Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2009)
SERVING Burlingame • Capitol Hill • Garden Home • Glen Cullen • Hillsdale • South Portland • Multnomah Village • Raleigh Hills • Vermont Hills • West Portland INSIDE: Southwest Portland’s Independent Neighborhood Newspaper Volume No. 17, Issue No. 12 www.multnomahpost.com Portland, Oregon City of Portland installs new speed bumps on Capitol Hill Road – Page 8 Complimentary October 2009 Hikers test SW Portland’s diverse transportation on 4T Trail By Allison Voigts The Southwest Portland Post The ground couldn’t have been sog- gier for the inauguration of Southwest Portland’s 4T Trail on one of the last days of summer. A thick cloud of mist hovered over the trees in Washington Park as the steady rain forced two dozen people to take cover beneath a tent and sip coffee dur- ing the ribbon-cutting ceremony. But as soon as the brief ceremony ended, the hikers set out at a steady clip, chatting merrily as rivulets of water ran down their brightly-colored jackets. The eight-mile loop incorporates four modes of transportation—hiking trail, Portland Aerial Tram, Portland Streetcar (trolley), and MAX light rail (train)—and takes between 2.5 and four hours to complete. SW Trails Committee chair Don Baack and his son, Eric, conceived of the 4T Trail project in 2006 as they watched the building of the tram reach comple- tion. Don Baack said they wanted to make a greater public asset out of the tram, which cost $57 million to build—over four times the initial estimate. The Baacks predicted that a trail incorpo- rating Portland’s many forms of trans- portation would become an important tourist activity in the city. “We pictured it as a gift to Portland that would also encourage tourism,” Baack said. When Baack approached the City Council about the idea, they liked it but were unwilling to provide the $45,000 needed to mark and advertise the trail. Ultimately Mayor Tom Potter decided to fund the project using his discretion- ary funds. Baack partnered with Bruce Mur- ray of the Friends of Marquam and SW Neighborhoods, Inc. in 2007 to lay down firm plans for the trail, which also required approval from TriMet, Oregon Health & Sciences University (which operates the tram), the Portland Streetcar, and the Oregon Zoo. “There were parts of the trail that I’d never experienced before,” said City Commissioner Nick Fish, who enthusi- (Continued on Page 6) Don Baack, chair of SW Trails, points out a sign marking the 4T Trail at the Washington Park MAX station during the trail’s inauguration September 19. (Post photo by Allison Voigts) About two dozen hikers braved the inauguration day's rainy weather to test out out the 4T Trail, September 19. (Post photo by Allison Voigts) Sears Armory redevelopment awaits HUD approval NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post Future development on the old Sears Armory site remains what it has long been: a concept. More than a year ago the Portland City Council awarded Community Partners for Affordable Housing (cre- ators of the Watershed senior housing project in Hillsdale) the right to re- develop the four-acre Jerome F. Sears Armory on Southwest Multnomah Boulevard. CPAH’s plan calls for 130 affordable housing units, with a mix of owner-occupied and rental units. The U.S. Army has declared the prop- erty surplus. The problem is that for the Army to donate the property to the City, the Federal Department of Hous- ing and Urban Development needs to okay the project. “The paperwork is still inside HUD,” Multnomah Neighborhood Associa- tion chair Randy Bonella told The Post. “They’re nine months late at this point, and they still don’t seem to be in any hurry to move forward.” This has left Community Partners “in a waiting pat- tern,” he said. The development team has not pro- ceeded with more detailed designs for their project, being reluctant to invest the time or money to do so until they have assurances that they can proceed, Bonella said. Kate Allen, an aide to Commissioner Nick Fish who is about to become the City’s Housing Policy Manager, con- firmed Bonella’s account. With regard to bureaucratic processes Allen said, “If there’s anything worse than getting approval from HUD, it’s getting approval from HUD and the military.” There is no question that the City will eventually obtain the property, she said, “but it’s a matter of whether we’ll get to complete the project in 2012 or 2014.” Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. The Southwest Portland Post 7825 SW 36th Ave Suite #203 Portland, OR 97219 Barbur Boulevard transportation project misses funding There was some sad news for propo- nents of a Southwest Barbur Boulevard demonstration project last month. As reported in the August edition of The Post, the project, conceived by Southwest Trails Committee chair Don Baack, would have provided improved pedestrian facilities for both Barbur and other streets that feed into it. According to Southwest Neighbor- hoods, Inc. Transportation Committee chair Marianne Fitzgerald, the project was proposed for a federal Active Transportation Demonstration Project grant. Unfortunately, she said, it was passed over in favor of other projects. The Barbur project “isn’t dead; it’s just in limbo,” Fitzgerald said. South Portland could benefit from new urban renewal district boundaries The Portland Development Com- mission is considering including part of the South Portland neighborhood in a new urban renewal district, staffer Peter Englander told the South Port- land Neighborhood Association last month. The association was receptive to the idea, for some of the approaches to the Ross Island Bridge would be within the district and make it eligible for tax increment funding. This in turn might allow the neigh- borhood to proceed with some aspects of the long-sought South Portland Circulation Plan, which among other things calls for simplifying the bridge approaches, and using the land freed up by this for development and neighbor- hood amenities. Southwest coalition office to offer neighborhood grants Once again, the Neighborhood Small Grants Program is back. A total of $20,723 is available from the Southwest Neighborhood Office, part of a citywide program funneled through the City’s seven district neighborhood offices by the Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement. The money will be dispersed, in incre- ments ranging from $500 to $5,000, for community-based projects that increase the “capacity” of community groups, provide an opportunity for outreach to “under-represented communities,” and help create partnerships. Applications will be accepted through November 2. For more information contact the Southwest Neighborhood Office at 503-823-4592.
