Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2015)
2 • The Southwest Portland Post The Southwest Portland Post 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 Portland, OR 97206 Fax: (866) 727-5336 email: editor@multnomahpost.com Neighbor objects to proposed four-story apartment building in Multnomah Village I have lived in Multnomah for the past 20 years, and raised three kids here. This is my home. I just came from a neighborhood meeting [May 20] that was very discouraging. Essentially, the Village as we know it is going to go away, and is never coming back. A developer met with the neighborhood tonight. He will be replacing both properties next to Starbucks on the corner of Southwest 33rd and Capitol Highway with a four- story mixed use apartment building. Seventy-one studio apartments, with parking provided for only 60 percent of the units. Imagine a massive structure taller and wider than the Lucky Lab, as tall as all the light posts. There will be expensive commercial spaces in the bottom that I can only imagine chain stores will be able to afford, much like the ones already gradually taking over - Bishop’s, Zoom Care, Umpqua Bank, etc. If this trend continues, we can say goodbye to little family businesses in the Village. We can also most certainly say goodbye to the free parking that makes shopping in the area so attractive. A Neighborhood House representative was also there and announced the possibility of doing the same. A friend of the developer commented that the buildings in the Village are mostly old and ugly anyway and that you can’t fight progress. We do not have the infrastructure to support the traffic, pedestrian safety issues, and parking problems this growth will bring to the side streets EDITORIAL that are not supported by the city, not to mention the precedents this will set for more development. I think urban density is a good idea if done thoughtfully, but if you look at what has happened to the Fremont neighborhood, or Mississippi, or Northwest 23rd, you know those neighborhoods will never again have the charm they once had. According to the land use guy mediating the meeting, I believe he said that over 150 homes in the Village have been demolished so far. I was essentially told by another supporter of the developer—in the kindest possible tones—that if I object to the inevitability of this, I always have the option of moving. If you love the Village as I do, please come to the [Multnomah Neighborhood Association] meeting on June 9 at the Multnomah Center to voice your concerns. We can push back if we all work together. Steve Novick had a staffer there, but Amanda Fritz was not in attendance. Sadly, Fritz was only sending out automatic responses when contacted about this issue. She advised us to contact staff members instead. When my husband Michael Banks tried that, no response has been forthcoming as of yet. Editor’s Note: Novick and Fritz are Portland city commissioners. They need to hear from us. Thanks for reading. Brynn Baron Multnomah Multnomah School alumni appreciate service at Fat City Café A special thank you to Tom at Fat City Café. My friend and I came to Multnomah [last month] to celebrate our birthdays. We were students of Multnomah Grade School in the 1950’s – Fat City is still the place to be. Tom was wonderful, remembering our names and singing “Happy Birthday.” Thank you so much. You made our day. June 2015 It’s obvious from a brief stroll that River View Natural Area is a very special place FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK By Don Snedecor The Southwest Portland Post If you take a look online at the draft plan for River View Natural Area restoration, you will notice that officials aren’t going to allow dogs, on leash or off, and until there is a citywide master plan for mountain biking, bicycles won’t be allowed either. After visiting the park for the first time last month, I get it. This is a very special place. So just where is River View Natural Area? It’s located next to River View Cemetery, roughly 150 acres between Macadam Avenue and Terwilliger Boulevard. When folks from Portland Parks and Recreation gave me the nickel tour on May 18, we accessed the park from Palatine Hill Road and Brugger Street, not far from Lewis and Clark College. Kendra Petterson-Morgan, a natural resource ecologist with the park bureau, led the walking tour. Emily Roth with Parks was there as well. Cathy Bushman and Shannah Anderson of the Bureau of Environmental Services tagged along. And just for fun, I invited Steve Manton, a neighbor who has lived next to the park for 29 years to join us. Manton mentioned that at one time Lewis & Clark College wanted to build soccer fields here! So the six of us headed down the trail, in a loop around the west (upper) part of the park. Petterson-Morgan explained that significant amount of restoration has already been done. English ivy that was infesting the forest and killing the fir trees was tackled, carefully, by professionals with small tools and chainsaws. An herbicide used in Roundup has been used by the park bureau, sparingly, to deal with certain invasive, non-native species. The east side is very steep, and six unnamed creeks flow downhill toward the Willamette River. It was very peaceful and I had a sense that I was out in the wilderness somewhere, not in the city of Portland. Every now and then we ran into folks along the trail, the way you would if you were going on a hike from Multnomah Falls to Larch Mountain. Bushman pointed out a unique wetland that is under development. Wildlife to watch for include deer, coyotes, chipmunks, and mountain beaver. Birds include winter wrens, evening grosbecks, black cap chickadees, and wild turkeys. According to Manton the forested property had been surplus land owned by River View Cemetery from the 1880s until recently when it was acquired by the park bureau. And while mountain bikers are upset, so far, folks in the adjacent Collins View neighborhood have liked the plan. You can weigh in yourself, by taking the park bureau’s survey. well be … and well informed Bowman’s Hillsdale Pharmacy Trudi Raz (Frengle) Karen Sears (Lowrie) 6256 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-244-7582 • email: hdrx@pcez.com •Walk-In Adult Immunizations •Flu Shots Available Celebrating 22 Years in Business! •Experienced Compounding Pharmacists 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509, Portland, OR 97206 Phone: (503) 244-6933; Fax: (866) 727-5336 general email: news@multnomahpost.com web address: www.swportlandpost.com Editor & Publisher .........Don Snedecor Reporters/Writers ...........Lee Braymen-Cleary, KC Cowan, Erik Vidstrand Copy Editor ......................Rich Riegel Advertising Sales ...........Don Snedecor, Harry Blythe Graphic Design ..............Leslie Baird Design Printing ............................Oregon Lithoprint Circulation .......................Ambling Bear © 2015 by The Southwest Portland Post. All rights reserved. The opinions of the artists and authors contained herein are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Deadline for news and advertising is generally the 20th of the month prior to publication. Please call for current deadline information. Advertising rates are available upon request. The Post has a circulation of 7,000 in Multnomah Village and the surrounding neighborhood business districts including Burlingame, Capitol Hill, Garden Home, Glen Cullen, Hillsdale, South Portland, Raleigh Hills, West Portland and Vermont Hills. The Post is published on or about the 1st of every month. Subscriptions are $24 per year. Back issues are $2.50 each when available. All major credit cards accepted. www.mygnp.com Give your dad a subscription to The Post for Father’s Day We Deliver! Mail subscriptions are available at at the following rates: One year (12 monthly issues) ...................$24 Two years (24 monthly issues) .................$34 Three years (36 monthly issues) ..............$44 q This is a NEW subscription q This is an ADDRESS change Please send check or money order to: Southwest Portland Post, 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509, Portland, OR 97206 Name Address The Post is printed on recycled newsprint using soy-based inks. q This is a RENEWAL q This is a GIFT subscription City/State/Zip
