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Ron Tonkin is a honkin’
These last two changes are welcome news to auto dealer Ron Tonkin, although they leave more than a few questions unanswered.
The auto king is seeking to expand and redevelop the showroom of his Honda dealership at 300 S.E. 122nd Ave. In the short term Tonkin wants to expand the showroom from its current 12,000 square feet to 30,000. Utilizing a better integration of facilities such as the services building and parts departments and more glass to make cars more visible, according to Tonkin’s General manager Ken Cornelison and consultant Peter Fry.
They are proceeding with the plan, but current zoning regulations make it difficult. They would like to expand further by purchasing some adjacent houses, Cornelison says, but that would bring the lot’s size above 200,000 square feet, and thus subject to Gateway’s residential development requirements. They would like to simply tear the existing structure down and build a new and better one, but if they did the entire operation would be illegal: “exterior auto service and display” is prohibited in the Gateway Plan District.
They would like the law to change, since they may someday wish to do other moves or development. They have officially asked that as part of the rezoning process the regulations be applied only to land west of 117th Avenue.
The current prohibitions are intended to promote dense, “transit-oriented development” in the area, and more intense use of the land than simply surface parking of vehicles. In a written brief Fry argues, “Vehicle repair is a transit-oriented use, as customers must depart and arrive by transit due to dropping off vehicles for service.” As to the under-utilization issue, Fry argues, “Ron Tonkin employs 750 people.”
The proposals for master plans on large lots, through which land use issues can be dealt with more flexibly than the code now allows, and division of the Gateway district into two different areas with different regulations, seems to at least be moving in the direction of Tonkin’s request. At press time Ryker was still unsure what she and other staff would recommend as to vehicle servicing and exterior display in the eastern zone.
The requests have received several endorsements, including one from the Gateway Area Business Association. The matter was presented to the Hazelwood Neighborhood Association, but no action was taken. Hazelwood chair Arlene Kimura, in a statement, acknowledged the “importance” of Ron Tonkin to the area, but took no position for or against their request.
Bonnie McKnight of the Russell Neighborhood Association was ambivalent about the issue. “There’s a question of whether you think zoning should have integrity, and I believe it should,” she told the Memo. “On the other hand, I don’t think the present zoning accommodates the current reality that well. Right now 122nd Avenue isn’t a transit street in anything but name.”
And along comes Fred
Fred Sanchez, president of the Gateway Area Business Association (GABA), is a champion of the Ron Tonkin cause. Among other things, he pushed through a resolution favoring Tonkin’s requests at a recent GABA board meeting, calling it the sort of support GABA should take on behalf of area businesses. When some members called for a broader discussion, he declared that there “wasn’t time” for one.
Sanchez is also pursuing a land use regulation change of his own. He proposes to allow parking lots, “temporary structures, landscaping and other buffering,” required when a commercially zoned property abuts a residential one, to be placed on the residential property when both owners are willing.
He argues that this “flexibility” is needed to help businesses develop and prosper. He promoted the idea in the March 2003 issue of the GABA newsletter.
He later published a leaflet containing quotes from supporters, including state representative Jeff Merkley, county commissioner Lonnie Roberts, and Parkrose Business Association president Gordon Boorse.
Another endorsement came from Barbara Rommel of the David Douglas School District, who wrote a letter to the Portland City Council and Multnomah County Commission in support of the request. “We understand that you are considering a proposal to create a zoning overlay for parking purposes that would allow commercial or office zoning to extend up to 50 feet onto adjacent property zoned for residential buildings,” the letter said. “We believe it would give small businesses in our area the flexibility to make needed improvements.” Rommel told the Memo that there had been no vote on the matter, but that the board indicated they supported it “by consensus.”
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