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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2008)
NeWS April 2008 City to review tree preservation ordinances The city is commencing a long- anticipated, multi-bureau review of its regulations and practices relating to tree cutting, planting and preservation. Planner Linda Jortner said that cur- rently the rules, as used by several dif- ferent bureaus, have been found to be complex, apparently contradictory, and diffi cult to enforce. “We want things to be simpler and easier to use and understand,” Jortner told The Post. “We want to be sure we don’t solve one problem and create another.” As part of the effort, the city has formed a stakeholder committee that includes community representatives, builders, preservationists, and mem- bers of bureaus or their advisory bod- ies. One of these is Margot Barnett, a southwest resident who represents the Urban Forestry Commission. The commission, she says, would like the result to be that regulations are “clear and enforceable.” They should result in “providing good information to the public, planting the right tree in the right place, plant- ing native species whenever practical, a standardization of language in all codes, incentives for property own- ers to protect signifi cant trees when practical and when not clear guidelines for mitigation (the planting of replace- ment trees or paying for it to be done elsewhere), reduction in confl ict with trees to ensure that they can thrive, and equitable regulations across all property types.” Randy Bonella, the Multnomah Neighborhood Association’s new chair, told The Post, “A constant source of The Southwest Portland Post • 7 comment is people’s ability to cut down trees without a permit. We see 100 year old trees being cut down, and people get pretty upset about it.” Southwest highways eliminated from streetcar plan The Streetcar System Project, an effort by the Portland Offi ce of Transporta- tion and Commissioner Sam Adams to determine future streetcar routes, has gradually narrowed the field of possibilities. In southwest Portland, in fact, the process has eliminated all routes except a proposed extension of the existing line from its current terminus at Southwest Lowell Street to Lake Oswego. Asked about this at a meeting of the Project Advisory Committee last month, planner Mark Dorn said, “There are only a few viable routes through the west hills, and most of them have very high speeds.” Planners had previously decided that placing streetcars on streets with high speed limits or heavy traffi c congestion constituted a safety hazard. This was the given reason for elimi- nating proposed routes on South- west Beaverton-Hillsdale and Capitol highways. The closest new route still proposed is one on Southwest Naito Parkway between Burnside and Arthur streets. However, planners say the matter is still open, and community support for these facilities is an important factor. The project has scheduled a series of open houses to inform the public of their progress so far and hear feedback. The open house for southwest is 7 to 9 p.m. April 14 at Lincoln High School, 1600 S.W. Salmon St. POST A TO Z BUSINeSS CARD DIReCTORY 503-244-6933 PRECISION HOME REPAIR & DRYWALL JON A. GOSCH Phone: 503-643-3517 Pager: 503-441-8940 website: http://users.myexcel.com/precision1 Quality work at affordable rates Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB #77073 Qualitydentistryinacaring,relaxedenvironment. FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY 503-246-2564 7717SW34thAvenue•Portland,OR97219 (MultnomahVillage•SWCapitolHighway&34thAve.) S un D og C onstruction Remodeling … Interiors-Exteriors design, basements, attics, kitchens, bathrooms, additions From start to finish … Autumn Sun Pardee Big jobs, small jobs, more … 18+ yrs experience 503.957.7559 CCB # 173347 The IDEA Today … The SIGN Tomorrow! •SIGNS •BANNERS •GRAPHICS •MAGNETICS •LETTERING •LOGOS&MORE 503.244.0980 9220 SW Barbur Blvd. #111 - Portland - OR - 97219
