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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2014)
Happy Independence Day! INSIDE: Celebrating 21 years of continuous Southwest news coverage! Volume No. 22, Issue No. 9 www.swportlandpost.com Portland, Oregon Stephens Creek Crossing housing project opens with fanfare – Page 3 Complimentary July 2014 Barbur Boulevard traffic to be redirected through Hillsdale July 11-14 By Erik Vidstrand The Southwest Portland Post By now, many Southwest commut- ers, Hillsdale business owners, and customers will have experienced the first of two weekend road closures of the Southwest lanes of Barbur Boulevard. Due to construction on the Ver- mont Street Bridge along Barbur Boulevard, Oregon Department of Transportation decided to detour “a ton of traffic through Hillsdale for the weekend” according to Mike Roach, president of the Hillsdale Business and Professional Associa- tion. The weekend of June 20-24 was the first of two weekend southbound lane closures. The next one is ex- pected on July 11-14. The closure hours will be from Friday night at 9 p.m. and reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday. “There will be opportunities to at- tract these cars to stop in and shop,” Roach wrote to local business own- ers, “especially on the north side where access will be much easier.” “If regular customers complain,” Roach said, “please let them know that all Barbur southbound traffic has been routed through Hillsdale for the weekend and that you appreciate their patience.” The northbound lanes will be open the weekend of July 11-14. Southbound motorists on Barbur Bou- levard will be detoured on to Capitol Highway and Bertha Boulevard, then back to Barbur Boulevard. Bicyclists heading south- bound may use a dedi- cated bike lane, through the work zone, during the closure. It is next to the northbound traffic but southbound bicyclists and motorists should use Builders construct the original Vermont Street Bridge along Southwest Barbur Boulevard in September 1934. (Photo courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation) extreme caution. S u s a n H a n s o n , f ro m ciation asked for and received from at Bertha Court and Capitol Highway. ODOT, said, “Please watch for mo- ODOT and Portland Bureau of Trans- Five flaggers were also requested torists turning onto the detour route portation several requests. along the detour route. Several will on Capitol as well as bicyclists con- There will be a tripling of the usual be placed in the business district to tinuing straight on Barbur.” green arrow time for left hand turns (Continued on Page 6) According to Roach, the asso- City of Portland to invest $1.5 million for development of Spring Garden Park BREAKING NEWS By Don Snedecor The Southwest Portland Post Benjamin Howell and Charlotte Lewis build a hut at Spring Garden Park. (Photo courtesy of Lori Howell and Portland Parks & Recreation) Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. The Southwest Portland Post 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 Portland, OR 97206 According to Mark Ross, with Portland Parks & Recreation, the park bureau will invest $1.5 million in the development of a permanent natural play area, a grassy meadow, as well as other features in Mult- nomah’s Spring Garden Park. Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz announced June 26 that revenue from development in Portland (known as system de- velopment charges, or SDCs) will fund the upcoming development, as opposed to property tax dollars. Located at 3332 SW Spring Gar- den St in Southwest Portland’s Multnomah neighborhood, the park site encompasses nearly five acres of land in a park-deficient part of the city. Southwest is an area known as lacking in parks and park ser- vices. Currently, the city has nine parcels of Southwest Portland parkland, but no funding to de- velop them. Approximately 1,359 nearby households will benefit, including 128 homes which currently have no access to a neighborhood park or natural area within the Parks 2020 goal of half a mile. Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. ranked Spring Garden Park as a top priority for development when revenue from SDC funds became available. SDC funds, by state law, can only be used to pay for growth projects such as new parks. They cannot be used to pay for replacement or ma- jor maintenance in existing parks. Park access in the area is ham- pered by the nearby presence of Interstate 5, Barbur Boulevard, Capitol Highway, and Multnomah Boulevard. Right now, one of those major thoroughfares has to be crossed in order to reach any park or natural area nearby. Spring Garden Park will close this play gap. Total project funds of $1.5 million in SDCs are designated for Spring Garden Park, though final costs will be dependent on the park’s final design. “The gaps in our system are significant in southwest Portland, so we are doing what we can with SDC dollars,” said Commissioner Fritz. “We’ve been working with an amazing group of community stakeholders since 2007, and PP&R staff and I are thrilled to steer their (Continued on Page 4)
