December 2011
NEWS
BARBUR CONCEPT PLAN
(Continued from Page 1)
buildings occupied by professional
services.
The rental rates for this space are
lower than the average citywide going
rate, but so is the vacancy rate; the re-
port found 107,000 square feet of vacant
commercial space on the boulevard.
North of Terwilliger, Barbur is the
main through route to downtown and
the Ross Island Bridge; to the south,
there is more local circulation. Traffic
volumes on the boulevard range from
15,000 vehicle trips per day to just under
40,000.
Barbur is a High Crash corridor with
71 reported crashes at the I-5-Capitol
Highway intersection between 2006
and 2009, 41 at Terwilliger in the same
period, and a significant number at
Southwest 53rd Avenue, Bertha Boule-
vard, and Taylors Ferry Road.
The largest percentage of crashes
were rear-ends, while a significant
number were from cars turning at in-
tersections, often disregarding traffic
signals. There is a fairly complete sys-
tem of bike lanes, but some significant
gaps, especially at overpasses.
To no one’s surprise, the report found
that most of Barbur has poor pedestrian
facilities. Between Hamilton and Ter-
williger there are no sidewalks on the
west side and, between the Rasmussen
Village housing project and Southwest
Brier Street, none on the east side either.
South of Terwilliger, the report found,
“Sidewalks are discontinuous, with
long stretches where they do not exist,
and not complying with City standards
in many cases where they do.”
There are only five signalized cross-
ings along the road’s 6.18-mile length.
Further, multiple commercial drive-
ways “present strong challenges for
residents to safely walk Barbur.”
Likewise, south of Brier, sidewalks
on streets connecting Barbur to the
surrounding neighborhoods are “spo-
radic,” the report found. It mentioned
The Southwest Portland Post • 3
that the Southwest Trails network pro-
vided an important alternative.
There is TriMet bus service along the
entire street from Line 12, and for por-
tions of it from Lines 1, 38, 44, 53, 55, 56
and 94. However, the report found that
the bus stops in many cases are “noth-
ing more than a sign mounted on a pole
without shelters…and without devel-
oped sidewalks at or leading to them.”
The residential areas within a quarter
mile of Barbur, which contain at least
potential clientele for current and future
businesses, have a median household
income of $65,000, compared to a city-
wide average of $54,000.
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
(Continued from Page 1)
to Multnomah westbound will be
closed.
Starting in January the work will
continue on Multnomah between
Southwest 25th and 31st avenues,
and this work will be performed dur-
ing the day, Sykes said. Crews will
keep at least one lane open in each
direction from 7 to 9 a.m. and from
3 to 6 p.m., he said. Between these
times, traffic may be restricted to one
lane controlled by flaggers. The work
is likely to continue into the summer,
Sykes said.
Love and Pearson tie
in vote for SWNI vice
president
The convoluted intersection of Barbur Boulevard and Capitol Highway includes
a bridge and onramp to Interstate 5 south. (Post file photo by Leslie Baird)
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The post of First Vice President of
the Southwest Neighborhoods Inc.
board remained vacant as The Post
went to press. In October the board
voted 14-2, with two abstentions,
to remove Jim McLaughlin of West
Portland Park from this post, and to
bar him from the SWNI office.
No official reason was given.
McLaughlin later resigned from
other affiliations with West Portland
Park, citing unspecified “personal
reasons.”
Last spring, at SWNI’s annual
elections, McLaughlin unseated in-
cumbent Ken Love of South Portland
for the First Vice President position.
Last month Love offered himself as
a candidate to fill the position, as did
Sam Pearson of South Burlingame.
A written ballot of board members
present produced a tie vote between
the two candidates.
SWNI’s bylaws do not allow
the board president to vote, even
Hillsdale activist Don Baack, who
attended an advisory committee meet-
ing last month, pointed out, “There
are some pockets of pretty poor people
there, and it’s important that they have
transit service.”
Storm water runoff is an issue in the
area, particularly since the soils have a
poor capacity to absorb water quickly,
and major new development might
require new facilities.
At last month’s meeting Baack said
of this part of the report, “There are
constraints with every category. So of-
ten we make plans with no way in hell
to get money to make them happen.”
to break a tie. After some debate,
the board voted to let its executive
committee decide the matter in
December.
Portland Plan feedback
opportunities extended
In response to requests by com-
munity activists and others, the
Portland Bureau of Planning and
Sustainability has extended the
deadline for written response to the
draft Portland Plan. Originally con-
cluding at the end of November, the
new deadline is December 28.
Comments can be sent via U.S.
Mail to Bureau of Planning and Sus-
tainability, Portland Plan, 1900 S.W.
Fourth Ave., Suite 7100, Portland,
97201; or via web to psc@portland-
oregon.gov, with the subject line
“Portland Plan.” The Plan can be
downloaded at www.pdxplan.com.
The Plan states that in reviewing
the city’s needs geographically, “One
size does not fit all.” However, SWNI
board president Marianne Fitzgerald
noted that planners have rejected
the 95 neighborhoods defined by
residents as basic geographic units.
Instead, they have divided the city
into five sub-areas, with the south-
west and northwest hills dubbed
the Western Neighborhoods, and
South Portland lumped in with In-
ner Neighborhood, most of them on
the east side.
They have also divided the city into
24 “Commercial hubs.” Southwest
contains five of these: Tryon Creek-
Riverdale, Hillsdale-Multnomah-
Barbur, West Portland, Raleigh Hills,
and South Portland-Marquam Hill.
The draft Plan analyzes these areas
and suggests short and long-term
strategies for improvement.