Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1978)
9 City studies Union development PORTLAND OBSERVER V o lu m e 8 N o. 38 Thursday. S e p te m b e r 21,1978 10c per copy The Union Avenue Redevelop ment Plan, begun by Model Cities in I973, is a step closer with the Arterial Reconstruction Project due to go before the City Council in the near future. Three plans are currently under consideration. Left turns are now prohibited except at five intersec tions where there are left turn lanes. The limiting o f left turn access puts traffic onto side streets in an effort to get to the desired destination. AU three alternatives would provide left turn lanes at ten intersections. Plan I would place a continuous raised median between major inter sections. Left turn lanes would be provided at ten major intersections. This plan would prevent left turns and force tra ffic in to the neigh borhoods. It would provide safety islands fo r pedestrians crossing Union Avenue and would provide landscaping and trees on the median. Plan II has a continuous left turn lane where needed and a raised median in between. This plan would allow le ft turns at most m ajor streets, better access to businesses and the advantages o f the median. It would not require added side street traffic. The median would restrict tra ffic on smaller neighborhood streets. Plan III provides a continuous left turn at all major intersections except for two one-block areas (Prescott to Skidm ore and K n o tt to Russell) where le ft turns w ould not be allowed. This plan would provide direct access to nearly all streets and to businesses with no need for traffic to circulate in the neighborhoods. A ll three plans require removal o f on-street parking. A lte rn a tive methods for providing parking will be explored — development o f parking areas and m arking side streets for short term parking. Union Avenue w ill remain a major thorough fare, p ro vid in g concen trated traffic movement as well as a site fo r small businesses. Current tra ffic volume is 13,000 to 19,200 vehicles per week day. Volume is ex pected to peak in 1982, then decline somewhat after the completion o f 1- 205. A citizen advisory committee was established last fa ll, representing business and neighborhood interests. A t a public hearing h-ld last week in King Neighborhood Facility, the majority o f those testifying suppor ted Plan II on the basis that it would assist tr a ffic flo w but is not as restrictive o f left turn access as Plan I. A few mesrehants preferred that on-street parking remain. Further inform ation can be ob tained fro m the U nion Avenue Project, 4008 N.E. Union Avenue. Senior citizens asked to prioritize needs Defcum Court tenant families and neighbors protest sale of recreatio n and playg ro u nd area by the Housing Authority of Portland. The property was sold, along with adjoining land, for private development. HAP tenants protest play area loss ••TM. ..... ... I- t. “ This ¡< is not a new struggle, it is part o f a long fight the Concordia Neighborhood Association has had with the Housing A u th o rity ,” A l Batiste, Chairman o f the Concordia Neighborhood Association told the press at a tenant - neighborhood demonstration Saturday. “ We had to fight to get the landscaping to keep the mud from running into the street; we had to fight for the down zoning; and now we arc here to fight the removal o f the playground. ” Tenants o f Dekum C o u rt, a Housing Authority o f Portland low cost housing project, and the Con cordia Neighborhood Association held a demonstration to publicize their efforts to retain a suitable play and recreation area for the forty unit project. HAP has sold property it owned adjacent to the project for private development, and in so doing drew the property line so close behind the housing units that only a steep bank is left for a play area, and the pro jects recreation facility will be sur rounded on three sides by private homes In 1976 HAP sought to build fifty units on the property but met op position from the community. HAP then announced that the property would be sold for private develop ment. Fearing a high density apart ment development, the neigh I 1 . borhood association sought and received from the C ity Council a downzoning that restricts the pro perty use to single family homes. In A p ril, 1978, H A P sold the property to J.W. Brayson, Inc. The tenants became aware o f the boun daries o f the land that had been sold only when they saw survey stakes in dicating that only the hillside would be left. When the resident manager complained that the tenants were concerned about loss o f the playground and the only flat space that could be used for ball and other games, as well as the only shade trees, she was told the property had been sold and nothing could be done. Meeting with the new owner, CNA determined that he was willing to sell the property between the project and Saratoga Street back to H AP and would not develop that property un til March 1979 to provide time for a sale to be arranged. In a June meeting with Lyndon Musolf, executive director o f HAP, Musolf indicated that H AP had no interest in purchasing the property but would not object to the tenants or CNA attempting to find ways to regain the property. Musolf has now determined that there is sufficient play space and in fact is more space than provided at four other projects — Iris Court, Maple M a llo ry , Town House ------ — - - u a to r nan demon strates equipment used at the Wind River tree nursery near Caraon, Washington, to part of a group of Portland area residents who attended an "Ecology and Career Excur sion. The trip was held earlier this month to introduce minorities to reforestation and to the Young Adult Conser- “ Terrace and Fir Acres — and has ordered that the play equipment be moved from the property. The CNA has applied to the city fo r Housing and C om m unity Development grant to purchase the land, but the question remains as to who w ill mow the grass and keep up the property. H A P refuses to become involved; the Park Bureau considers the property too small for it to become responsible; CNA has no funds. Accusing HAP o f failing to in volve tenants in decisions that af fect them, pressuring and trans fe rrin g employees who have a t tempted to assist the tenants, and retaliating against the neighborhood association that has fought its earlier plans, the tenants organization and the Neighborhood Association are united in their efforts to oppose what they consider H AP’ s callous feeling toward the tenant’s welfare. HAP explains the sale o f ail o f the pro perty as an attempt to maximize the sale price in order to build additional housing units. “ . . . it is simply a m atter o f setting p rio ritie s and utilizing our limited resources in an e ffo rt to meet our prim ary goal: providing safe, decent and sanitary housing for those who, for various reasons, are unable to compete for sim ilar housing on the open market.” (M usolf — 8/16/78) vation Corps program for young men and women aged 16 to 23 who are out of school and out of work. Pictured with Hall are, left to right, Sally Marquis, Veronica Dinkins David Belton, Michael Tate, Opaline Brown, James Belton (behind Mrs. Brown), Ressice Blacknall, Jim Stewart and Irene Tate. Calling Measure 6 the best thing to happen to our co u n try, Bob Holdridge, director o f the City o f Portland’ s aging programs, asked senior citizens served by the Senior A d u lt Service Center on U nion Avenue to “ prioritize” their needs. Holdridge expects the city program to lose $1 million if Measure 6 passes or about 1/2 m illio n dollars i f Measure 11 passes. Decisions w ill have to be made about how to cut up the pie, he explained, and most o f those decisions are p o litic a l and made during a crisis. The senior citizens present at a meeting with Holdridge were asked to mark form s, numbering their needs in order o f top p rio rity ; H ousing, Social C ontact, In fo r- m ation/S ervice U tiliz a tio n , In- Home Assistance, Protective/Legal, N utrition, Health. Then they were asked to assign a percentage o f available funds to each category. The senior citizens and community persons present attempted to explain that the categories were inter-depen- dent and that it was not possible to isolate and prioritize them. Holdridge explained his opinion that the mistake society has made is to assume that people can’ t help themselves and to do too much for them. He said he “ could care less” what the community wants, but he needs to list what they want. He said he isn’ t that interested in the city’ s money — about $2., “ that can’ t even be good seed money,” but wants to set up a strategy to deal with the total community so they can set things up in the community. The ‘ ‘ c ity ” money, which is federal aging funds, is divided among eight areas on a population and need basis. The Northeast center (Albina) gets approximately fifteen percent. Holdridge explained that the money goes to the contracting agency, the Urban League, and tha as long as the terms o f the contrac are met, the city sets no lim it on ad ministrative costs or amounts speni or retained by the contracting agency. The senior citizens complained that their advisory board has no power and has been ignored by the Urban League. They also claim that the contract is not being fulfilled. The Senior Adult Service Center was designed and operated by senior citizens under the M odel C ities Program, but after Model Cities was phased out was taken under the city and contracted to the Urban League o f Portland. H o ldridge is meeting w ith the citizens in each o f the eight areas to determine their needs so he can write a county-wide plan. No plans have been made to have the eight areas meet together to assist with this plan. Alexander hosts TV, radio soul programs by Ulysses Tucker, Jr. “ M y goal is to increase the amount o f soul, jazz, and funk given to the Portland comm unity,” said A rt Alexander, the newest radio per sonality in the city. His show is aired every Saturday night from 10:00 p.m.-midnight, 91.5. Alexander, a television production intern for the Oregon Educational Public Broad casting System, works in conjunction with KOAP-10 where he won a two year minority training grant from the corporation for Public Broadcasting. Alexander said that he decided to give radio production a try because, “ I ’ ve always had the desire to be on the air and when the opportunity came, I took it. “ There’ s great freedom o f ex pression in the field and I can gear my music to the message that I want to get across.” KOAP-FM is in the process o f revamping its program ming to reach more of the 18-26 year old listening market. He went on to say that, “ I want to make people think and dance while enlightening the masses to what is happening around them.” Alexander, a native of Brooklyn, New York migrated to Oregon by way o f the University o f Nebraska where he graduated with a B.A. in English and Political Science. He is currently working on his Masters in communications at the University o f Portland. “ My natural instincts led me out this way,” he said. “ I grew up on the urban East Coast and mellowed out in Nebraska. Now I’ m in the ‘ City of Roses’ to put what I ’ ve learned to use,” he said. Alexander said that, “ George C lin to n , producer-composer o f Paliment-Funkerdelic inspires me to great heights. His attitudes and musical concepts are amazing; he can relate to people on many levels and that’ s what I ’d like to do.” Alexander also said that public radio is an excellent alternative to Art Alexander hosts KOAP-FM'a "Funk "N S tuff" Saturday nights commercial stations because, “ What gets on the air is more a matter o f trying to enrich the community than maintaining a profit margin.” A lexander’ s advice to young communications students is to “ Get good technical training, know your equipment and learn how to write. Once you’ ve got your skills together. jum p on any opportunity that con fronts you.” W ith the addition o f Alexander to the airwaves, P o rtla n d now has another brother to go along with tNu positive vibrations o f KBOO. So, or Saturday nights, remember that you do have Soul from 8:00-12:00 (8:00- 10:00 KBOO 90.7 I'M and 10 00- 12:00 KOAP-FM stereo 91.5). I
