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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2011)
2 • The Southwest Portland Post February 2011 EDItoRIal An update on the Sears Armory site from the housing bureau The Southwest Portland Post 7825 SW 36th Ave Suite #203 Portland, OR 97219 Fax: (866) 727-5336 email: news@multnomahpost.com Thank you for your engagement with the public process involved in deter- mining the best use for the Sgt. Jerome Sears US Army Reserve Center. Your involvement has been critical in helping the City of Portland think about important neighborhood needs, and we appreciate your input. I know for many of you, it has been some time since you last heard about the City’s plans to reuse the base. I’d like to give you a quick update about our approach for the site. As you know, following our community Neighbors clean up after contractor on Multnomah Blvd sewer project The sewer job along South- west Multnomah Boulevard is com- plete and I see that it has been tested and found satisfactory by the Bureau of Environmental Services. Thus, I want to make a note that (while) the people that did the flagging of traffic did a very good job at their work I just want you to know that it was the people of the neighborhood process and initial due diligence as au- thorized by the Department of Defense, the Portland City Council approved exploration of a reuse plan, with afford- able housing as the first priority in 2008. Since that time, we’ve been hit hard by the recession, and many housing and real estate development projects have been stalled or cancelled altogether in our region because they could not secure public or private financing in a tightening credit market. City Council formed the new Port- land Housing Bureau (PHB) with a mandate to rationalize long-term hous- ing policy and investment direction. After analyzing our capital resources against the level of investment needed to undertake the planned development in the current financial climate, PHB has determined that we simply lack necessary capital funding to support the hoped-for affordable housing project on this site. Our determination is based on many factors, not the least of which is our cur- rent understanding that the City is very unlikely to secure the site at no cost, which was an original hope to make a new development financially feasible. Housing Commissioner Nick Fish and I both regret that we’ve come to this determination, as we see clearly a growing need for housing that’s af- fordable across the city, including areas like Multnomah Village in Southwest Portland. Most of you know that we remain committed to a redevelopment of Hill- sdale Terrace by the Housing Authority of Portland, and we are moving forward with a new housing development in South Waterfront, both of which will address some of the pressing needs in the community. PHB’s next step is to return to City Council with a report that we are un- able to move forward with housing at the site. We have informed the Mayor Adams of this determination, and his staff have begun examining other po- tential reuse plans, including revisiting the concept that the site could fulfill the City’s need for a Westside emergency response center. We have also informed the Department of Defense about our determination and desire to explore other reuse possibilities. I expect you’ll be hearing soon about next steps for considering an alternate public use and how the neighborhood will be involved. I will work with my City colleagues to keep all interested parties updated as that moves forward. Margaret S. Van Vliet Director, Portland Housing Bureau that cleaned up after them. Every Saturday at the 40th and Garden Home Road intersection and along the parking areas there would be a 5-gallon bucket of all kinds of trash that was picked up after them. This went on week after week until the job was complete. I am not sure but this could have hap- pened in other areas as well. So thank the neighborhood that cleaned up their mess. RW Jepson Southwest Garden Home Road Deeper Sedation Dentistry... Dr. Little at West Hills Family Dental Center now offers Residential & Intermediate Alzheimer’s Care Its about what we can do, not what we can’t. DEEP SEDATION DENTISTRY. It’s MORE EFFECTIVE than just a pill. well be … and well informed Bowman’s Hillsdale Pharmacy 6256 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-244-7582 • email: hdrx@pcez.com Call and find out why West Hills Family Dental Center is different. 503-291-0000 • www.fearfreedental.com •Walk-In Adult Immunizations •Experienced Compounding Pharmacists (503) 292-7874 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 Portland, OR 97206 Phone: (503) 244-6933; Fax: (866) 727-5336 general email: news@multnomahpost.com web address: www.swportlandpost.com Editor & Publisher: Don Snedecor Reporters/Writers: Polina Olsen and Lee Perlman Retail Advertising Manager: Harry Blythe Graphic Design: Leslie Baird Design Printing: Oregon Lithoprint © 2011 by The Southwest Portland Post. All rights reserved. The opinions of the artists and authors contained herein are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Deadline for news and advertising is generally the 20th of the month prior to publication. Please call for current deadline information. Advertising rates are available upon request. The Post has a circulation of 7,000 in Multnomah Village and the surrounding neighborhood business districts including Burlingame, Capitol Hill, Garden Home, Glen Cullen, Hillsdale, South Portland, Raleigh Hills, West Portland and Vermont Hills. The Post is published on or about the 1st of every month. Subscriptions are $14 per year. Back issues are $2.50 each when available. All major credit cards accepted. The Post is printed on recycled newsprint using soy-based inks. 6630 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy. Portland, Oregon 97225 www.marquiscompanies.com www.mygnp.com