have smirked at the projected influx of people moving to Portland and questioned the necessity of killing ourselves to put out the welcome mat.<br />
<br />
<b>Sunny-sounding group makes awkward start</b><br />
<br />
Another group working PR for the developer-led recommendations out of the Residential Infill Project is the newly launched <a href="https://portlandforeveryone.org/">Portland for Everyone</a>. Their first event is Wednesday and sold out. Apparently, Portland is for everyone but only the first 45 people. Why not show up anyway to show you care about your neighborhood?<br />
<br />
Under the utopia envisioned by the recommendations (which by the way are making the open-house rounds and everyone should go to as many as possible; more <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/">background and details here</a>) most everyone becomes an apartment renter, even when <a href="http://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/innovative-study-examines-regions-housing-preferences">80 percent of respondents in a Metro study</a> said they wanted to live in a detached house.<br />
<br />
One of the first things that Portland for Everyone did was swipe a local photographer's image to paste all over its website and other materials, without asking permission or god forbid paying to use it. For artists increasingly pinched by the cost of housing, that's gotta hurt. First, they lose their studios and places to live in a building bonanza; now they suffer theft of their artwork and livelihood.<br />
<br />
Credibility and inclusion will play a large part in these coming conversations. Anyone undecided should weigh what the proponents and opponents have to gain or lose, and why they're involved in the first place.margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-71838785103714080632016-04-22T21:44:00.001-07:002016-11-02T22:43:52.927-07:00How green was our city<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIeKevFJ9gUiDbjUo6T-pGNQTTSkeIIn4ka-QUkFJCqkH8LiAGJyIuoZuSDlNum7XiRxV6IsSDgGlBnxzzqJzmda-lwlzYOcnFBCDJB7gaoXm4svEVDIgf4lIYyZ2gw0XEI32uWenPqI/s1600/12697343_10153505973762842_7111466461247422290_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIeKevFJ9gUiDbjUo6T-pGNQTTSkeIIn4ka-QUkFJCqkH8LiAGJyIuoZuSDlNum7XiRxV6IsSDgGlBnxzzqJzmda-lwlzYOcnFBCDJB7gaoXm4svEVDIgf4lIYyZ2gw0XEI32uWenPqI/s400/12697343_10153505973762842_7111466461247422290_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Courtesy Lisa Zap Kiraly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Let the demo-delay derby begin</b><br />
<br />
Last spring, the city dithered over new demolition-delay rules to address neighbor outcry over record-breaking numbers of demolitions, with the promise that a year on, the rules would be revisited and fine-tuned if necessary. Of the dozen or so appeals that have been filed, not a single house has been saved. If the process for filing for the appeal was less onerous, and developers plying Portland had more heart in negotiations, perhaps the delay could help preserve some units of our rapidly disappearing store of affordable, unique, and well-built housing.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrJ2MlsOQecy8hEgv0CVTZuFdVIlhBop459RmRMRlfNM9bWdx0_84wk5ddJJHgKFioA9XZlPvdrPUgQCsCghDM4uYfaz2DohjEVpjjd9FGmri91WqNiYahQr9Y7h97biHZemW1FeS4Lw/s1600/IMG_20160217_135812536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrJ2MlsOQecy8hEgv0CVTZuFdVIlhBop459RmRMRlfNM9bWdx0_84wk5ddJJHgKFioA9XZlPvdrPUgQCsCghDM4uYfaz2DohjEVpjjd9FGmri91WqNiYahQr9Y7h97biHZemW1FeS4Lw/s320/IMG_20160217_135812536.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portland Hearings Officer Gregory Frank (second from right) <br />
listens to Concordia neighbors present their appeal for a demo<br />
delay in their neighborhood, a request that was granted in<br />
February.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At last week's meeting of the Development Review Advisory Committee group tasked with demo-delay follow-up, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement's Paul Leistner delivered a rousing speech in favor of "participatory democracy" even while delivering the sad news that it may not be until July that Portlanders can be assured streamlined and timely notice on what's coming down in their neighborhoods. <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2015/11/its-working.html">Six months ago</a>, nearly the same discussion occurred.<br />
<br />
Bravo to the neighbors who brave the demo-delay process, because it's our only tool until we forge a better one. Tell City Council how you wish it could be more effective, for example by restoring the 120-day delay Portlanders used to have at their disposal to save affordable homes, and all the good stuff that comes with them (trees, open space, craftsmanship, to name a few). The longer amount of time would help encourage developers to the negotiating table, and provide enough time to effect a sale. In one demo-delay case, the would-be buyers simply ran out of time to consummate the deal, and the house was lost.<br />
<br />
<b>Change is in the air</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKhUY2BmHyJK0bsp8rJhjhyphenhyphenY7vCp71KxUBRE9gKMmxTZW2kHktyhj79zd1XuUBGlIL_dTW0bySa7JnuE7RdNB0f3cvpeqzBKqpzZ9PuTZWC3kNeriGmpyQtm5ZCRt6_poC1Z6AqEvq9w/s1600/P1110116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKhUY2BmHyJK0bsp8rJhjhyphenhyphenY7vCp71KxUBRE9gKMmxTZW2kHktyhj79zd1XuUBGlIL_dTW0bySa7JnuE7RdNB0f3cvpeqzBKqpzZ9PuTZWC3kNeriGmpyQtm5ZCRt6_poC1Z6AqEvq9w/s320/P1110116.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Eastside Portland Air Coalition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Erin Brockovich made a point at the Air Forum earlier this month of making sure we knew what we had to do.<br />
<br />
With hundreds of Portlanders enraged about the toxic "hot spots" cropping up in their neighborhoods, and hundreds more in the fallout zones around homes demolished by mechanical means, public health and safety moves to the fore. There's <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/">more about Brockovich's talk here</a>, along with additional scenes from the well-organized and packed event that took over the aptly named Revolution Hall.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDn44g-tJFNjpsGgJVxYPh3F3vqVV5iQKPclGlOtKY-WPLivrHDvzxrUAbpGqMBq0-afLebGdJWq-GmmwJ90FaMlWDTlkyJ7il_iOstR-t6hWmacifel6YWB9r0h3g7IqadYyoNDEXCoA/s1600/P1110146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDn44g-tJFNjpsGgJVxYPh3F3vqVV5iQKPclGlOtKY-WPLivrHDvzxrUAbpGqMBq0-afLebGdJWq-GmmwJ90FaMlWDTlkyJ7il_iOstR-t6hWmacifel6YWB9r0h3g7IqadYyoNDEXCoA/s200/P1110146.jpg" width="200" /></a>Along with Brockovich, many local activists spoke on other aspects of the cause, including Tamara Rubin (right), whose film, <i><a href="http://misleadmovie.com/">MisLead: America's Secret Epidemic</a></i>, exposes the preventable but irreversible condition of lead poisoning.<br />
<br />
<b>Pirates keep plying</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOJNGsElb1GXlAi0SQoK14EuooKbCDzdIztqoDBMpAiqTjfH0Gm7XurMQhgqzg9rdhrfC1zEQW9gCcqoSQcXLhS6ZRz0DPv9RRHOhajyTP8k56K0T7Tuf4incK2bLRd315Jh-i1rqh08/s1600/IMG_20160217_161346949-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOJNGsElb1GXlAi0SQoK14EuooKbCDzdIztqoDBMpAiqTjfH0Gm7XurMQhgqzg9rdhrfC1zEQW9gCcqoSQcXLhS6ZRz0DPv9RRHOhajyTP8k56K0T7Tuf4incK2bLRd315Jh-i1rqh08/s320/IMG_20160217_161346949-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gang of three (from left), Jeff Fish, Nancy Thorington, and<br />
Maryhelen Kincaid, eases the way for teardown builders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While activists organize, teardown builders keep hammering away, including a push for a <a href="https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/569929">last-minute amendment</a> to the Comp Plan that threatens thousands of homes citywide. The Development Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) meetings continue to offer a solid education of the commerce-at-all-costs perspective. At a DRAC meeting earlier this year, Bureau of Planning staffer Shawn Wood had no sooner finished presenting on the proposal to deconstruct homes when developer Jeff Fish launched into a litany of complaints about how deconstruction would take longer, cost more, and so on and on. It was enough to make you want to build on vacant land.<br />
<br />
Fish, a former chairman of the committee, has its ear, and good friends, too, where he needs them. Here's what some of those friends are up to.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2VkagpDysERsgbZNLySNo97W9Mqf-sxG_XHo6k2HN6NYpswhG1UXPHDqaiZL8STqDLwnbx5-oKQEqkj2EGpq-ufIwbjx7oBSKifXDI5SG8XojCs9BjTdhdMKu7XfJrrRVtoNZwZi2Vo/s1600/IMG_20160222_155231478_HDR-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2VkagpDysERsgbZNLySNo97W9Mqf-sxG_XHo6k2HN6NYpswhG1UXPHDqaiZL8STqDLwnbx5-oKQEqkj2EGpq-ufIwbjx7oBSKifXDI5SG8XojCs9BjTdhdMKu7XfJrrRVtoNZwZi2Vo/s320/IMG_20160222_155231478_HDR-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everett <i>Custom</i> Homes brings a triple dose of suburban style<br />
to Northeast Portland. Call it "Tualatine."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg0UYxiyA_VLoIbXuyAlsBYD3s4RsukVGgDeTLZCPlDm9RCbcDD-ieGaBdoZ18KjhOj38NVBOsLe80mrO_DOoiIqaa4cUDReGrkz9169v30Kh7QSE03VHINd5IwFLyoka6pyTe2yhvzs/s1600/IMG_20160113_104143804-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg0UYxiyA_VLoIbXuyAlsBYD3s4RsukVGgDeTLZCPlDm9RCbcDD-ieGaBdoZ18KjhOj38NVBOsLe80mrO_DOoiIqaa4cUDReGrkz9169v30Kh7QSE03VHINd5IwFLyoka6pyTe2yhvzs/s320/IMG_20160113_104143804-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yet more proof that suburbanites are working over Portland;<br />
sidewalks aren't for walking, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOahn2N3v276dRK0qA298T36AizS8I_hnYK7jmr5ho3CTGZZGwMV6IswHXcposrVcWepKVeoFQMsGcVeiB-OoD-2f04kCVX1Ujm7tiQNiIWpCjY6eL0deiSIurs88MZiUQrtfUZbbqYhI/s1600/IMG_20160218_152745163-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOahn2N3v276dRK0qA298T36AizS8I_hnYK7jmr5ho3CTGZZGwMV6IswHXcposrVcWepKVeoFQMsGcVeiB-OoD-2f04kCVX1Ujm7tiQNiIWpCjY6eL0deiSIurs88MZiUQrtfUZbbqYhI/s320/IMG_20160218_152745163-2.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erosion concerns are here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbajm0AdV0KYP9c-wv5TUIMmIqcqLlG80jgjRi1EeFxCfttEyRNFRYu5d14__5FMOwVssyPa1aJBweiExFz2FcTMrLaN-5NVRejqmcKma5hVlN-YJ9jwmy2i5ORd4qB44fRROZo6Eq9sY/s1600/P1110215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbajm0AdV0KYP9c-wv5TUIMmIqcqLlG80jgjRi1EeFxCfttEyRNFRYu5d14__5FMOwVssyPa1aJBweiExFz2FcTMrLaN-5NVRejqmcKma5hVlN-YJ9jwmy2i5ORd4qB44fRROZo6Eq9sY/s320/P1110215.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three walls and you're out: Randy Sebastian socks it to 'em<br />
on Northeast Fremont.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-14471075868474566042016-02-29T09:35:00.002-08:002016-02-29T09:35:16.302-08:00Tonight!For more info on tonight's free event <i>Let's Take the Lead on Lead</i> at 6:30 p.m. at the Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., visit the United Neighborhoods for Reform blog <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcyy6fOONDRkiz4yy0XHxVBEAl8KdX0A4WZlwgTd2L0PTKJ-rvnPw2FdQtDkuyeEVBjyBFea2wqL-8lH26e4U4miqDeQpmQ70XFbZPjdvqhM2QRo-jJtIjfK7MRYfvJAEFUM3PKcNh9Q/s1600/MisLEAD-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcyy6fOONDRkiz4yy0XHxVBEAl8KdX0A4WZlwgTd2L0PTKJ-rvnPw2FdQtDkuyeEVBjyBFea2wqL-8lH26e4U4miqDeQpmQ70XFbZPjdvqhM2QRo-jJtIjfK7MRYfvJAEFUM3PKcNh9Q/s400/MisLEAD-image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-31319578851849944252016-01-10T23:26:00.000-08:002016-01-14T14:30:38.689-08:00Comment tampering takes the cake [updated]<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XNU1SFwsiLVNVvYqconM1hS919OjULr1CeweUtSfYLdYHUkevw14LNWihr36fmkctQAAokFAghGa-FeYG7Rx1PPp4UT5nhmzXwtDJqpW6n9sRBgsfLkWxpJqlf7e9gwmLdUGeKWL1tc/s1600/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XNU1SFwsiLVNVvYqconM1hS919OjULr1CeweUtSfYLdYHUkevw14LNWihr36fmkctQAAokFAghGa-FeYG7Rx1PPp4UT5nhmzXwtDJqpW6n9sRBgsfLkWxpJqlf7e9gwmLdUGeKWL1tc/s320/sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">We stand strong despite the shenanigans on all levels.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Like the <a href="http://katu.com/news/local/stolen-signs-lead-to-conspiracy-theories">Stop the Demolition of Portland Homes signs that keep disappearing</a>, public comment isn't safe. Especially when submitted to the city of Portland. Take the recent example of city planners erasing much of what the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association (BWNA) had to say about changes afoot in the neighborhood.<br />
<br />
As a board (and full disclosure: I'm on it) we worked hard last fall to submit comment, as requested by city staff, on changes proposed under the Bureau of Planning's Mixed Use Zones Project. It took us some weeks, and several drafts, but we finally submitted a letter on Nov. 16 that outlined our vision for Northeast Fremont Street, the thoroughfare that serves our neighborhood (and many others).<br />
<br />
It happened that our vision differed from the one the city was proposing.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbX8tXY8ZB81Zv9IQajbS6r_W2FIu_PYXh4AXH8R5yZtHfCfBzhImCIUepoDu0mIVhQsGfA4P2q2x4JrYoBOhk9jObAp66iXbhMr5GeY76ls7Mnq_pcEimosycf0_NXgUGtAA7ZMFVF8/s1600/photo+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbX8tXY8ZB81Zv9IQajbS6r_W2FIu_PYXh4AXH8R5yZtHfCfBzhImCIUepoDu0mIVhQsGfA4P2q2x4JrYoBOhk9jObAp66iXbhMr5GeY76ls7Mnq_pcEimosycf0_NXgUGtAA7ZMFVF8/s400/photo+3.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art at Oregon College of Art & Craft could be interpreted<br />
as a message for Portlanders from their planners.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Activists have long wondered why city decisions don't reflect the wishes of those living at the ground level, and now we know why. Decision makers aren't learning what we have to say because it is not allowed to get to their eyes and ears.<br />
<br />
At the time of writing our comment, some members of our board argued that we shouldn't just criticize the proposals at hand, but should also praise the planners for what we saw that was good and useful in the proposals. Boy, did that backfire.<br />
<br />
Planners behind the Mixed Use Zones Project gathered all the public comment received, whether from individuals or city-blessed (we thought) groups like ours, into a single massive document. We were stunned to discover our comment significantly altered; about all that was left was the positive things, but nothing about our concrete suggestions for Fremont, or even what we had learned that would be useful in planning Fremont's future (for example: TriMet planners told us there would be no frequent service for transit along Fremont in the foreseeable future, certainly a factor in planning development there).<br />
<br />
Other deletions, as listed by BWNA's land use chair:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;">• Our stated strong opposition to CM-2 zoning for Northeast Fremont -- GONE</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;">• Our sentence re: the Fremont corridor being poorly served by public transit -- GONE</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;">• Our "gotcha" where we found the planners had changed the wording of CM-2 criteria from well served by <b>frequent</b> transit to just well served by transit -- GONE</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">• The unsuitability of the infrastructure on Fremont to support high-density development, such as narrowness of the street and other factors – GONE</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;">• A reference to our having submitted comments in the past but having them basically ignored -- GONE</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 11pt;">• A mention that we <i>had</i> in fact worked with our liaison Nan Stark but apparently to no avail -- GONE</span></div>
<br />
This wasn't some sloppy copy-and-paste that left much of our neighborhood's comment on the cutting room floor; this was a paragraph-by-paragraph careful excision of information and well-researched conclusions that ensured a silenced voice in how "we" plan this city.<br />
<br />
For all of you who also submitted comment on various proposals related to city planning—whether online, by letter, or in other forms—has your voice been heard? How would you know?<br />
<br />
[Update: The response from the Bureau of Planning:<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">Dear Ms. Strunk and Mr. Bookwalter [the authors of the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association comment]:</span><br />
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">It has come to my attention that the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association (B-WNA) is concerned that Bureau of Planning and Sustainability staff has “tampered” with comments submitted by the association on the Mixed Use Zones Discussion Draft (<a href="http://portlandlandmatters.blogspot.com/2016/01/comment-tampering-takes-cake.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://portlandlandmatters.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2016/01/comment-<wbr></wbr>tampering-takes-cake.html</a>). </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">Please let me clarify what happened and attempt to address any misunderstandings. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">BPS staff compiled comments from the public, advisory committee (PAC) members, and technical advisors into a spreadsheet, primarily for internal staff review of issues and further analysis. We have kept the original comments from B-WNA and others in our records as well. In that compilation process, some comments were summarized for brevity or in some cases to consolidate issues. However, the intent was to capture the main points of the comments in a summary spreadsheet document. That spreadsheet was shared with the PAC (and public in attendance) at the meeting on 12-16-15 to give them a sense of the content, range and volume of comments staff received on the Discussion Draft. We acknowledge that some of the details in the original B-WNA Discussion Draft comments were not fully included in the spreadsheet summary, and I apologize for any misunderstanding this has created. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">In terms of the B-WNA Discussion Draft comments, it is project staff’s understanding that BWNA strongly opposes the CM2 zoning that is being proposed via the output of the MUZ conversion table; B-WNA believes the CM2 zone is not appropriate for a number of reasons (lack of frequent transit and other services, the character of surrounding area, the width of Fremont Street, etc.), and that B-WNA believes that the CM1 zone is a more appropriate zoning choice for this location on NE Fremont. The B-WNA letter also brings up concerns about changes in the zone characteristics language, and acknowledges issues the B-WNA supports, such as parking requirements for areas that lack frequent transit service, and new rules for height measurements. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">Given the concerns you raise about the summary spreadsheet passed out on 12-16-15 and in order to be as transparent as possible, BPS will post all the MUZ Discussion Draft comments, as submitted, to the BPS Mixed Use Zones web page. We will also notify the PAC so that they can review the entire set of comments. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">I</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"> would be happy to meet with you to discuss the B-WNA comments and concerns further. Please feel free to contact me directly if you wish to set up a meeting.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">Thank you for your ongoing participation in the Comprehensive Plan Update and Mixed Use Zones Project. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">Sincerely,</span><br />
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">Barry Manning</span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<b><span style="color: olive; font-size: 7.5pt;">Barry Manning </span></b><b><span style="color: olive; font-size: 7.5pt;">| </span></b><b><span style="color: olive; font-size: 7.5pt;">Senior Planner</span></b><br />
<div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: olive; font-size: 7.5pt;">Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability</span></b><span style="color: #1f497d;"></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: olive; font-size: 7.5pt;">1900 SW 4th Avenue #7100, Portland, OR 97201</span></b><span style="color: #1f497d;"></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: olive; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="tel:503.823.7965" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" value="+15038237965">503.823.7965</a> (p) </span></b><b><span style="color: olive; font-size: 7.5pt;">| </span></b><b><span style="color: olive; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="tel:503.823.7800" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" value="+15038237800">503.823.7800</a> (f)</span></b><span style="color: #1f497d;"></span></div>
</div>
<a href="mailto:barry.manning@portlandoregon.gov" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 7.5pt;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">barry.manning@portlandoregon.<wbr></wbr>gov</span></b></a><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;">]</span></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A few observations:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">• Nothing on the cover of the bureau's document of compiled comment says anything about the content being "edits," "highlights," "summary," "main points," or "consolidation." Even if it did, the surgical editing of the BWNA comment to take out criticism and leave in all the praise speaks for itself.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">• The members of the public advisory committee, technical advisors, and planning staff are decision makers, or at least proposal drafters, who would benefit from reviewing unedited comment from stakeholders, such as directly affected and locally knowledgeable neighborhood associations.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">• Will anyone go to the website and read all the comment posted there, as now pledged by the bureau? How will we know what other comment is not appearing in its entirety?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">• These are not "misunderstandings."</span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">• We stand by the evidence as printed.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The <a href="http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/288598-165683-neighbors-planners-spar-over-edited-testimony">Portland Tribune story</a> further discusses this issue, and includes the original neighborhood comment along with the edits made by city planners.</span></div>
</div>
margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-22321401560640692772015-12-27T20:57:00.000-08:002017-07-19T00:08:34.569-07:00Residential Infill Project participants walk to talk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGxkq0pOFvvB-OQkGVVVZHqS5CHb3G6E4QKbqV5lYX4qw7Q8drHC_RAx8uqdYs25KOkbGw5GGwlkl1arIg73vo0kNXGOcS2tbrp9BgA-cotUTbiDBiP-kLbZjYQIUjRMxt2qRxveB7Hc/s1600/P1100495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGxkq0pOFvvB-OQkGVVVZHqS5CHb3G6E4QKbqV5lYX4qw7Q8drHC_RAx8uqdYs25KOkbGw5GGwlkl1arIg73vo0kNXGOcS2tbrp9BgA-cotUTbiDBiP-kLbZjYQIUjRMxt2qRxveB7Hc/s320/P1100495.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As part of its mission to create improved new-construction guidelines, the Residential Infill Project stakeholder advisory committee—aka RIP SAC—recently toured some Portland neighborhoods, looking at new and old development to better inform their decisions.<br />
<br />
It was enlightening to see what the walks included and how people responded. At the Powelhurst-Gilbert walk on Nov. 14, for instance, John Hasenberg (picking up his name tag, above) of the Oregon Remodelers Association and a RIP SAC member, opined that the demolition outcry was all about "rich people fighting other rich people." It sounds like he hasn't met any renters or lower-income people desperately seeking housing or even a starter home that won't be scooped up by a teardown developer and summarily sent to the landfill. Maybe he runs in different circles, but then why would he disparage those who can afford to <a href="http://www.jharchitects.com/">use his services</a>?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82zipD5a8YOd4wABcWgsxXWu1A6uSzsvZ9_w4JlSEIb7IqC-37pjbyJSALUHv4ECRc7fJVuLkiB7Gxqo-9L0KgRNmAK00QhAxgOnPQ2qPngSs9rmi1S0QksJ55uGWO0oIllTbYcJSZdg/s1600/P1100605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82zipD5a8YOd4wABcWgsxXWu1A6uSzsvZ9_w4JlSEIb7IqC-37pjbyJSALUHv4ECRc7fJVuLkiB7Gxqo-9L0KgRNmAK00QhAxgOnPQ2qPngSs9rmi1S0QksJ55uGWO0oIllTbYcJSZdg/s320/P1100605.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vic Remmers debriefs with the group in Eliot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the Eliot walk later that day, Vic Remmers used the opportunity to market one of his firm's homes.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, part of the RIP SAC budget has gone toward a survey that somehow will help divine what people want to see in new development, although it's not clear how the answers will be interpreted, given how opaquely they are written, such as "New homes bring new families and vibrancy to neighborhoods"—huh? How does this benefit help handle lot sprawlers taking the place of creative site-specific architecture? Thinking of my own neighborhood, I have seen many classic Portland homes that have served generations torn down for huge homes inhabited by many fewer people, and sometimes just one person.<br />
<br />
If "vibrancy" is something that only comes through new construction, I haven't seen it. In fact, many buyers of these homes probably have to work too hard to pay their mortgages to engage with neighbors and their neighborhood.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEINFVS_0_bXx9oQ2lmAmzwrVQ65rA7cE6cIoZ9NMl7cN27QDTMjS4xH3QL5r09X8msaEl5v_n0BUH2bC4Np8XtmMbcot9H1EGmB8CEOrzY87138o4XSd3hXH6a4Zlnzz-qeEjR5MT6QU/s1600/P1100593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEINFVS_0_bXx9oQ2lmAmzwrVQ65rA7cE6cIoZ9NMl7cN27QDTMjS4xH3QL5r09X8msaEl5v_n0BUH2bC4Np8XtmMbcot9H1EGmB8CEOrzY87138o4XSd3hXH6a4Zlnzz-qeEjR5MT6QU/s400/P1100593.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the Eliot walk Nov. 14, city staffer Julia Gisler (in red) and<br />
moderator Anne Pressentin (in blue) note comments by RIP SAC member <br />
Rick Michaelson (far left).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the Dec. 1 meeting, RIP SAC's own members wondered how scientific the survey was, and what it would prove.<br />
<br />
So go ahead, <a href="http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2479550/Portland-Infill-Survey">take the survey</a> meant to help "shape the project's evaluation criteria and potential options." But better to show up in person at a RIP SAC meeting to say how you really feel, in your own words. The next opportunity is at 6:10 p.m. for the meeting that runs <b>6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5</b>, at 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave., Room 2500A. As the last meeting showed, the <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2015/12/as-we-wrap-tax-lets-look-to-make-real.html">committee needs to hear from neighbors citywide</a>.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, take <i>this</i> survey, which might help get at the heart of the problem:<br />
<br />
<b>My neighborhood is</b> (choose one):<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4O9Z-fHVlC_l4m4oh8TbgPWGKhrJfXCV-ZYDsUOalvp-R-90eRf7le3BMQdBtrovcdbPg_LhlBYQuJ1IhRStFdqg8zVDUkciqrJE2Wu3gTZwCoi55iUGSt32tWBoa4d7pkVTm5nieeI/s1600/P1100511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4O9Z-fHVlC_l4m4oh8TbgPWGKhrJfXCV-ZYDsUOalvp-R-90eRf7le3BMQdBtrovcdbPg_LhlBYQuJ1IhRStFdqg8zVDUkciqrJE2Wu3gTZwCoi55iUGSt32tWBoa4d7pkVTm5nieeI/s400/P1100511.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RIP SAC members (from left) Garlynn Woodsong, Tatiana Xenelis-Mendoza,<br />
David Sweet, and Maggie McGann stroll a Southeast cul-de-sac as part of the<br />
Nov. 14 walk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
1. a place to live<br />
2. a profit center<br />
<br />
<b>Portland's elected leaders should represent the interests of </b>(choose one):<br />
1. Portland residents and taxpayers<br />
2. out-of-town teardown developers<br />
3. short-term Wall Street investors<br />
<br />
<b>If I don't stand up for my interests:</b><br />
1. Who will?<br />
<br />
<b>Water flows make woes</b><br />
<br />
With the winter deluge, Portlanders are reminded of the usefulness of trees and permeable surfaces, which can absorb water instead of sending it into the streets and to overburdened storm drains. Even after shelling out big bucks for the Big Pipe, the overflows continue.<br />
<br />
One wonders if the loss of mature urban trees during these record-breaking years of home demolitions (when a lot is typically razed of every living thing), combined with the sheer footprint of the replacement homes (one neighborhood's two-year study showed they are 2.3 times bigger) and the adjoining outsize hardscapes have added to our water worries.<br />
<br />
The big players don't seem to mind, building headlong in the downpours and not bothering to cover their work. The following images show standing water, creating some pretty squishy material underfoot, in homes built in the rain.<br />
<br />
Jeff Fish, former chair of the Development Review Advisory Committee, which eases the way for developers in city processes and politics, is proud of saying that developers "self-certify" as to the moisture content in the homes they build. I love that. "Looks OK to me!" you can imagine them saying. "Now cover it up with drywall!"<br />
<br />
Here's a great article about <a href="http://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-039-five-things">mold and other problems with new construction</a>. As the author notes, they sure don't build like they used to. He points out that the more processed the materials—and that's all the lower-quality builders pop for—the less resistance they have to mold and water. Several real estate agents in Portland agree that mold is a much bigger problem in new construction than in the older homes, and the article shows the many reasons why.<br />
<br />
Here are pictures of the standing water in homes under construction in Portland. Pity whoever buys them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieALINqGyGAny49oAwmbE4xvi6gN7WQmYYSs-1ISkwbAKQzoGsGmKlM4CeibD3lOjrtJz9rPBMCxj_uUKiTu2hinRHmittjptISnMuNZDdenx9i_iZibnVxNMgSbP4ews3vAC9jogn9KM/s1600/IMG_20151225_125904977_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieALINqGyGAny49oAwmbE4xvi6gN7WQmYYSs-1ISkwbAKQzoGsGmKlM4CeibD3lOjrtJz9rPBMCxj_uUKiTu2hinRHmittjptISnMuNZDdenx9i_iZibnVxNMgSbP4ews3vAC9jogn9KM/s400/IMG_20151225_125904977_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir4-0TsU2KZASCS0biS3iBrcUa5E4HKnXrj3xpaHtPR35oXFGWdjPWs3HttQd0DDgN1WzOMUPCoXDHJwGSNZiSRDLtAJRB1lClylA1S7LkSCajrWNdP3lB3gjpWgXna_IX-pRxSOti-w/s1600/IMG_20151225_125918365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir4-0TsU2KZASCS0biS3iBrcUa5E4HKnXrj3xpaHtPR35oXFGWdjPWs3HttQd0DDgN1WzOMUPCoXDHJwGSNZiSRDLtAJRB1lClylA1S7LkSCajrWNdP3lB3gjpWgXna_IX-pRxSOti-w/s320/IMG_20151225_125918365.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYen83inkL2BxDDd4cCMBaccJ0hjAISRwlPUcpRFeMbremos_8FZ-RfvrhOEtczKyYaz_C0YTWhTdpol2aP3TKgqIhdnICeriBQu4KiXm8CTkC17RGRMbWaZKtdBcD413o__kY5C2kdpU/s1600/IMG_20151225_125928103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYen83inkL2BxDDd4cCMBaccJ0hjAISRwlPUcpRFeMbremos_8FZ-RfvrhOEtczKyYaz_C0YTWhTdpol2aP3TKgqIhdnICeriBQu4KiXm8CTkC17RGRMbWaZKtdBcD413o__kY5C2kdpU/s320/IMG_20151225_125928103.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0S03MC98hCcvjS4z16OgBkVI5JAKbFsYhInRcrka27dt4H3OD7gufDpHG_qIQKlyy8Oo6ggCLCZNKFTGgfj4IsOVvSR5irYVIOL0MR4IGWG3JsZd4HnK9K3vxC2X-waO7j4dVXpTK9jE/s1600/IMG_20151225_130109977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0S03MC98hCcvjS4z16OgBkVI5JAKbFsYhInRcrka27dt4H3OD7gufDpHG_qIQKlyy8Oo6ggCLCZNKFTGgfj4IsOVvSR5irYVIOL0MR4IGWG3JsZd4HnK9K3vxC2X-waO7j4dVXpTK9jE/s320/IMG_20151225_130109977.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fXRj17hXRNmZeaGKfCA0yNJQ0w2CMoX_vqszNtX3VXzg0Sh39wKwcwGdDRU3YJNSbLpDT4ZrrBVAJiRMbhuMvobN02FsF7do4BIoW2pDgYZDaGdYRCsXu54fDv9Sy2wX_xGZttx-5QQ/s1600/IMG_20151225_130222993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fXRj17hXRNmZeaGKfCA0yNJQ0w2CMoX_vqszNtX3VXzg0Sh39wKwcwGdDRU3YJNSbLpDT4ZrrBVAJiRMbhuMvobN02FsF7do4BIoW2pDgYZDaGdYRCsXu54fDv9Sy2wX_xGZttx-5QQ/s400/IMG_20151225_130222993.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-18554088981325439032015-11-04T12:21:00.006-08:002017-07-19T00:17:55.608-07:00Positive change is possible—let's see someWhile the city rolls up its sleeves to clear the way in the comprehensive plan for the mostly out-of-town developers and <a href="http://invw.org/2015/09/08/wall-street-moves-in-on-portland-rental-homes/">Wall Street investors</a> plying our city, it's worth wondering why. It used to be people picked Portland as a place to live because they wanted to be part of the creativity, and contribute to it. They would throw in together as roommates, renting homes in real neighborhoods and pitching in for causes that interested them. There was no expectation of gleaming new <a href="http://katu.com/news/local/marketing-video-for-burnside-26-sparks-debate-on-portland-living">loft apartments with dog washes</a>.<br />
<br />
Listen to one Seattle artist's commentary:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/137379983" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/137379983">John Criscitello (Excerpt, 2015)</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user1069929">Jason Evans</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
Now people arrive in Portland with cravings for cupcakes, ice cream, and cocktails (not that there's anything bad about those things), but actual participation in the community beyond a commercial bent ranks low. In other words, if you're bringing to the party nothing beyond an appetite, it's like showing up at Burning Man with a six-pack, a video camera, and an RV—nothing to share, everything to take.<br />
<br />
If Portland pursues this kind of immigration wholesale, seems like we'll just have more <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/05/changing_alberta_neighborhood.html">selfie takers and jokes at the shooting scene</a> and <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/09/victim_identified_in_fatal_sou.html">more newcomers mowing down</a> creative, valued members of our cultural scene.<br />
<br />
Killing us softly, I see.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3feuSkzG9V3Jyxs7xUE1l28h51XLQthzu1x_ftSaOHrOPtbnhTBXcrRM_Pjik4v66hpl3dGp7WPNaXGjCquegABFFFNMa7o-m5mwzbLgBGfeanZpaqKoDNHq6stETu2y8FP2lreFE7Q/s1600/IMG_20151015_091627503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3feuSkzG9V3Jyxs7xUE1l28h51XLQthzu1x_ftSaOHrOPtbnhTBXcrRM_Pjik4v66hpl3dGp7WPNaXGjCquegABFFFNMa7o-m5mwzbLgBGfeanZpaqKoDNHq6stETu2y8FP2lreFE7Q/s400/IMG_20151015_091627503.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Commissioner Dan Saltzman (in tie) drops by the October meeting of the<br />
Development Review Advisory Committee, where Development Services<br />
Director Paul Scarlett (on his left) talked about the bureau's<br />
continued cost-recovery mode even with $30 million in the bank.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Rich with cash, poor on enforcement</b><br />
<br />
Senior planner Barry Manning and others at the Bureau of Planning love to say that "one size does not fit all" when it comes to Portland development. So why do they want to collapse nine existing zones into four? This doublespeak recalls some of the finest heard from the Bush enterprise, <i>viz.</i>, if one's military record is at issue, go ahead and attack the competitor's Purple Heart, or if one's cozy familial relationships with Middle East interests are called into question, start a war there.<br />
<br />
Manning attended the Development Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) meeting Oct. 15 to present the mixed-use zones concepts, where "bonuses" such as additional height will be awarded to developers to do the right things. When Los Angeles tried something similar, the <a href="http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20150325/no-more-mcmansions-in-los-angeles-for-two-years-says-council">new rules had the opposite effect</a> and projects emerged even bigger and more onerous, leading to a building moratorium there until such loopholes can be closed and code fixed for the better. Hopeful moral to that story: We don't have to go south to learn from others.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkHHG_EKrj33oalR-JT8MAv_Z2Jg73I41As9jHXyZteHTHRuJm-cLve974ecWK8cLxsIo-l6VnkFQHtASnyj9hdK37FMD6h78SsLmMtnLir3CQve2eyC4N9bxAL8hLFeOAoDZ39xjVos/s1600/12138542_10208223293119406_4543138905193675457_o-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkHHG_EKrj33oalR-JT8MAv_Z2Jg73I41As9jHXyZteHTHRuJm-cLve974ecWK8cLxsIo-l6VnkFQHtASnyj9hdK37FMD6h78SsLmMtnLir3CQve2eyC4N9bxAL8hLFeOAoDZ39xjVos/s320/12138542_10208223293119406_4543138905193675457_o-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A demo worker taking down a house on Southeast Hawthorne<br />
Boulevard had this to say to antidemo activists last month, but <br />
he should save it for the bosses who exposed him<br />
to hazardous materials that could affect him for life.<br />
<i>Courtesy Julie Handsaker Gray</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the same meeting (more on it <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/2015/11/its-working.html">here</a>), DRAC members again expressed concern about the Bureau of Development Services' running balance of $30 million, how that looked to outsiders and whether the funds were enough (!) and whether they would be poached by City Council. All good questions. Presumably, the bureau awaits the bill from the seemingly apocryphal computer system called ITAP, which may make the <a href="http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=118128">Water Bureau's software debacle</a> look like kid stuff. (Maybe like a good wrestler down for the count, BDS should have ITAP-ped out by now.)<br />
<br />
In the meantime that $30 mil just sits there. I asked whether some of the money could be used for enforcement, and Director Paul Scarlett answered, "Yes and no." Given the <a href="http://www.portlandchronicle.com/?s=without+permit">lack of oversight over demos and building</a>, the latter answer seems most accurate.margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-14583202791288609092015-10-12T14:29:00.002-07:002016-01-04T00:06:21.107-08:00Pirates' bounty never endsIn this fair city we used to get construction that allowed for this:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_Ksl1kUNKwDlwVQwrDgjp6MEUY8AmYi7JO7dnwxLPenEr1n2SxlfmOu_dTfCIay3iph-g-urJkkxeDfLoCSFk8nsV-Vmn2HZFbgOo5-gZzM3kpY-HRATx1qcYnBsxf3yjTeitgDhla0/s1600/IMG_20150906_104702426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_Ksl1kUNKwDlwVQwrDgjp6MEUY8AmYi7JO7dnwxLPenEr1n2SxlfmOu_dTfCIay3iph-g-urJkkxeDfLoCSFk8nsV-Vmn2HZFbgOo5-gZzM3kpY-HRATx1qcYnBsxf3yjTeitgDhla0/s400/IMG_20150906_104702426.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
but now we get this:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DeO65p03Eubqys0MAnAXSh0XzArPtKmlAhyphenhyphenMUkV3W_golesKlOznvFhTozYm8gXPnmAQ13eNPuCpyq5pNmExpGYQV_6LZyb57ceyeoW6JKQ1M_Exf0xzEDX_37tKjKhxzhaVOA8fDVA/s1600/IMG_20150905_112428481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DeO65p03Eubqys0MAnAXSh0XzArPtKmlAhyphenhyphenMUkV3W_golesKlOznvFhTozYm8gXPnmAQ13eNPuCpyq5pNmExpGYQV_6LZyb57ceyeoW6JKQ1M_Exf0xzEDX_37tKjKhxzhaVOA8fDVA/s400/IMG_20150905_112428481.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGZwmrKrMl170KBxImQ1OVYopyLimhrwBoGBa73ZDu5HtwyEql7bkEfE9FD-DdTYS9mSRscY0F1LeUKuYsROwnkECTlHjhohAMLCkWDFBly02Aq3g8g4TPFDRMPofvgZ45txdGfvR0L0/s1600/3623neShaver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGZwmrKrMl170KBxImQ1OVYopyLimhrwBoGBa73ZDu5HtwyEql7bkEfE9FD-DdTYS9mSRscY0F1LeUKuYsROwnkECTlHjhohAMLCkWDFBly02Aq3g8g4TPFDRMPofvgZ45txdGfvR0L0/s320/3623neShaver.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a garage in that black hole somewhere, <br />
but no one can park there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuIc1dMem3Vmjm35x69vdVDuERQswTDPUPJELB_gnn5mKaPoZd6qnv1qY4Ef_5S18Y0fmAnQCjGeQdRbi6XIdsfH87x56GAMDWh1N2C8dkKxIYX7ZGEjbXlyoZr17BzkwjAo9I7BP4jk/s1600/P1100178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuIc1dMem3Vmjm35x69vdVDuERQswTDPUPJELB_gnn5mKaPoZd6qnv1qY4Ef_5S18Y0fmAnQCjGeQdRbi6XIdsfH87x56GAMDWh1N2C8dkKxIYX7ZGEjbXlyoZr17BzkwjAo9I7BP4jk/s200/P1100178.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If the owners of these bloated replacement homes weren't so busy making their mortgage, they might have cash left over for plants. Look how little the neighborhood gets in return with most of the new construction: fences or walls provide no open space or interest at the ground level for pedestrians and neighbors, mature urban trees are sent to the chipper, garages are dug under at such a grade that they can never be used for parking, and multiple stairs added out front send the message that no one entering should ever have a knee problem. Unlike the homes that were bulldozed to make way for these lot-sprawlers, no aging in place is possible here.<br />
<br />
We hope the Residential Infill Project can make headway helping plot the shape of construction to come so it benefits everyone.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYOLRiAGPxUvI_ssfRsu-CfhKhWqaWTs590NUCArb_TaTuGUOaE2ndegME66wjuvtwgTuGyNfaYbzmk7UwNRQzBKlBS34UOQjVBrl6iPJS3Re8uc7Q6QQdN1tddxfpI-IjC5e0G6d2Dc/s1600/IMG_20151006_200532618_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYOLRiAGPxUvI_ssfRsu-CfhKhWqaWTs590NUCArb_TaTuGUOaE2ndegME66wjuvtwgTuGyNfaYbzmk7UwNRQzBKlBS34UOQjVBrl6iPJS3Re8uc7Q6QQdN1tddxfpI-IjC5e0G6d2Dc/s400/IMG_20151006_200532618_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Activists from South Burlingame turn up at the Residential Infill Project <br />
meeting last week, where city staffer Morgan Tracy described how<br />
height is measured for new construction.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the good news file, there are people coming forward from all parts of the city to express their dismay and displeasure. Plenty will be heard <b>2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at City Hall, 1221 S.W. Fourth Ave.</b>, when Mayor Hales presents his version of a demolition tax that likely will increase demolitions. More <a href="http://unitedneighborhoodsforreform.blogspot.com/">here</a>, along with a suggestion for a revised tax that would actually curb demolitions.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcobji0GHMjcY8v5WGYZT_TEJZwHhK1g8Q1z3-d8GRgFShhzLLZC3brZDV5SuiP47cpUvNMtLVFVg-zrC2X86iyLjUCTEYK4n7Rz78u_nX7P_VWYQHxpO6PIEBc52WsU9R3MoCVZN230/s1600/IMG_20151006_203043477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcobji0GHMjcY8v5WGYZT_TEJZwHhK1g8Q1z3-d8GRgFShhzLLZC3brZDV5SuiP47cpUvNMtLVFVg-zrC2X86iyLjUCTEYK4n7Rz78u_nX7P_VWYQHxpO6PIEBc52WsU9R3MoCVZN230/s400/IMG_20151006_203043477.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
In this increasingly lawless built landscape, where Council staff has said there is no money to ensure enforcement of permitting rules, it's no wonder that developers are <a href="http://www.portlandchronicle.com/125-year-old-sunnyside-home-torn-down-without-permit/">bypassing permits</a> altogether. The "complaint-driven" systems for compliance also appear to be pointless, given that one developer—Metro Homes—doesn't bother paying its noise citations for construction work after hours. (Those citations are work; I tried to file one recently, and it took six phone calls, two emails, and a form to fill out and scan back—who has the time, especially when nothing happens, and behavior doesn't change?)<br />
<br />
Recently a<i> Portland Business Journal</i> writer was interviewed by Oregon Public Broadcasting about shell companies and their role in the current development scene. One of the companies plying Portland—Columbia Redevelopment—runs all its management through an outfit in Cheyenne, Wyoming, that's caught the attention of a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/28/oukwd-uk-usa-shell-companies-idAFTRE75R22L20110628">national wire service</a>. Wonder what Columbia Redevelopment has to hide that it can't do out in the open and locally if it's so proud of being one of the few supposedly Portland-based builders?margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-9367485143547469902015-09-18T09:15:00.000-07:002015-10-12T22:25:53.936-07:00We plant them. They cut them down.With a tentative agreement reached with the developer to buy the site where three giant sequoias stand in Eastmoreland, it's time to look at some lessons learned. (Even so, vigilance is required because the Remmerses have been known to say one thing and do the opposite, as yesterday's skirmish showed: In the midst of negotiations the trucks showed up with chain saws, and protesters rallied to turn them away.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCinrPadZzAQjREk7LcJHj-QoogIFC2Jus7cSSuFKjZTvwJLcJfhSXvfAWV4_9OHW1Do-Lqjfob16Ga5wJkOqgziNBniy_HXbdOZuVd2DAYLjbZ0TJXiM4HQcnI4mMlMX-8TL4K_2KwaU/s1600/P1100262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCinrPadZzAQjREk7LcJHj-QoogIFC2Jus7cSSuFKjZTvwJLcJfhSXvfAWV4_9OHW1Do-Lqjfob16Ga5wJkOqgziNBniy_HXbdOZuVd2DAYLjbZ0TJXiM4HQcnI4mMlMX-8TL4K_2KwaU/s400/P1100262.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what failed land-use policy looks like: 22 police officers called in to protect<br />
one developer's "interest" in chopping down 150-year-old trees. Portland neighbors likely will<br />
get the bill; they already endure all the costs of this destructive style of<br />
development citywide.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the way home to my neighborhood, I saw Renaissance Homes/Columbia Redevelopment harvesting signature trees at Northeast Edgehill Place and Fremont Street with nary a protester in sight:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToUJq_TWonhOjk0ciLMls6wYjQdtmnh6UtxYZPDmSzQZ25TqoE6-oKjzCAPgfK6WTkgZr5diRRidebQC3v5bW6vy66yT07iDaAp27uSGPyOifogVu7fr9vaewg6GzDooMyexYT8wsiV4/s1600/P1100268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToUJq_TWonhOjk0ciLMls6wYjQdtmnh6UtxYZPDmSzQZ25TqoE6-oKjzCAPgfK6WTkgZr5diRRidebQC3v5bW6vy66yT07iDaAp27uSGPyOifogVu7fr9vaewg6GzDooMyexYT8wsiV4/s400/P1100268.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chain saws take it away in the Alameda neighborhood.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Meanwhile, the city of Portland sends out the following flier with its water bills, encouraging people to plant trees. Every schoolkid knows trees pump out oxygen for us to breathe and provide habitat, but there are other compelling reasons to keep them standing. Where are our water and environmental services bureaus while wholesale deforestation takes place?<br />
<br />
As one who has participated in many Friends of Trees plantings, I wonder why neighbors would or should spend so many Saturdays putting do-good trees in the ground when they're razed just as quickly for new development that brings no benefit to the neighborhood.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpTV2oht91iOb_83ZEYJOXpjdkba2rNb11a0HSmfBYhfVqhgx5u9Uc5lF5xAMKQY87rvHSWMuoqSxYqsaYej-HrUQTNSJw7ptzuEzYwkTUSISyCGQb9VdTgjqrSpKhiUBjThAJYhJaok/s1600/P1100272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpTV2oht91iOb_83ZEYJOXpjdkba2rNb11a0HSmfBYhfVqhgx5u9Uc5lF5xAMKQY87rvHSWMuoqSxYqsaYej-HrUQTNSJw7ptzuEzYwkTUSISyCGQb9VdTgjqrSpKhiUBjThAJYhJaok/s320/P1100272.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Eastmoreland, as organized as neighbors are there, worked tirelessly to beat back the would-be developer of the site at 3646 SE Martins St. They had help this week from neighbors citywide. As many have pointed out, less affluent, less engaged, and less proactive neighborhoods would have a hard time doing the same.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltkIOgR-C_1avEvdge1O7JiGaAdTig-cGGQhES4izFAT5zG6MwtCNnkjQ3nW1rPWZnQ36ULXnBQdfaHBS3TjynVCrJNR0zunRy47EofanBg64JaKy_5zCgtjng6nT_5BJ4H5L4Afpt0E/s1600/P1100273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltkIOgR-C_1avEvdge1O7JiGaAdTig-cGGQhES4izFAT5zG6MwtCNnkjQ3nW1rPWZnQ36ULXnBQdfaHBS3TjynVCrJNR0zunRy47EofanBg64JaKy_5zCgtjng6nT_5BJ4H5L4Afpt0E/s320/P1100273.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We do, but the city won't protect them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Check out your neighborhood association, which the city likes to say is our most effective conduit for protecting neighborhood interests. When Bob McCullough of the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association was asked why he was at the SE Martins site risking arrest earlier this week. He simply said, "This is my neighborhood. This is what I have to do." Many neighborhoods don't have such accountable and strong leadership. Does yours? If not, what can you do to help? If every neighborhood had a land-use rapid response team, we'd be ahead in this game.<br />
<br />
Eastmoreland's fight may be over, but there will be more citywide.margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-23723573717901364362015-09-16T11:30:00.001-07:002015-09-16T11:36:11.874-07:00Laugh or cry—it all works<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6Mc7g5inL74hnbojbhm43GYVhBVCMxwSTDiMr2UH85pgr34BS7_dl7_U2EIcgXnjq8pOFXCRi060DAp0WweOaI4jePj-AI60cS0dbBgbqHEdTK6bgjvxFomcDUbuuSqDxbdnLagZ2a8/s1600/energy_efficient_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6Mc7g5inL74hnbojbhm43GYVhBVCMxwSTDiMr2UH85pgr34BS7_dl7_U2EIcgXnjq8pOFXCRi060DAp0WweOaI4jePj-AI60cS0dbBgbqHEdTK6bgjvxFomcDUbuuSqDxbdnLagZ2a8/s640/energy_efficient_small.jpg" width="444" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Dermot O'Connor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-3895581745676092862015-09-13T00:06:00.001-07:002015-10-12T22:38:51.378-07:00When trees fall in an urban forest, do our leaders hear the sound?Even the passerby interviewed by television journalists for the tree story on KOIN tonight notices the unequal requirements of tree protection for some developers over others. For years the city worked on a highly anticipated tree plan that was meant to solve Portland's deforestation trend; now it turns out developers only have to pay $1,200 per tree to fire up the chain saw.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://up.anv.bz/latest/anvload.html?key=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" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLlVVoY7wmflJ6uyY2IR_ap0N_-CvYv0sWykiQdAcWHBbFlUlS7gb_XPLLslrh0VO3HQJJwtg2Og2LxyiZ6i-Hdix9MYMLhqdWTN5NbDVNEVqPYiGeY1AjOtwKViVxxk8WAwk-gC9M0A/s1600/IMG_20150912_192547619_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLlVVoY7wmflJ6uyY2IR_ap0N_-CvYv0sWykiQdAcWHBbFlUlS7gb_XPLLslrh0VO3HQJJwtg2Og2LxyiZ6i-Hdix9MYMLhqdWTN5NbDVNEVqPYiGeY1AjOtwKViVxxk8WAwk-gC9M0A/s320/IMG_20150912_192547619_HDR.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEh8q-JlBxDtm3pa6DmatEbyh-lonvkbbp7F-FHDfMmLVcScqHp1ALYmpN7lgDAqDeBIf60kofFnjXZphX_G_kwC-F7136-VYls7Qc1WA8b_73eTjghe56aw7xxIjFjNtCRVrXEDTbjg/s1600/IMG_20150912_192151066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEh8q-JlBxDtm3pa6DmatEbyh-lonvkbbp7F-FHDfMmLVcScqHp1ALYmpN7lgDAqDeBIf60kofFnjXZphX_G_kwC-F7136-VYls7Qc1WA8b_73eTjghe56aw7xxIjFjNtCRVrXEDTbjg/s320/IMG_20150912_192151066.jpg" width="185" /></a>This story came out the day I finally made the pilgrimage to see the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PortlandRedwoods">huge trees awaiting the Remmers chopping block at 3646 SE Martins St.</a>, one block south of Woodstock Boulevard. We reached them close to sunset, when the neighborhood kids took to a bit of after-dinner ball next to the chainlink fence. The fence makes it hard to get close to, never mind touch, the three giant sequoias that took root there some 150 years ago. Since the Civil War era, they grew to more than 20 feet around and top out at around 150 feet.<br />
<br />
Take a drone tour of the overstory <a href="https://vimeo.com/132134568">here</a>. Better yet, visit these impressive oxygen generators in person before they're gone. You hardly ever see huge trees like these in a city. If Remmers has his way, our kids never will.<br />
<br />
If you decide to bear witness to, and document, their fall, <a href="http://goo.gl/forms/u8XCK2o2mr">sign up here</a>.<br />
<br />
While you're contemplating a trip to the trees, dash off a letter to your elected leaders about what a giant mistake it is losing these sequoias, along with the rest of the mature urban canopy that's been harvested to make room for mass-produced plan-book construction.<br />
<br />
(As an aside to buyers of this type of new housing, please plant trees! Consider heading up a tree-planting effort for your neighborhood to contribute foliage and privacy to the environs; most developers raze every green thing on a site to make way for new construction. It's hard to replace long-lived great shade trees that generations enjoyed, but <a href="https://friendsoftrees.org/">here's a group </a>that helps get people started.)<br />
<br />
Why do we need trees? Because they exemplify beautiful living history, and we need to breathe. margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-87515348099651243572015-08-13T12:22:00.001-07:002015-08-13T12:25:21.956-07:00Portlanders give a RIP!Apparently there are at least 85 applications received for the approximately 25 spots on the city's <a href="http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/67728">nascent task force</a> looking at new-construction guidelines as well as lot splitting, confirmations, and other factors that have incentivized many demolitions.<br />
<br />
Plenty of Portlanders want to take part in building a better city.margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1142229703838820443.post-79999326952242462282015-07-22T10:57:00.003-07:002015-09-18T10:13:56.464-07:00Filmmaker tackles the hard questions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvPKJij5Xa9ccv6VpoZ6EL4r6rxS-jizi00JydrwyzBc-d0BSh2r_6_WMQnBvovgKyiEiUzFL9kyUD3aVu3nHyBWyiguO9CNFkGepgoqUucLTizIftRXno7NOsXS-Z9nPq9hFa-oekrQ/s1600/Price_Out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvPKJij5Xa9ccv6VpoZ6EL4r6rxS-jizi00JydrwyzBc-d0BSh2r_6_WMQnBvovgKyiEiUzFL9kyUD3aVu3nHyBWyiguO9CNFkGepgoqUucLTizIftRXno7NOsXS-Z9nPq9hFa-oekrQ/s200/Price_Out.jpg" width="200" /></a>Longtime North and Northeast Portland journalist <a href="http://www.corneliusswart.com/">Cornelius Swart</a> is wrapping up a <a href="http://www.pricedoutmovie.com/">film</a> chronicling Portland's evolution—and needs our help. (He's not new to the topic: This second film picks up where the <a href="http://www.pricedoutmovie.com/northeast-passage/">first</a> left off.) Readers of this blog and supporters of responsible growth in Portland should consider <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/562086297/priced-out-15-years-of-gentrification-in-portland">taking part in the Kickstarter campaign</a> to get this worthy project in the can and on the screen before more neighborhoods are plowed under.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtL-m2f01zxshxZ3fV3ZE2bGXYlJdUoTBYiF7DdY09K1HsJS5ZbQf5D6OvPoGzihHQgFLO7RuBQOmZ6_nDdldg0ml54X8gEz84goohHCzRdZwT8C8GdPb9udDi3et3bH1UFEeydkmAlg/s1600/house.demolish.cook.3.4.15.small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtL-m2f01zxshxZ3fV3ZE2bGXYlJdUoTBYiF7DdY09K1HsJS5ZbQf5D6OvPoGzihHQgFLO7RuBQOmZ6_nDdldg0ml54X8gEz84goohHCzRdZwT8C8GdPb9udDi3et3bH1UFEeydkmAlg/s200/house.demolish.cook.3.4.15.small.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Priced Out: 15 Years of Gentrification in Portland, Oregon </i><br />
looks at what happens when homes come down.<br />
<i>Photo courtesy Cornelius Swart.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This movement to curb demolitions, protect affordable housing, and prevent displacement has asked little of activists financially apart from the option to buy a sign or a T-shirt. Kicking in some bucks (pledge levels start at $5) costs less than $9 cocktails and it'll make you feel at least as good—if not better—and the results last a lot longer. Again, here's the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/562086297/priced-out-15-years-of-gentrification-in-portland">link</a> to be inspired, and to inspire others.<br />
<br />
<b>Meanwhile, in a sleek office building downtown</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUDZkYY-K4pMHFvMiWuKAUvSW8NJtxuRe9K7L0_KmHkafGrB9onOzMCqq_V3t6yT5VgjQuM0YxriPTMCeQkTU2QJrpNNEt4GT464oxTfalH6Psge539oDIbyJmuhuu_F_prO_Gt49XSk/s1600/IMG_20150716_090949177_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUDZkYY-K4pMHFvMiWuKAUvSW8NJtxuRe9K7L0_KmHkafGrB9onOzMCqq_V3t6yT5VgjQuM0YxriPTMCeQkTU2QJrpNNEt4GT464oxTfalH6Psge539oDIbyJmuhuu_F_prO_Gt49XSk/s320/IMG_20150716_090949177_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Developers Review Advisory Committee, or <a href="http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/46405">DRAC, continues to meet monthly</a>. Last week the entire meeting was dedicated to examination of DRAC's "role/purpose/work." I was pretty excited about this one! The august body, and its spin-offs, often come up with code and policy that do not seem to "implement[] the City's goals for ... neighborhood livability and the environment," as stated in its mission.<br />
<br />
DRAC is overwhelmingly made up of developers, and underwhelmingly of the people who must bear the impact of that development. <a href="http://portlandlandmatters.blogspot.com/2015/01/how-do-you-redo-meeting-were-about-to.html">DRAC also has had trouble adhering to Oregon's Public Meetings Law</a>, making it hard for Portlanders to learn what DRAC is doing, much less participate.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bN44GX-U76UpfpllHXL-II2bqi7JFBq5gPG1nrtpvBSlb-zW0XVwmCLym4LVskjTrBOGvcQPsXSJzIKlGcZ-OV4mOEvX6PooBiFfha5h30zQGlPSSZmDLG0QRtw_KKdRxiOtEJJk2KE/s1600/IMG_20150716_094019122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bN44GX-U76UpfpllHXL-II2bqi7JFBq5gPG1nrtpvBSlb-zW0XVwmCLym4LVskjTrBOGvcQPsXSJzIKlGcZ-OV4mOEvX6PooBiFfha5h30zQGlPSSZmDLG0QRtw_KKdRxiOtEJJk2KE/s640/IMG_20150716_094019122.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the center of it all, DRAC vice chair Rob Humphrey of Faster Permits (in black), Bureau of Development Services<br />
director Paul Scarlett (middle), and DRAC chair Maryhelen Kincaid (in blue) wrap an inconclusive<br />
meeting on a mission.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Despite some DRAC members' support for <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/?c=28419&a=330920">sticking to the mission</a> as codified, clearly other aspirations may trump any desire to stay the course. "We're the Supreme Court," Chairwoman Maryhelen Kincaid said in the July 16 meeting, and later, as justification for why DRAC should go bigger in scope and ambition: "We're the one well-rounded body." If this body's so "well-rounded" why the City Hall showdowns where the public protests how developers get to decide new rules for demolition delays, whether to protect neighbors from hazmat during demolitions, and so on, with little, if any, public input?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGig0utiKfzde_IZPtrbhHuO0hquizlcPEP7lgqGQgZCPVJkFHsaCYeIqo9jl1pm3lCFwYOJsTWngnjcVB3_UozcQyuQ9DAfafaDdyahv7S8kMFk8kEj26r2DV7s2IUg4G81_gEdbGTo/s1600/IMG_20150716_092758911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGig0utiKfzde_IZPtrbhHuO0hquizlcPEP7lgqGQgZCPVJkFHsaCYeIqo9jl1pm3lCFwYOJsTWngnjcVB3_UozcQyuQ9DAfafaDdyahv7S8kMFk8kEj26r2DV7s2IUg4G81_gEdbGTo/s320/IMG_20150716_092758911.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claire Carder (right) is meant to represent "neighborhood coalition<br />
land use committees" on DRAC but here she expresses concern<br />
for developers having to pay additional fees in permitting. The fees<br />
could help slow the trash-and-build bonanza or at least help stockpile <br />
funds for needed affordable housing. Maybe they just haven't figured<br />
out how to shovel such city-sponsored projects to Humphrey's clients—yet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After much discussion, DRAC decided to extend the monthly meetings by a half-hour.<br />
<br />
<b>It can be done</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QNca9XYJLaYbgN5ZtsnWzjiPWvZVNUg1taAlEWjkBQD5CkwgnVbqDykzmBBVRunXuXZh_Qs7J2FIz30Szp5YDTQZD_vYzD8UVClzFFyjODzJIShyOhSiZp_PZmXOsQ53qiNXHW73X0w/s1600/IMG_20150424_103252896-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QNca9XYJLaYbgN5ZtsnWzjiPWvZVNUg1taAlEWjkBQD5CkwgnVbqDykzmBBVRunXuXZh_Qs7J2FIz30Szp5YDTQZD_vYzD8UVClzFFyjODzJIShyOhSiZp_PZmXOsQ53qiNXHW73X0w/s400/IMG_20150424_103252896-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Returning to a more positive note, here's a pic of newer construction in Beaumont-Wilshire. I do not remember what was there before, if anything, but oh how I love this house. Let's count the ways:<br />
<br />
• scaled to fit its surroundings, including adjacent homes<br />
• provides plenty of off-street and <i>useable</i> parking<br />
• designed with care and creativity<br />
• built with quality materials<br />
• makes smart use of space<br />
• presents a friendly and interesting mien at street level<br />
• allows neighboring properties access to privacy and lightmargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381796503098128295noreply@blogger.com5