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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2011)
City Council agrees to hearing on conditional use of South Portland jail By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post In February, with no debate, the Port- land City Council unanimously agreed to give neighbors of the proposed South Waterfront immigrant processing what they have been seeking for months: a hearing on their concerns and issues. Previously, the Bureau of Develop- ment Services had ruled that the pro- posed facility at 4310 SW Macadam Ave., to be operated by the Federal Gov- ernment’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a long-term lease, was primarily an office building, an exten- sion of the previous use of the site, and allowed by right. The proposed facility was subject only to design review to determine its operation and aesthetic qualities. The South Portland Neighborhood Association, led by land use chair Jim Davis, had argued that in all important respects the proposed facility is a jail, and as such should be subjected to a conditional use review that would deal with safety issues and its suitability for its site. When the Portland Design Commis- sion approved the project (after ruling that the use issue was outside their scope), Davis and South Portland ap- pealed the decision to Council. It was the subject of a three-hour hearing in January. Commissioner Randy Leonard at first moved to deny the appeal and approve the project. However, Commissioner Amanda Fritz then proposed an amend- ment whereby the detention facilities – comprising 4,000 square feet of the 65,000 square foot building – would be subject to a conditional use process. Leonard accepted this as a friendly amendment without argument. In previous testimony, representa- tives of Lindquist Development LLC, the property owner, and the Federal Government had argued that the pro- posed facilities would hold people who had not been charged with a crime, that they would be held there for no more than 12 hours at a time, and that there were no beds or other facilities to ac- commodate a longer stay. Also, the detention areas comprised only a miniscule portion of the total square footage. Based on this, they ar- gued, the use would be a “processing,” not a “detention,” center, and allowed by right. “It was very clear that the character- ization of this as a detention facility was erroneous,” Leonard told Council. “I disagree,” Fritz responded. “The square footage is only one factor.” Another Council member, Nick Fish, chimed in. “This is not the Wapato Jail, but not an office building,” he said. “It doesn’t comfortably fit any of our use definitions.” Therefore, he said, the best course is to decide that the building has two primary use definitions, one of which inquires a conditional use permit. “This is the only way we don’t do violence to the code,” Fish said. Moreover, he said, “This allows the neighborhood to weigh in on issues such as safety. It doesn’t preclude such a facility; it just calls for public review.” Fritz added, “It recognizes the neigh- bors’ concerns while allowing the office (Continued on Page 5) This building located at 4310 SW Macadam Ave in South Portland could be home to a new federal jail. (Post file photo by Don Snedecor) Parker Realty, Inc. Multnomah Village - $324,500 Jeff Parker Classic 1940 English Cottage, 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 2277 sq. ft. Impeccably maintained inside & out. Beautiful large .26 acre lot with fruit trees, garden and pond. Hardwood floors up and down, new windows. Full basement; gas heat & water. Your Neighborhood Realtor Since 1980 503-977-1888•7830 SW 35th Ave., Portland, OR www.parkerrealtyportland.com NOW OPEN SATURDAYS S . Expert service for most vehicles, old or new. . Preventive maintenance, minor and major repairs. . Certified and experienced technicians. . Very competitive prices—all work guaranteed. . We are a AAA/Oregon Service Provider. . Flat rate towing. SAVE 10% SAVE 15% on your next service, parts and labor 2 AUTO REPAIR E 196 C N I “Hi…I’m Andy. We’ll take care of you right.” HANDY ANDY 503-246 -8497 7991 SW Capitol Hwy By The Village Bridge if you’re over 60 The maximum dollar amount we discount is $200. One discount per customer. Not combinable with other discounts. One-time use. Please bring coupon. Coupon Expires May 31, 2011 Handy Andy’s in 1966 when gas was 32.9 gallon Customer Service Is Our Business . Serving You Since 1962
