Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2008)
8 • The Southwest Portland Post buSINESS July 2008 Mayor Potter and City Council weigh Sears Armory proposals By Mark Ellis The Southwest Portland Post Another Sears Center hearing, this time at City Hall before Mayor Potter and the City Council, and again the vying entities and interested citizens presented a now-familiar litany of best- use scenarios. But the 20-month Base Realignment and Closure process set in motion when the Army declared the old Multnomah armory surplus is itself nearing closure. On June 12 the decision about what to recommend to the Army regarding the future of the site was passed into the hands of Portland’s highest govern- mental body. Sheila Greenlaw-Fink talked about the Communities for Affordable Hous- ing plan, a multi-income redevelop- ment proposal similar to one proffered by Jeff Bacharach for the Housing Authority of Portland. Portland Development Commission spokesperson Will White came forward to pitch his organization’s support for one of the housing alternatives, and Volunteers Of America’s Greg Meena- han tossed out a late-breaking proposal aimed solely at securing the Sears Site exclusively for Portland’s most desper- ately homeless. Suzanne Kahn used her allotted time to lobby for a new Portland Office of Emergency Management (POEM) cen- ter, and Portland Community College spokesperson Randy McEwen sought approval to consolidate the system’s administrative offices at Sears, thus freeing up campus space for educa- tional uses. Westside Christian High School’s Hutch Johnson made a lawyerly plea on behalf of recreating the Cold War training and deployment center into a parochial high school. In perhaps the most appropriate denouement for a military installa- tion, it is the Department of Defense which will pass judgment on Mayor Potter and company’s ultimate recom- mendation. Before the day that recom- mendation is made there remained one last chance for the general public to be heard. The two top housing proposals (CPAH and HAP), Westside, and Emer- gency Management all benefited from incisive and heartfelt testimonials. An edge in the sheer number of advocates would go to the housing proposals, with Westside next, and POEM’s center after that. Testimony was given which stressed strongly that affordable housing has become prohibitive for many income levels, in effect driving families and school age children from the area. Equally compelling was the idea of creating a quality academic institution, Westside, which alone among the con- tenders would require no public fund- ing. Finally, proponents of the POEM plan warned that without a Westside management center, swift measures in the event of a catastrophe, natural disaster, or unsafe weather conditions could not be guaranteed. Multnomah homeowner Jessica Wade spoke about the growing need for housing, while Multnomah Neighbor- hood Association chair Randy Bonella expressed his group’s preference for either housing or the POEM facility. A long-time resident, who had once fulfilled a term of service stationed at the base, asked that the existing site not be torn down (as any of the hous- ing proposals would necessitate) and opined that the POEM center might best approximate the existing manageable traffic and use patterns. Hillsdale Neighborhood Association president Don Baack supported hous- ing, and raised the possibility of finding other southwest sites for the POEM center. A Westside mom spoke about a group of WS students who had gone to Thailand on a mission to help children caught up in Portland City Council will hold a hearing on July 9 to help decide the the sex trade. fate of the Sears Armory. (Post file photo by Don Snedecor) Resident Ar- say that?” Randy Leonard asked, pro- nold Panitch countered fears about the viding a moment of levity before seg- nature of individuals who seek public ueing into his concerns about the eco- housing saying that he’d lived near one nomic flight of families with children. such development and that there were It was left for Mayor Potter to ask for a no problems. study on alternative sites for the POEM And then it was time for the elected center, and to thank the civic-minded officials to speak, their final thoughts assemblage. He and the commissioners and declarations as they began to weigh retired with a lot to consider before the the options. future of the Jerome F. Sears armory is Dan Saltzman had the same funding passed up the chain of command once question for each housing applicant, more. a question about the percentage of Editor’s Note: Mayor Potter and Com- in-house and possible public funding missioner Fish offered a resolution to City available, and admitted that, based on Council at the June 12 hearing. That reso- what he’d heard, he liked the CPAH or lution recommends that the Sears Armory Westside plans. Sam Adams, obviously site be redeveloped as mixed-income, rental thinking about the POEM center, had and ownership housing. The resolution also questions about the strength of some recommends to the Department of Defense of Portland’s oldest and most tired that Community Partners for Affordable bridges, and stated clearly that a SW Housing as the preferred developer of the emergency response center was long project. overdue, whether or not Sears was the According to David Sheern, project best site. manager for the Portland Development Newest commissioner Nick Fish Commission, at Commissioner Leonard’s praised all who had spoken for the civil- suggestion, the City Council delayed voting ity of their testimony. He implied that on the proposal to allow additional time to his thoughts were coalescing in favor of consider alternatives. City Council is sched- housing, but acknowledged the West- uled to vote on the Potter/Fish resolution side Christian bid with a rumination at Portland City Hall on July 9 at 10 a.m. about how “we’re all sinners.” (time certain). “Why do you look at me when you poSt a to Z buSINESS CaRD DIRECtoRy 503-244-6933