February 2011
The Southwest Portland Post • 3
Lines drawn on proposed Lake
Oswego to Portland streetcar
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
As planners and politicians move
toward votes on the proposed Lake
Oswego to Portland streetcar line, the
lines for and against are being drawn,
and the South Portland neighborhood
finds itself in the unlikely position of
being a defender of the project.
The project’s Citizen Advisory Com-
mittee may make its recommendation
at its next meeting, 5 p.m. February 7
at the Easter Seals Building, 5757 S.W.
Macadam Ave. If necessary an addi-
tional meeting will be held February 15
somewhere in Lake Oswego.
Based on their discussions during the
last two months, the CAC is expected
to endorse the streetcar extension. In
its last two meetings a majority of the
group heaped scorn on two alternative
proposals, No Build and an Enhanced
Bus.
At a December meeting the group
dubbed the No Build the “Head in the
Sand” option, predicated on the theory
that the corridor operates well now and
will do so in the future.
The Enhanced Bus would cost $51.1
million, as compared to the official cost
of $379 to $458 million for the streetcar
extension. (The latter, for the sake of lo-
cal match for anticipated federal funds,
includes $97 million for the Willamette
Shore Line right of way, which is al-
ready publicly owned.)
However, the bus is anticipated to at-
tract just 730,000 new transit trips com-
pared to 1.1 million for the streetcar,
to take 39 minutes to travel the route
compared to 30 to 33 minutes for the
streetcar, and to cost $1.54 million more
to operate than the streetcar.
In addition, South Portland resident
and CAC member Kerry Chipman told
the group last month, “The enhanced
bus will mean loss of service.” Not only
will it have five fewer stops, but also “A
bus that fills up in Lake Oswego will not
stop for us in South Portland.”
Another CAC member, Beverly
Bookin, said that on a recent trip, “By
the time we left Lake Oswego it was
standing room only, and by the time
we got to South Portland there was no
room for anyone.” With more capacity,
a streetcar can handle more people,
she said.
Matt Brown, a former City of Port-
land transportation planner, focused
on the bus’s greater operating costs.
To maintain it, “TriMet would have to
cannibalize the rest of the system. It’s
not a good deal for the region.”
Developer Verne Rifer took a differ-
ent tack: the streetcar is a better stimulus
for development. “We have a pretty
good bus system, but without help
we’ll be seeing Johns Landing at best
remain fallow, at worst see disinvest-
ment,” he said.
“It’s really suffering and the retail
isn’t doing well. Even in boom times
there were numerous vacant lots on the
river not being developed. I don’t see
an enhanced bus contributing to rede-
velopment or preservation,” said Rifer.
In the wider world, however, the
project faces strong opposition. In
the wealthy Dunthorpe community,
through which the streetcar will pass
and which has always been hostile to
the project, opponents are reportedly
fundraising for a major legal fight.
Lake Oswego was considered a sup-
porter, but in the last election three
candidates ran for City Council on
anti-streetcar platforms, and two were
elected to the seven-person body.
At a meeting last month of the Port-
land Streetcar Advisory Committee,
Rifer compared these communities to
“Beirut,” and South Portland to “the
liberation of Paris” in their attitudes to-
ward the project. This is ironic because
South Portland’s stance has been less
than wildly enthusiastic.
Indeed, it is conditioned on most of
the route through their territory being
located on Southwest Macadam Avenue
rather than the Willamette Shore right
of way, as project engineers would
prefer. The latter route would be faster
and easier to operate, but would have
more impact on existing homes and less
benefit to businesses.
The Lake Oswego opposition is in
fact based largely on the idea that the
streetcar would be too effective a devel-
opment tool. Opponents have charged
that it would create “30 Washington
Squares” in the town. Aside from being
grossly exaggerated, consultant Doug
Obletz told the project CAC, “Washing-
ton Square is a shopping mall, and no
one is suggesting that for Lake Oswego.
It was used to get people’s attention.”
A related issue is the future of a pro-
posed bike and pedestrian trail through
the territory. There is virtually universal
support for this. However, there is some
(Continued on Page 6)
Portland Streetcar stops at Gibbs Street in the South Waterfront neighborhood.
(flickr file photo courtesy of pchurch)
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Legal Notice
The Metro Council is soliciting applications for
the position of Metro Councilor for District 6
Qualified applicants must be registered voters within District
6 for at least one year at the time of the appointment. Metro
District 6 covers portions of Southwest, Southeast and North-
east Portland.
Application materials and instructions can be found online
at www.oregonmetro.gov/district6 or picked up at the Metro
Council office, located at 600 NE Grand Avenue in Portland,
between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Fri-
day.
Completed applications must be received at Metro no later
than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011. Qualified applicants
will be interviewed by the Metro Council at a public meeting
to be held on Wednesday, Feb. 16, beginning at 5 p.m. at the
David Douglas School District headquarters, located at 1500
SE 130th Ave. in Portland. The Metro Council may vote to
appoint a new Metro Councilor at that meeting or hold its vote
over to a later date.
For more information, visit
www.oregonmetro.gov/district6 or
call 503-797-1508