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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2012)
4 • The Southwest Portland Post NEWS February 2012 Councilor Roberts previews South Corridor Project for South Portland NA By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post Metro Councilor and former governor Barbara Roberts (District 6) last month gave the S o u t h Portland Neighbor- hood Asso- ciation an Councilor Roberts overview of the South Corridor Project, a study of future transportation needs between downtown Portland and Sherwood that may lead to a light rail route along Southwest Barbur Boulevard. Metro planner Karen Withrow, who accompanied Roberts, noted that light rail is just one of the trans- portation options being studied for this corridor; others include express or enhanced bus service and merely making minor improvements. As compared to other such stud- ies, “We’re looking at this different- ly,” Roberts said. “Instead of saying, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’ and making everything match that, here we’re looking at the corridor before deciding what the solution is.” Among the communities the project will study will be Sherwood Town Center, Tualatin Refuge, Tualatin Commons, King City, the Murray-Scholls Town Center, Lake Grove, Downtown Tigard and the Tigard Triangle, Washington Square, Nimbus, and Bridgeport Village. Of Portland Community Col- lege’s Sylvania Campus Roberts said, “We need a way to serve more students without attracting thou- sands of more cars.” Of the West Portland Crossroads she said, “It’s clear how few side- walks there are; it’s not safe. There are places where you can’t even get across the street. We need to provide for pedestrians and bicyclists, not just the person in the car.” Of Multnomah Village Roberts said, “It’s one of these wonder- ful little places. It was quiet for many years, then the complexion changed.” West Portland Crossroads includes Barbur Boulevard, I-5, and Capitol Highway. (Post file photo by Leslie Baird) Hillsdale Town Center is “another one of those areas where walkability is very questionable,” Roberts said. “It has small, family-owned busi- nesses, and we don’t want to do things that would make them go away. We want to see what kind of things we can do to make it healthier than it is now.” Roberts also mentioned Oregon Health and Sciences University – “The neighborhood is affected at both ends of the tram” – plus the South Waterfront and River Place. Withrow said the study area in- cludes “28 bus lines carrying 27,000 riders, 2,000 parking spaces, three transit centers, 140,000 residents and 163,000 workers.” It has been chosen for attention over 40 other transit corridors because projected growth, if not provided for, will increase travel time by 30 percent by the year 2035, she said. Board member Jim Gardner noted that the study is due to reach con- clusions by the end of the year, well ahead of the Barbur Concept Plan, which is studying land use and local conditions on and near that street. Under the circumstances, he asked, how will this work “inform” the Corridor Study? Roberts said the two efforts “learn from each other on a daily basis.” Board member Bill Danneman complained that the study’s provi- sions for public input seem “mini- (Continued on Page 7) New off-leash dog park proposed for Duniway Park Nearby resident Chris Goodrich thinks part of Duniway Park should go to the dogs. That is, he wants to es- tablish a new off-leash dog park there. Duniway is best known for the track and athletic field adjacent to Southwest Barbur Boulevard. This, Goodrich, con- ceded, is heavily used. However, the upper section of the park, bordered on three sides by South- west Terwilliger Boulevard, is relatively deserted, he told the Homestead Neigh- borhood Association last month. In fact, Goodrich said, some people use the park for this purpose now, but risk a $150 fine for doing so. The clos- est existing legal off-leash dog park is Willamette Park, about two miles away, Goodrich said. Goodrich said he presented the idea to Portland Parks and Recreation’s Bureau Advisory Committee, which seemed favorably impressed. How- ever, he said, it was vetoed by bureau administrators. He was told that the upper park is “heavily used” by soccer players, which Goodrich says has not been true for years. Another Homestead resident said the upper park is used regularly by dog owners “and there are never any other users.” “It’s a wonderful thing to have in- teraction with people while exercising your dogs,” Goodrich said. The Home- stead NA board agreed and voted to endorse the idea. – Lee Perlman