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Volume XXV II, Number 5
C ommitted to cultural diversity.
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January 29, 1997
;
The changing face of MLK Jr. Blvd.
S w eetheart’s Ball
Last Chance To Get A Life presents
The 1997 V alentine’s Sw eetheart’s Ball.
Ball featuring DJ Love Friday February
14, 1997 at The Red Lion Inn at the Quay,
100 Columbia in Vancouver. Special guest.
Mr. W ayne Bell and The Entourage.
W ayne Bell famed singer and song writer
(W aiting to Exhale soundtrack). $15.00
single, $25.00 couple. For Information or
tickets call...503-283-6993,503-288-6368
A Celebration of the Arts
Calling for participants for "A Celebra
tion of the Arts" sponsored by The Links,
Incorporated Portland Chapter. If you are
a student in grade 1-12 you may apply to
be a participant in this exciting talent
show!!! Sunday, May 4,1997 at 3:30-5:30
p.m. (Deadline for submitting applica
tions is M arch 4, 1997). For more infor
mation or to recei ve an application, please
contact Lillian W hitlow 287-6181.
Kid Safe returns to Portland
On Saturday, March 8, 1997, from 9:00
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Kid Safe returns to
Portland. Kid Safe offers ski 11 building for
your child aged 5 to 12 in a fun, hands-on
environment. And, Kid Safe offers peace
o f mind to you. Kid Safe will be held at
these two locations this year: Lent Ele
mentary School. 5 105 SE97th, Portland;
and John Wetten Elementary School
645 Chicago Ave., Gladstone. Kid Safe is
free, but space is limited. Registration
deadline is M arch 6th. Children 10 and
under must be with an adult. To register
call 699-5366. For information call 222-
7161.
Earth Day ’9 7 at Dishman
Community Center
The celebration of Earth Day '97 in
North/Northeast Portland is on April 19,
1997 from 10 a.m., at the Matt Dishman
Community Center, 77 NE Knott. The
celebration includes hundreds of school-
c h ild re n . e n v iro n m e n ta l sp e c ia lists,
Smokey Bear and You!
Renaissance Faire
The 2nd annual Shrewsbury Renaissance
Faire on 13 & 14 September 1997 in
Philomath, Oregon, is again welcoming
applications from Crafters, Vendors, Per
form ing A rtists, and L iving H istory
Reenactors. Deadline is 31 July 1997. For
more information call the Shrew at 541-
929-4897. or write Shrewsbury Renaissance
Faire. Post Box 604. Philomath. OR 97370.
E-mail: shrew (s’peak.org, or see us at http:/
/www.peak.org/Shrewsbury. There isaFaire
Play Open Workshop in May.
SUBMISSIONS: Community
Calendar information will be given
priority if dated two weeks
before the event date.
A con stru ctio n s ite a t Martin L uther King, Jr. Blvd a n d Skidm ore.
in Li i P erlman
hat do these new housing
projects on Northeast Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard have
in common?
M cCoy Village - A 55-unit low income
housing com plex with ground flo o r retail
between Northeast Skidm ore and Going
Streets, developed by the Northeast Com
munity Development Corporation and the
ONE Corporation o f Los Angeles, now un
der construction.
Standard Dairy - D eveloper Bill Reed
plans to convert this fo rm er industrial build
ing between Northeast Graham and Stanton
streets and nearby property into 64 housing
units plus 6,000 square fe e t o f retail and
6,000 square fe e t o f storage. He has passed
city land use reviews, but is having trouble
putting together financing.
L a m p u s B lo c k - D e v e lo p e r Jam es
Winkler, who is building 42 row houses in
the interior o f this block between Northeast
Russell and Knott streets, has an option to
redevelop the form er se lf storage warehouse
that burned down last year. His early plans
call fo r fo u r or fiv e stories o f either senior
housing or lofts above ground flo o r retail,
with lowerdensity housing behind it. Coverall
W
Uniform Supply - Mike Warwick, president
and the Eliot Neighborhood Association
and rental property owner, has bought this
1.25 acre fo rm er industrial property be
tween Northeast Brazee and Russell streets.
He says his plans aren tfullsform ed vet, and
North Northeast Business Association and
the Black United Front, expected the boule
vard to remain a business street, as it had
been for decades, with the area immediately
to the east and west redeveloped for higher
density housing. This didn’t sit well with the
Their projections showed that the existing
zoning pattern provided much more land for
retail than was likely to be developed in the
next 20 years.”
financing will take time, but he proposes
housing above ground flo o r retail with low
er density housing behind it.
According to the Albina Community Plan,
none of these projects is supposed to be
happening on these lots. Each of these sites
is zoned EXD. otherwise known as the “kitch
en sink" /.one, which allows any use except
heavy industrial activity. It does allow hous
ing, but the plan envisioned these lots as
business areas.
The Northeast Economic Development
Alliance, whose leadership included the
adjoining neighborhood associations, which
didn't want their single family communities
redeveloped. The Planning Bureau opposed
the idea for other reasons. Their projections
showed that the existing zoning pattern pro
vided much more land for retail than was
likely to be developed in the next 20 years.
Stretched out in a strip four miles long, it was
unlikely that enough retail development
would occur in any one place to create a
"critical mass" that could attract shoppers
Instead, they hoped to concentrate develop
ment in specific "nodes" such as Northeast
Alberta and Killingsworth streets, and break
up the strip pattern with areas zoned RH or
RX for high-density housing. These were
located on land long vacant or unused.
Why hasn't it worked out that way? A c
cording to commercial broker Bill Leigh, the
McCoy Village site was too narrow to be
used for most types of commercial develop
ment, so a high-rise housing project was the
ow ner's best bet. Mike Dowd, the architect
for Bill Reed's Standard Dairy project, says
it’s easier to design housing projects in the
EXD zone than high density housing zones
because EXD has fewer and easier require
ments and restrictions
O f course, it’s one thing to design a
project, another to build it and pay for it
Peter Wilcox of Portland Community De
sign, whose Albina Corner was the first
major new high density housing with retail
project on the street, found it much easier to
design and win land use approval than to
finance it.
Reed has all the land use approvals he
needs, but not enough people willing to put
up money unless the project is lor Section 8
housing
Winkler is finding it difficult just to fi
nance the cleanup of the Lampus Block
Is Portland’s budget on the right track?
C
itizens say the city is “on the
right track", but they want to
search for efficiencies before
making Measure 47 cuts.
In a scientific survey conducted in De
cember 1996 by Davis and Hibbitts, 63 per
cent o f Portland residents believe the City o f
Portland is on the right track. Respondents
want the city to make efficiencies before cuts
are made and also want basic services and
protection o f the poor and children to be cut
the least. The survey was conducted by tele
phone with 405 City of Portland residents
was designed to provide City Council with
direction on where to look first for short cuts
for City services.
"A door that respondents felt City offi
cials should open before any cuts are made
is the one marked more efficiencies and
working smarter," said Adam Davis and
Hibbitts. inc.
“ I n t he last four years, the City has become
more efficient," said Mayor Vera Katz. "We
must now redouble those efforts looking at
every aspect o f our operation again before
we make the necessary cuts. Based on these
results, it clear that our efforts must be done
in coordination with other local govern
ments.”
Under Measure 47, the City must cut
between $19 and 32.5 million from next
year's general fund budget The survey re
sults indicate overall, citizens would look to
the arts, economic development, planning
and growth management, and neighborhood
quality as areas of service they would be
willing to cut first Whenasked what services
they would not make a choice, particularly in
the areas o f police, fire and planning.
The survey provided respondents an op-
portunity to suggest programs and services
to be cut first, second and third, as well as
asking respondents what cuts in service lev
els were least objectionable. Respondents
stated slower response time to crimes in
progress, slower fire and emergency medical
response, fewer criminal investigations, a
less assistance to battered women and fami
lies and reducing programs for youth at risk
as most objectionable for reduction in ser
vice levels.
“The survey respondents gave careful
thought to each o f the service areas," said
Davis. "They weighed a num berofconsider
ations in their prioritizing, including the po
tential for private sector partnerships, more
volunteerism and consolidation o f govern
ment services."
In addition to the scientific survey. City
Council will be holding community w ork
shops in late January Within the next couple
o f weeks, every household in the City o f
Portland will receive a mailer that includes a
survey similar to the scientific survey that
citizens can fill out and return The City
Council will consider both surveys as well as
information gathered at the community work
shops as they develop next year's budget
If it's on the wrong track*...
• Overpolulation and crowding
• Traffic congestion/transportation
• High property taxes
• Schools not supported
• Light rail (negative)
• Increased housing density
• Lack of environmental concerns
• Gang violence
• Poor leadership in politicians
• Dissatisfied with police
• Poor government management I
spending
• Condition of streets/roads
• Water quality/sewege
• Criminal justice/sentencing
• Housing costs too high
• Standard of living too low.
costs too high
• Too much government interference
• Crime / violence
• Need increased police presence
• Lottery money should go
to education
18%
16
13
11
10
8
6
6
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
( • mentioned by 3% or more o f the respondents)