October 2012
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
City of Portland approves naturopathic college’s 10-year master plan
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
In the face of zero public opposition
or concern, Hearings Officer Gregory
Frank last month approved the Na-
tional College of Natural Medicine’s
10-year master plan for its campus.
The plan covers a 5.4-acre area
bounded by Southwest Naito Park-
way, Woods Street, and Corbett and
Kelly avenues. Within this area the
college currently owns 80 percent of
the land. It also includes some single
family homes owned by others.
Several of these property owners
attended the hearing. In testimony
obviously aimed at these owners
rather than Frank, NCNM consultant
Beverly Bookin said that the designa-
tion merely “an alert to the City and
owners of the College’s ultimate
intent.”
To do otherwise, Bookin said,
would require the college to go
through a costly plan amendment
process in order to acquire any such
property.
However, Bookin added, “We want
to assure you that this is based on
acquisition over time between a will-
ing buyer and seller. We don’t have
power of eminent domain, and we
wouldn’t use it even if we did.”
In the meantime, she said, owners
could continue to use the property
for any use allowed by the zoning.
“There are advantages to being in the
boundary,” Bookin said.
“You can expect your property to
increase in value. Also, if you ever
want to sell your home you know
that you have a potential willing
partner.”
The master plan calls for new de-
velopment in four phases, based on
the school’s most pressing needs.
Phase I calls for using a recently
acquired house for “academic sup-
port,” a second site for a new class-
room building with underground
parking, and a third for a mixture of
uses that will include student hous-
ing.
Phase II calls for using four more
houses for offices, another classroom
building, the vacation of Southwest
Meade and Hooker streets in the cam-
pus, and a new surface parking lot.
Phase III would include the expan-
sion of an existing outpatient clinic,
and creation of a two-story parking
structure.
In Phase IV, the college would redo
its main building. Originally built as
Failing School in 1913, the building
was later used by Portland Commu-
nity College until being acquired by
NCNM in 1995.
Although NCNM has worked
extensively with the South Portland
Neighborhood Association in creat-
ing its plan, that group gave no of-
ficial input on the final document;
neither did anyone else prior to the
hearing.
At the hearing itself there was
no public testimony offered. Frank
asked Bookin if the college was satis-
fied with the conditions of approval
recommended by planner Sylvia
Cate.
“We’re comfortable with the condi-
tions; they’re all fair and reasonable,”
she replied. Frank then took the
unusual step of announcing that he
would approve the plan with Cate’s
conditions, unchanged.
An aerial view facing north of the proposed National College of Naturopathic
Medicine's campus. Downtown Portland is in the background. (Illustration
courtesy of Jenny Bowdlin, NCNM)
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