The Southwest Portland Post., January 01, 2015, Page 3, Image 3

January 2015
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 3
Hillsdale neighborhood wants a city
task force to study home demolitions
By Janet Goetze
The Southwest Portland Post
T h e H i l l s d a l e N e i g h b o rh o o d
Association wants a city task force to
study concerns about house demolitions
that are increasing in Portland.
The association heard proposals from
the United Neighborhoods for Reform
in December and, while not endorsing
all the points developed by a United
Neighborhoods committee, agreed that
demolitions raise issues meriting new
scrutiny.
One point cited by many city residents
in the past year is issuance of demolition
permits without notifying neighbors or
observing a waiting period set in a
city ordinance. Developers may seek
a waiver under certain circumstances.
At press time, the Portland City
Council was scheduled to amend the
building demolition code “to require
notice and delay for all single family
residential demolitions in areas with
a residential Comprehensive Map
Designation and make other changes.”
Multnomah Blvd. construction
(Continued from Page 1)
city said new trees would be planted in the
fall of 2014?
A: Urban Forestry will be installing
61 street trees, scheduled for late
January or early February.
Q: The “Multnomah Village” sign on
the westbound direction right before 28th
Avenue has been lying on its side for
months now. Whose responsibility is it to
put it back up?
A: I spoke to Randy Bonella from
the Multnomah Village Business
Association about this last spring
when it was pulled (out of the ground).
To our knowledge the sign was never
permitted for installation in the public
right-of-way so we can’t reinstall it until
it is permitted.
Q: The existing green street planters have
not been planted yet. There is just a burlap
type cover with no plants. The city said
these would be planted in the fall as well?
A: The Bureau of Environmental
Services will be planting all the storm
swales. They are waiting for all the
construction of the western section
to be completed, so they can do all at
The Hillsdale neighborhood approved
a motion asking the city council to form
a task force of citizens, staff members
and developers to address the concerns
outlined in the United Neighborhoods
resolution.
These include preservation of each
neighborhood’s historical heritage,
retention of affordable housing and
neighbors’ protections from lead,
asbestos and other contaminants
released by some demolitions.
Several people attending the Hillsdale
meeting cited demolitions they have
seen in West Side neighborhoods,
noting the activity isn’t confined to the
East Side.
While the code amendment on the
council agenda addresses the issues
of neighborhood notification and
permit waiting period, it falls short
of what many residents want, said Al
Ellis, immediate past president of the
Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood
Association.
Ellis convened a “demolition summit”
in May 2014 after hearing complaints
from residents of his Northeast Portland
once. (There is more work being done
from 35th to 40th avenues on both sides
of Multnomah Boulevard.)
Our BES contact indicated that given
the proximity to the holidays it will
probably be pushed to January, weather
permitting. If it’s too cold they said it
may wait until March.
The Hillsdale Neighborhood Association wants the city of Portland to form a task force
to review homes slated for demolition by developers. (Photo courtesy of bikeportland.org)
neighborhood.
To his surprise, he said in a telephone
interview, representatives of more than
two dozen neighborhoods attended
the meeting and formed the United
Neighborhoods group.
Some complained of “knock downs”
that they believe didn’t follow state
law for containing lead in paints and
asbestos around pipes or insulation,
Ellis said.
His neighborhood has at least two
examples of substantial houses on large
lots being demolished and replaced
by two houses, he said, offering
the developers more income than
remodeling a single house.
Some residents complained of new
house designs that don’t blend with
the neighborhood, and others were
unhappy that new tall houses limited
their solar access.
Ellis said representatives of historical
organizations want an update of the
city’s Historic Resources Inventory,
with a waiting period mandated before
a property can be removed from the
inventory. The United Neighborhoods
also propose an online system available
to the public to track demolition activity.
Back at the bar, Jim Prenty sipped his
light beer. The Oakland Raiders scored
another touchdown. The bar erupted
in cheers.
Prenty was compensated for his old
marquee which had to be removed and
now he said he doesn’t have the funds
to erect a smaller version in a different
location.
“What gets me most of all,” Prenty
said, “is that I really miss the marquee.
I miss the fun: the birthday wishes,
congratulating the Winterhawks,
previewing upcoming events.”
The one that sticks in his mind
the most? “Roadwork ahead next 40
years!” Don’t even get him going about
the proposed street fee.
For more information about Multnomah
Boulevard construction from the Portland
Bureau of Transportation, please contact
Rich Newlands at 503-823-7780 or rich.
newlands@portlandoregon.gov.
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