May 2013
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 3
Emergency response center planned for former Sears Armory
By Erik Vidstrand
The Southwest Portland Post
The Humvees are long gone; so
are the weekend Army Reserve
units. The grass needs mowing
and the large concrete barriers still
remain.
The process of transforming the
former SFC Jerome F. Sears Army
Reserve Center on Southwest
Multnomah Boulevard is proceed-
ing slowly.
A community process involving
countless hours of input and meet-
ings took place for years. Letters
were written; community based
organizations weighed in with
their vision of the property, and
City of Portland officials presented
their wish lists.
“The main reason the commu-
nity’s vote [to have affordable
housing] was rejected was that the
city had no money to proceed,”
stated longtime resident Stu Ellis,
whose property is a stone’s throw
from the center.
“In the end, the mayor made the
final decision,” recounted Ellis.
And what happened next was
decided by five City Council mem-
bers: an emergency response center
would have a new home at the
decommissioned reserve center.
The U.S. Department of Defense
(DOD) then gave up ownership of
the property in September 2012. It
was donated to the city.
Fast forward to 2013. Architects
hired by the Portland Bureau of
Emergency Management (PBEM)
presented renditions of the new
facility at the April meeting of the
Multnomah Neighborhood As-
sociation.
“Transforming the 3.7 acre cam-
pus,” said PBEM Director Carmen
Merlo, “involves many steps. First,
there needs to be a budget at-
tached. Second, the money needs
to be allocated.”
Finally, the property needs to
have a formal process for apply-
ing for rezoning. It currently is R-1
(residential). The City would like
to have it rezoned to EG-2 (general
employment).
Since the DOD was exempt from
the permitting process, the city
needs to apply for its own permits.
When asked about a timeline, the
answer was anyone’s guess.
In the meantime, preliminary ar-
chitectural renditions were shared.
Outside, the metal fabricated
building located on the west side
of the property will be moved to
the other side of the main build-
ing. In its place, a parking lot and
area for mobile media units will
be installed.
In the large parking lot, emergen-
cy road equipment will be stored
along with sand, gravel bins, and
de-icing material.
A commercial fueling station will
have different grades of gasoline,
diesel, and bio-fuels.
The 1960s-era main building
needs to be remodeled and up-
graded to code but architects say
not much construction needs to
happen. “A few walls to be moved
and ADA accessible restrooms
added,” explained one of the ar-
chitects.
A large auditorium will be re-
tained for large deployment gath-
erings. Meeting rooms, a full size
kitchen, and ‘situation’ room for
the mayor and other top city of-
ficials will be designed.
Finally, a press room, a new el-
evator, and rooms for city tenants
will be designed. If possible, City
of Portland Water and Transporta-
tion bureaus will have offices here.
One of neighbors’ concerns
seemed to focus on a long six-
foot high wall that would run the
length of Multnomah Boulevard.
Barbed wire fencing would re-
Moss Street neighbors, Martin and Marcia Waugh along with Judy Ellis, discuss the
City's plan to redesign the Sears Armory. Their properties butt up against the back of the
campus. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand)
main along with added shrubbery
around the back perimeter.
“We understand that there are
lots of questions still,” architects
explained. “The fence can include
art or other aesthetic qualities. Or
we can remove the fence complete-
ly. The process has just begun.”
The community will have plenty
of opportunity to weigh in on
development. “We plan to come
back to these [Multnomah Neigh-
borhood Association] meetings,”
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(Continued from Page 1)
background checks for purchasers
and mandatory training as a pre-
condition for concealed weapons
permits.
Getting the votes for any of these
will be difficult, she said. William-
son quoted rural law enforcement
officials as saying that cuts in their
budgets made private gun owner-
ship necessary. “They’re saying,
‘Don’t take people’s guns away
because we have no public sector
backup,’” she said.
Freelance Reporter
The Post is seeking a freelance writer/
photographer to cover Southwest
neighborhood meetings, happenings,
etc. E-mail cover letter, up to three
clips, and current resume to: Don
Snedecor, Publisher, The Southwest
Portland Post, don@multnomahpost.
com. Snail mail or fax OK. No phone
calls, please.
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Merlo assured.
“I’ve been very pleased with the
communication of this project,”
said Ellis. “But in the end, we’re
the people that live here and will
have to deal with the commotion.”
For information on the planned
Emergency Response Center, see
www.portlandoregon.gov/pbem.
Stay in touch with the Multnomah
Neighborhood Association meet-
ings via Facebook or www.swni.
org/Multnomah.