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LEE PERLMAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
Publisher’s note: Welcome to Perlman’s Potpourri for April – a roundup of news items from the Gateway and Parkrose neighborhoods of mid-Multnomah County from veteran Beat Reporter Lee Perlman.
Coming up, Gateway Urban Renewal development news: Portland Development Commission, in partnership with the city is looking to build up to 10 stories high on Northeast 102nd Avenue near East Burnside Street; Russellville Park officials gives an update on construction. Plans ensue to develop a 150-unit complex near the I-205 interchange at Glisan Street, and a new plasma center opens at an old car dealership.
Looks like the city’s Office of Transportation is looking to have streetcars running throughout east Portland.
Also, a report from TriMet reveals that light rail stations in Mid-county aren’t living up to their high-density and residential potential.
The 102nd Avenue project crews, currently working between Northeast Glisan and Halsey Streets, will soon complete its work soon on the east side of the street, then move to the west side.
Plus, the David Douglas Teen Parent Program gets a grant; the Bureau of Planning looks to plant trees; and Gateway Green, the 35-acre open space between I-205 and I-84, gets planning help
The East Portland Action Plan committee receives a pledge from City Commissioner Randy Leonard to get it a cool half million for its projects.
Portland State University Graduate Program students in urban planning have agreed to conduct an economic and development viability report of a portion of Northeast 82nd Avenue.
And finally, would you like to volunteer on Earth Day at the Peace Labyrinth at Parkrose High School Community Center?
But first, to the Gateway Urban Renewal Area update ...
Gateway urban renewal development news
A few items related to development projects, currently under way or planned, were discussed at last month’s meeting of the Gateway Urban Renewal District Program Advisory Committee. Among them were these:
• Justin Douglas and Sara Culp of the Portland Development Commission said PDC is looking at possible development of a 0.7-acre parcel of open space it owns on Northeast 102nd Avenue north of East Burnside Street. According to Douglas, there is some chance that Multnomah County may continue its goal of consolidating its facilities by selling its holdings here (not including the Children’s Receiving Center) and doing a joint redevelopment with the city, which would expand the size of the site to three acres. Culp said that the property’s zoning would allow buildings up to 10 stories high, although the project would not necessarily be that dense. This, plus the four-story Russellville Phase III rising across the street (see below) could make the intersection “a real landmark gateway,” Culp said. Regarding PDC’s holdings she said, “We don’t want to leave our property an empty grassy lot much longer. If the county is not ready to move, we are ready to proceed with a Request for Proposal, an open bid.
• Christie Ulrich, manager of Russellville Park senior community, who attended the PAC meeting, said the Phase III addition should be ready for occupancy within a year. The building will have 139 units, with 80 for assisted living, 16 for memory care for Alzheimer patients and 39 for independent living. The building will also have five dining venues, including an upscale coffee shop and a French bistro, she said. When asked if any of these facilities would be available to the public, she said, “At this point they will be reserved for residents and guests. We would love to open them up to the public in the future.” The building will have 7,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space, which Ulrich said could be broken up to accommodate multiple smaller uses. Regardless, she said, “We want to be sure the uses are consistent with the neighborhood vision.”
• The nonprofit affordable housing provider Human Solutions is looking to develop a 150-unit complex of mixed-income housing, possibly including some owner-occupied units, on Northeast Glisan Street at 100th Avenue.
• Less heartening, a plasma-purchasing center will soon move into a former car dealership at Southeast 102nd Avenue and Stark Street. Linda Robinson of Hazelwood complained, “That’s the worst thing I could think of for someone to put there. It’s absurd when we’re trying to upgrade this neighborhood.” Another PAC member, Jackie Putnam, agreed, “I’m really not in favor of that.” Douglas said that the land is currently owned by an out-of-state trust that is “just looking for someone to pay rent.”
Future streetcar routes narrowed further
The Portland Streetcar Systems process, under the direction of the Portland Office of Transportation and Commissioner Sam Adams’ office, continues to narrow possible future streetcar routes mesh. At this point east Portland routes still under consideration include the following:
• Northeast Sandy Boulevard from 14th to 102nd avenues
• A loop route in Gateway between 99th and 102nd avenues, Northeast Halsey and Southeast Main streets
• 82nd Avenue from Southeast Woodstock Street to Northeast Sandy Boulevard
• Southeast Stark and Washington Streets from 76th to 122nd avenues
• Northeast Halsey Street from 102nd to 122nd avenues
• 122nd Avenue from Northeast Halsey Street to Southeast Foster Road
Project staff will eventually take the most promising routes and try to arrange them into a system that makes sense from a transportation and economic development point of view. Their evaluation will include how the potential routes with buses and light rail to form an overall transportation system. Staff has said that they would not necessarily rule out transportation routes in Mid-county even if this could not be connected to existing or planned routes in the inner city. Important criteria are the degree to which new routes could help bring about new economic development and the degree of local support for such facilities. As part of this last, the bureau is seeking community support for more in-depth studies of the proposed routes.
Project staff is seeking public comment this month on work completed so far in a series of public workshops. For east Portland the workshop is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, April 15 at the East Portland Community Center, 740 S.E. 106th Ave.
Planners review MAX station areas
The Portland Bureau of Planning will be studying six MAX light rail stations and the area around them. The stations to be studied are 60th, 82nd, 122nd, 148th and 162nd avenues, plus the Parkrose-Sumner station on the Airport Red Line at 98th and Northeast Sandy Boulevard.
Land within a quarter-mile of light rail stations is typically zoned for high-intensity residential or commercial activity. This sort of development is intended to both take advantage of the MAX facilities and to create ridership for them. In addition, planners have hoped that these areas would provide “vibrant” retail sales and service districts that would allow MAX riders to shop while riding to and from their homes, without additional auto trips.
As planner Tom Armstrong told a community meeting last month, “These station areas are not living up to these goals.” Thus, the bureau is looking at factors that may be interfering with the sort of development sought. In some cases they are reexamining the zoning around the stations. This will not be done in the case of 122nd, since the bureau last year conducted a controversial study resulting in a district more oriented toward car dealerships. However, Armstrong said, the study will look at the lack of streets and sidewalks near that station.
The project kickoff will be a public open house from 5 to 8 p.m., Monday, April 14 at the Banfield Pet Hospital Glenhaven Headquarters, Northeast 82nd Avenue at Tillamook Street.
102nd project moves forward
The 102nd Avenue Improvement Project is continuing to advance. According to Project Manager Dan Layden, work on the east side of the street between Northeast Glisan and Halsey streets should be completed this month, at which point crews will turn their attention to the west side. The crews have been able to maintain through travel lanes at all times and two lanes in each direction during rush hours, and there has been little congestion, Layden said.
Meanwhile, Justin Douglas of the Portland Development Commission has been seeking a prototype for banners to hang on utility poles on the street. Of those now in place in other parts of the city, he told the Gateway PAC that the most impressive have been on Northeast Alberta Street. Made of synthetic aluminum, they are designed to move in the wind. PAC member Doreen Warner quipped, “If the holes are cut just right, maybe we can create some that whistle.” Also due on the improved avenue are benches at major intersections.
David Douglas Teen Parent Program gets grant
The David Douglas School District received a $500 grant for its Teen Parent Program last month from the Business Network International Foundation. District Superintendent Barbara Rommel said the money would be used to buy books for the program and help the teen parents learn how to use the facility.
BNI Executive Director Robin Schuckman officially presented the check for the grant at a DDHS board meeting last month. Assistant Lori Chance said that the foundation, established 10 years ago and headquartered in Upland, Calif., gives grants to programs around the world. This is the foundation’s first grant in Oregon.
“We’re very excited to bring some of our good works here locally,” Chance said.
DDHS board Chair Annette Mattson said her involvement with the district began with volunteer work at the Teen Parent Program and that she had found it very rewarding.
Tree planning gets Mid-county contingent
The Portland Bureau of Planning has begun a study of city regulations relating to trees. Planner Roberta Jortner said that current regulations, shared by several bureaus, have proven to be “unnecessarily complex, at times contradictory, and difficult to enforce.”
To aid in the effort, the city has assembled a Stakeholder Committee that includes representatives of developers, arborists, city staff and community organizations. The city has previously identified east Portland as an area that is particularly impacted by tree removal, and the committee’s composition reflects this. Its three neighborhood representatives are all from east Portland: Linda Robinson of Hazelwood, Linda Bauer of Pleasant Valley and Bonny McKnight of Russell.
Gateway Green planning session held
Last month there was a public Charette, or open design session, to collect ideas on how to develop Gateway Green. This is a 35-acre open space owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation and lying between the I-84 and I-205 freeways to the south of Rocky Butte. According to Hazelwood activist Linda Robinson, 45 people showed up for the project. Consultant David Evans and Associates is refining the input received, and it should be available by early April. “Now we have to have some reality checks on what we can afford,” Robinson told the Opportunity Gateway PAC. “But there was a lot of enthusiasm. I didn’t hear anyone say, ‘This is a dumb idea.’”
EPAP holds public session
There will be a third open house this month, this one to discuss the progress so far of the East Portland Action Plan. The session will be 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2 at the East Portland Community Center, 740 S.E. 106th Ave., and the purpose will be to receive public input on potential short- and long-term projects. The plan’s stakeholder committee had a small group meeting on this issue last month, but the results were not available at press time. At that session Commissioner Randy Leonard, who sits on the committee, pledged to try to secure $500,000 in next year’s city general fund budget to help implement the goals.
PSU class to study 82nd Avenue
A class from the Portland State University Graduate Program in Urban Planning will be studying the economic and development viability of Northeast 82nd Avenue between the Banfield Freeway (I-84) and Northeast Sandy Boulevard. The class will begin its work with an open house to receive public input from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, also at the Banfield the Pet Hospital’s Glenhaven world headquarters at Northeast 82nd Avenue at Tillamook Street.
Labyrinth painters wanted
As part of Earth Day 2008 activities, volunteers are invited to paint the rocks that adorn the Parkrose High School Community Center Peace Labyrinth. The event will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the labyrinth, Northeast 115th Avenue and Shaver Street. Those coming are urged to wear painterly clothes.
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