6 • The Southwest Portland Post
NEWS
April 2017
Land Use Committee reviews city budget, objects to middle housing amendment
By Erik Vidstrand
The Southwest Portland Post
The Land Use Committee, a
standing committee of Southwest
Neighborhoods, Inc., met on Feb. 21 to
hear pertinent land use updates from
city bureau managers and an advisory
board member.
This working group is comprised of
Southwest neighborhood association
land use committees and other land
use advocates. This group tracks and
responds to the many land use and
planning issues in the area.
These include infill projects,
demolitions, new developments,
design reviews, tree preservation,
affordable housing, and
comprehensive zoning changes.
“The last few meetings have been
canceled due to inclement weather,”
said committee chair Jan Wilson.
Claire Carder, who is in her
first term as a representative on
the Development Review Advisory
Committee, gave a report on how
the Bureau of Development Services
processes requests when a property
owner subdivides property.
DRAC is a citizen advisory body
representing those with interests in
the outcomes of policies, budgets, and
regulations. There are 17 appointed
members.
“A lot has been going on at city hall,”
Carder began. “We’re going line-by-
line over the bureaus’ budget.”
Portland City Commissioner Chloe
Eudaly now oversees the Office of
Neighborhood Involvement and the
Bureau of Development Services. “I
certainly see progress with Eudaly in
charge,” Carder said.
“The city is also looking at having an
assigned liaison for each geographic
region/neighborhood like Joan
Frederickson, who is bureau project
manager for the entire Southwest.”
Carder said there is a surplus of
money –about $50 million—which
comes from a fee that developers pay
the city.
“These are short-term funds secured
by the housing project loan to the
bureau,” Carder explained. “This
money is slated for the affordable
housing crisis.”
DRAC has a demolition
subcommittee and recently released
its report. It suggested a change in the
demolition ordinance which requires
better notification for permits.
Carder said this is an opportunity to
save more houses from the wrecking
ball.
“Equity is the main issue with this
policy,” said Claire Colman Evans
from Bridlemile. “Neighborhoods
without much money don’t have the
means to fight the demolitions. Many
times it turns associations or groups
of neighbors into real estate agencies.”
“Why is the bureau understaffed?”
another committee member asked.
“There are state statutes that have
strict ways expenditures are spent,”
Frederickson replied.
“Can it be used for inspection staff?”
“There is also a backlog of positions,”
Frederickson added. “We’re also
looking at staff for asbestos and lead
removal programs in which schools
have the highest priorities.”
Carder finished up her report
saying that two-way communication
needs to be improved. Information
from the land use committee to
DRAC is good, but information
doesn’t always trickle down to the
neighborhood association, she said.
Frederickson provided a snapshot
of projects in Southwest which can be
found in the SWNI newsletter. Barry
Manning, a manager from the Bureau
of Planning and Sustainability, was
also in attendance.
“Code reconciliation projects are
planned in 2017,” he said. “Some
commercial zones have changed.
We’re also working on landscaping
and parking requirements.
“The biggest issue is that
inclusionary zoning now is required
in multi-family units with more than
20 units,” he said.
New housing projects must include
no less than 20 percent of units at
affordable prices (80 percent of
median income level).
A motion was made by Multnomah
land use chair Jim Peterson,
requesting that SWNI write a letter
in support of the associations’
objection to middle housing policy
One infill project that has the land use committee concerned is the 70-unit, four-
story apartment building under construction on Southwest Capitol Highway at 33rd
Avenue in Multnomah Village. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand)
5.6 (Amendment P45) to the 2035
Portland Comprehensive Plan.
“This letter is consistent with SWNI’s
prior letter dated April 28, 2016, on the
same issue,” said Peterson. “We’re
MULTNOMAH NOTEBOOK
(Continued from Page 1)
“These concerns remain despite the
work so far of the Residential Infill
Project.”
Multnomah neighborhood
association members and board have
been saying for years that this process
has been hijacked by developers who
sit on RIPSAC.
“In terms of the RIP process,
take a look at the stakeholder
advisory committee make-up,”
Strunk continued. “The developers,
realtors, and others with financial
interest in the infill project outcomes
out-weighed the neighborhood
representation.”
Strunk said that it appears that the
Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
may be ignoring this input and
ignoring City Council decisions from
December.
“UNR has been opposing the
comprehensive plan middle-housing
amendment (P-45) that was snuck in
at the last moment,” Peterson added.
asking for as many letters of support
as possible for this objection.”
The motion was adopted and the
issue will go to SWNI’s board of
directors for consideration.
Eight housing projects at 46th
Avenue and Carson Street
Markley expressed his frustration
with the state of the streets near his
house.
“There are eight housing projects
going on around Southwest 46th and
Carson,” Markley said.
“The crumbling, gravel roads are
falling apart from the construction
truck traffic,” he said. “Why aren’t we
holding the developers accountable
for tearing up the road?”
Multnomah chair Martie Sucec said
that the city only maintains streets
that are brought up to city code. “This
roadway is not one of them,” Sucec
stated. “It has to do with when the area
was annexed by the city of Portland.”
Editor’s Note: “Up to code” means a
complete buildout including paved streets
and curbs. Sidewalks are required along
arterials and side streets where there is
new residential development.
“I’m going to put this issue on a
future agenda and see what we can
do about these streets,” said Sucec.
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