September 2011
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 3
City hearings officer rules against
proposed North Macadam jail
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
Opponents of a proposed federal Im-
migration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) facility at 4310 S.W. Macadam
Ave. won a skirmish in their ongoing
struggle last month.
In an August 3 ruling, City Hearings
Officer Gregory Frank denied property
owner Lindquist Development’s re-
quest for a conditional use permit to use
5,300 square feet of the 125,000 square
foot building as a “detention facility.”
It is at this facility where immigrants
and refugees, either in this country
illegally or accused of committing
crimes here, would be held while being
“processed.”
Frank took issue with a single point:
ICE’s plans to release an average of
three people a week directly from the
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
(Continued from Page 1)
their newest acquisition: 143 acres of
steeply sloping open space purchased
earlier this year from Riverview Cem-
etery.
Due to a decrease in demand for buri-
al plots, the cemetery concluded the
acreage was unneeded and represented
a financial liability. Most of the $11.25
million purchase price came from the
remains of a 2006 Parks bond measure,
according to Fish aide Emily Hicks.
Hicks told The Post that the Commis-
sioner and Bureau have concluded in
general terms that the land will remain
a natural area like Forest or Tryon
Creek parks rather than a developed
one. For now, she said, the Bureau will
concentrate on “stabilization and main-
tenance” activities such as removal of
invasive and non-native vegetation.
In the future, the public will be of-
fered the chance to participate in long-
term plans for the land, such as the
creation of new recreation trails.
Multnomah County nears
Sellwood Bridge construction
Multnomah County has already
started preliminary work on con-
struction of a new Sellwood Bridge,
spokesperson Mike Pullen told The
Post. Crews are collecting soil samples
on both sides of the river for the sup-
port structures of a temporary bridge
immediately north of the existing span.
Beginning in January, crews will
begin work on the structures. Then,
in the spring, the existing bridge will
be moved onto these structures. This
temporary arrangement will carry traf-
fic while a new bridge is constructed in
the old location.
At least one issue remains to be dealt
with. The currently proposed building
technique, and the simplification of the
west side access, has lowered the cost
of the project from an earlier $330 mil-
lion to $265 million. However, this still
leaves participating jurisdictions $20
million short. Beginning in September
representatives of these jurisdictions
will consider additional sources of rev-
enue or cost reductions on the project.
City revises leaf pickup
procedures
The City is preparing a new and im-
proved procedure for leaf pickups this
facility, freeing them on their own re-
cognizance.
ICE officials estimated an average
of 10 to 15 people a day would pass
through the facility, the vast majority
bound for longer-term incarceration in
Tacoma, Washington or a county jail.
Elizabeth Godfrey testified that no
detainees would be released in this
way if they were deemed a “danger to
the community,” and that if necessary
they would be provided with bus fare
or other assistance to ensure that they
were not “stranded in an unfamiliar
area.”
This was not enough for Frank, who
noted the lack of specifics about release
criteria and the absence of a recommen-
dation from the Portland Police Bureau
“that plans to be utilized by ICE are
adequate.”
Absent this, Frank found, “the release
of detainees directly from the Detention
fall, Shoshanna Oppenheim of the Port-
land Bureau of Transportation said.
Oppenheim is currently discussing
the issues with neighborhoods that
are part of the City’s 30 Leaf Zones.
These are areas with heavy tree canopy
where the City cleans fallen leaves off
the road.
Last year, for the first time, the
City began to charge for this service.
Residents complained both because
they felt they hadn’t been consulted
or briefed, and because they felt they
hadn’t gotten their money’s worth.
An artist's rendition of the proposed ICE detention facility. (Courtesy Keith
Skille, GBD Architects)
Facility into the immediate neighbor-
hood could pose an unreasonable
threat to the safety of nearby uses and
residents.”
City staff had initially found that the
facility was allowed by right, subject
only to design review. Earlier this year
City Council had approved a design
for the building, but determined that
the holding facilities needed a condi-
tional use permit with a broader public
review.
After sifting through three hours of
testimony and dozens of written docu-
ments, Frank sided with Lindquist on
most issues. He rejected arguments that
the facility would be unsuitable for the
area, that it would retard its develop-
ment, that it would interfere with traffic
(Continued on Page 4)
This year, Oppenheim said, the
City will widely publicize two dates
upon which leaves will be picked up
in a given district. Unlike last year,
residents will be allowed to rake leaves
from their sidewalks and yards into the
road. When the process is complete,
the City will bill most residents $30 for
the service.
Exceptions to the billing will be peo-
ple living outside a Leaf Zone, people
who don’t have a deciduous street tree,
or people who choose to “opt out.”
People can do this by clearing away the
leaves themselves, Oppenheim said.
Inspectors will look at the streets prior
to the clearing, and if they judge that
the street has been cleared, the owner
will not be billed.
For the sake of “opt outs,” or people
living outside zone, the City will con-
tinue to provide Leaf Depots. Residents
will be able to bring their leaves to
one of three dumping areas – one of
which will be in Gabriel Park, on three
weekends for a small fee. For more in-
formation visit www.portlandonline.
com/leafday or phone (503) 823-1784.