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Bingo parlor sale falls through

Ukrainian Church plans to build on bingo site that has little parking - 102nd Avenue apartment design unveiled - new Gateway urban renewal chair elected

LEE PERLMAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO

It was an eventful month for the Gateway Urban Renewal District.

Bingo parlor deal falls through
To the chagrin of community leaders and the Portland Development Commission, or PDC, the Ukrainian Bible Church has withdrawn its offer to sell the former Bingo parlor/bowling alley property, and now apparently plans to build a new church there.

The long-vacant two-acre parcel at Northeast 106th Avenue and Wasco Street had long been targeted as a potential site for a park. The church has long shown a willingness to work with PDC and sell the property, although it is itself in dire need of larger quarters. The problem was PDC’s failure to come up with the necessary funds in a new, cash-strapped district. A year ago the church announced it could wait no longer, and would proceed with building plans. However, in January, PDC announced that they had, after all, concluded a sales agreement. They had begun to make preliminary plans for the site, including housing development as well as recreation space.

Then according to PDC’s Sarah King, “Three weeks before we were to close on the building, they decided they didn’t want to go through with the deal.” Apparently, they have a potential site for a new building in Milwaukie, but were having trouble meeting requirements for it from Milwaukie officials. Consultant Peter Finley Fry pointed out that because of the zoning at the bingo site they could build a church there with no parking whatsoever.

“To have a facility of that size in the heart of Gateway with no parking is a serious detriment to both the neighborhood and the business communities,” Hazelwood Neighborhood Association chair and Opportunity Gateway program advisory committee member Arlene Kimura says.

Fry denies the church has such plans. They plan to have 80 to 90 parking spaces with attractive landscaping, he told the MEMO. The bingo site is “ideal,” he says, in part because it has excellent transit service, whereas the Milwaukie property has virtually none. They will continue to explore other options, he says, but the chances of finding another suitable site are not great.

Although the Opportunity Gateway Program Advisory Committee, or PAC, regrets the loss of its most promising park site, there seems to be little that can be done if the church chooses to proceed with its plans. In theory, PDC has the power to condemn private property in most urban renewal districts, including Gateway.
However, early on in the formation of the district the public made it clear they felt this should be done only as a last resort in extreme situations. “Condemning land from an immigrant church to make a park is not where we want to go,” King says.

At last month’s Opportunity Gateway meeting one member said facetiously, “We should all call the city of Milwaukie and urge them to approve the site there.”

102nd Avenue development proposed
Developer Andy Kelley is pursuing a project on four lots of Northeast 102nd Avenue, immediately north of the Children’s Receiving Center property on East Burnside Street. Plans submitted to the city for a pre-application conference call for 54 rental units in a three-story structure. Also submitted was a design sketch that elicited comments at last month’s Opportunity Gateway meeting.

“It’s a very poor quality design at this point,” chair Dick Cooley said. “It’s in total conflict with our goals,” Woodland Park Neighborhood Association chair Alesia Reese declared.

“It will make Russellville look like a palace,” Dorene Warner said.

Gateway zoning revisions nearly done
The Portland Planning Commission has neared completion of its review of the draft Gateway Planning Regulations Project, a re-examination of zoning, design standards and other development rules for the area. They were expected to complete their work in late February, with a hearing before City Council tentatively set for April 21.

The one remaining issue for the commission at press time concerned “development plans,” master plans for the development of parcels of 120,000 square feet or more. Planners argue that this approach provides flexibility, but requires that major new development address criteria important to the district. At press time the draft required such plans for projects costing $1 million or creating structures of 40,000 square feet or more. Some major land interests in the area disagree with these proposed triggers.

In previous decisions, the commission set the height limit for the eastside of Northeast 102nd Avenue at 75 feet. (It is currently 120 feet, and planners proposed lowering it to 100 feet. Adjacent residents want it to be no higher than three stories.) In decisions critical to the Ron Tonkin auto dealerships, it allowed vehicle maintenance and repair near transit stations in the East Corridor east of 109th Avenue, but did not allow outdoor vehicle storage and display. (“There was a lot of discussion about that, but when all was said and done the commission decided to keep the prohibition,” planner Ellen Ryker says.) Portland Adventist Academy did better, winning the right to be exempt for design standards for new development.

Main Street light rail station
Tri-Met planner Jillian Detweiler last month unveiled plans for a Southeast Main Street station on the proposed I-205 MAX light rail line extension. As planned, the station will include a 400-space park-and-ride lot. Some Opportunity Gateway members suggested that the station could be more vital if it had retail services. Detweiler said such services would need parking. “I don’t understand,” East Portland Neighborhood Office director Richard Bixby said. “If you have parking for riders, why not for customers?” Detweiler seemed to concede the point.

PAC member Beth Baltz said the station should be open and visible, while Cooley said it should have good pedestrian linkages to its surroundings. Cooley was concerned about the Park-and-Ride, fearing it would bring more cars into an area where traffic congestion is already a problem.

Detweiler said the station will primarily serve Portland Adventist Hospital, which is currently developing a master plan for anticipated future growth.

Shepard replaces Cooley
Duke Shepard, a Gateway-area resident and member of Multnomah County Commission chair Diane Linn’s staff, was elected chair of the Opportunity Gateway Program Advisory Committee last month. He replaced Cooley, who announced he was stepping down after five years at the position. Dorene Warner was elected vice-chair.

Several other members were nominated for the positions - Beth Baltz, Frieda Christopher, Ted Gilbert and David Panichello - but all declined.
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