Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2008)
4 • The Southwest Portland Post Sears Armory (Continued from page 3) plans, 100+ mixed-income, mixed tenure housing units would be made available, with a percentage of the ten- ants qualifying for support on the basis of need. Similarly, both housing plans would require public subsidy. CPAH executive director Sheila Greenlaw-Fink elaborated on how her organization’s plan would ensure that families and individuals of all income levels can continue to live in the Vil- lage, improve the prospects for local schools to remain open and thriving, and provide a vibrant and secure place to call home for hundreds of residents. “We should plan with our children’s needs in mind,” said Greenlaw-Fink, “and look creatively to the future while honoring the past.” Mike Andrews, HAP director of de- velopment and community revitaliza- tion offered the following comment on behalf of the housing authority: “With housing prices rising for both renters and home buyers in Southwest Port- land, we believe the Sears site provides and excellent opportunity for lower income families to have stable housing that allows them to become a part of the community.” If the Emergency Response Center gets the nod, everything from terrorist attacks to treacherous ice storms would be dealt with from a new combination command and training center, shelter, storage facility, and emergency vehicle deployment hub. POEM director Car- men Merlo: “The city’s proposal for the reuse of the center offers a compelling public safety justification.” Merlo went on to explain that cur- rently no emergency response equip- ment is located on the west side. “In the event of a catastrophic earthquake or other disaster that would damage or make impassable the bridges,” she said, “Westside response would be severely June 2008 NEwS hindered, and the city might not be able to restore critical services.” Over the time allotted for the meet- ing, many thoughtful and opposing viewpoints about the Sears Armory’s near-history were aired. Concerns about everything from the need for low- income, disadvantaged, and workforce housing, to the fear of certain types of individuals associated with such hous- ing, came up. There was clear frustration which suggests that some feel that aspects of the process have been less than trans- parent. And there was a thought or two which raised the possibility that visions proposed for the various future incarnations of this 3.7 acre site and its complex of Cold War-era buildings have not been as far-reaching as they might have been. Sheern took a barrage of questions, attempting to negotiate the public passions surrounding each proposal. He also addressed the fears of some citizens. “I understand that some of you are worried about what might end up in your backyards and neighborhood,” he concluded. Editor’s Note: Portland Community Col- lege is the most recent applicant interested in acquiring the Sears Armory site. At the Multnomah Neighborhood Association meeting on May 13, a representative from PCC explained that the college was inter- ested in establishing a community educa- tion campus. With some modifications to the existing buildings, PCC would also move its human resources, financial services and data center to the Sears site. A straw poll by the neighborhood associa- tion’s voting members of the five proposals came out this way: PDOT Emergency Response Center 26, Housing Authority of Portland 15, Westside Christian High School 12, Community Partners for Af- fordable Housing 8, Portland Community College 6. Real Estate Guide Skate Park Food Front (Continued from page 1) (Continued from page 1) Park because I was already a residential and commercial cement finisher,” said Gavin Temple, who currently works for Airspeed Skateparks at Gabriel Park. “We stole the land from the hobos, prostitutes and drug addicts and just pushed our own theme. Pretty soon all the riffraff was gone, and all we had left was a skateboard park.” “Burnside is the most renowned skateboard park in the world because of its history,” said Tom Miller, founder and chair of Skaters for Portland Skate- parks (SPS) and chief-of-staff for City Commissioner Sam Adams. “Imagine a bunch of soccer players going out to a public space and creating their own field.” “I’m a lifelong skateboarder,” Miller said, adding, “There’s a tremendous unmet need. We discovered that there were tens-of-thousands of skateboard- ers and no facilities. Kids were on pri- vate property – and they needed their own advocacy organization.” In 2005, the city accepted the SPS plan for 19 public skateparks; Gabriel Park is among them. “I think it’s great,” says Miller. “It will be a big asset for the neighborhood and the Southwest.” For more information on Portland skateparks visit www.skateportland. org. For a history of the Burnside Skate- park project, watch the OPB video “Full Tilt Boogie” at www.burnsideproject. blogspot.com. din came from Germany in 1908 and started a dairy farm, his granddaughter Ardys Braidwood said. “The dance center at the top of the hill was a garage, and all the milk trucks went in there at night to be serviced.” They had over 100 acres and up to 450 milking cows until the school district wanted to build in the 1950s. “At that time my grandpa had passed on and my dad was running the dairy. So they sold property to the school district and developed the little shopping center.” Hillsdale Farmers’ Market manager Eamon Molloy was among the first to join the shopping center’s new coop. “I’m happy we have a locally owned grocery moving into the neighbor- hood,” he said, noting several farmers already sell to Food Front. Molloy noticed farmers’ market business dropped when Wild Oats closed, and said groceries and farmers’ markets work together. “You need to buy farm direct but you aren’t going to get every- thing there. You can do it all in one trip with a grocery store next to a farmers’ market.” For more information on the Food Front Cooperative Grocery, see www. foodfront.coop, email info@foodfront. coop, call 503.222.5658 ext. 133, or visit the NW Portland store at 2375 NW Thurman St. Advertise in the July edition of Call Don or Harry at 503-244-6933 To Advertise call Don or Harry 503-244-6933