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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2000)
October 4, 2000 ÍEfye ^Jortlanb (ßbeeruer Page C 15 Natiowd Minority Business Week Interstate Renewal Provides Challenges and Opportunities for Minority Businesses B y L ee P lrlmas to n T he F oiulamu The new fnterstate Urban Re newal District will mean a whole new world for minority-owned businesses within it, with new dangers but also opportuni ties. Stretching at its widest points from North and Northeast Broadway to the Columbia Slough and from the Burlington- Northern railroad tracks to Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the district takes in 3700 acres. In the next 20 years $300 million in taxes generated by local property owners will be reserved for use within this area. The first $30 million of this are earmarked for a new MAX light rail line along North Interstate Avenue. How to spend the rest is still under discussion, but guidelines cre ated by a citizen committee call for some of the funds to be spent on economic development, in clu d in g aid for entrenpreneurship, business ex pansion, training facilities and creating a posi tive business environment. They also call for retaining existing residents and businesses at all costs. Carl Flipper, director o f the Humboldt Target Area Program, says there will be “significant hardships” for businesses along Interstate itself during the light rail construction. Hopefully, this can be overcome through signage, to help people find the business and its parking, and subsidies for advertising and other business expenses. “It would be very challenging indeed to encourage new b u sin ess startups during construction,” he says. During this period, develop ment activity is more likely along North Williams, Vancouver, Albina and Denver avenues and Killingsworth Street. “On the positive side I see unprecedented opportunities for emerging African-American businesses because we have a commitment to pull out all the stops to re kindle the spirit of enterprise in the community,” Flipper says. S p ecifically how? Jacky Strong would like to see the district provide “some low- interest loans with fa v o rab le payback schedules for e x p a n sio n .” Strong currently op era tes Ma and Pa Strong’s Kitchen at 4134 N. Vancouver Ave. He is pursuing a mixed use project combining ground floor retail with m ixed-incom e housing at 20 N. Killingsworth St. Con sultant Peter Wilcox says the project could use help with “pre-devel opment” costs such as surv ey in g and soils testing. Janet Bauer, director of the Missis sippi Avenue Target Area, points out that ur but it could speed it up unless we take specific steps.” Betty Jo Austin believes in the district. Her Mrs. B.J.’s Academy for Hair Design at 435 N.Killingsworth St. offers accreditied training in hair, face and nail cosmetology, with ' ‘On the positive side I see unprecedented e m p h a s is opportunities f o r em erging African-Am eri on care of Af rican-Ameri can businesses because we have a com m it can hair. m ent to p u ll out a ll the stops to rekindle the A usten a t sp irit o f enterprise in the com m unity, ” - tended Carl Flipper, director of the m e e tin g s about the pro Humboldt Target Area Program posed district and was im pressed. “I saw real camaraderie be She also raises the spector of gentrification. Urban renewal ac tween neighborhoods, busi nesses, tivity public and private,” she says. “calls attention to the area, “There was concern and excite creates incentives to invest and ment, move in, and creates competi friendliness and beauty. It tion. Then it may be harder for can’t be anything but good. It people without a lot o f capital will to buy or lease on the street. We affect business in a very posi need to be careful. If we don’t tive way. I’m real tickled my provide support, we’re not doing husband and I will be here to minority businesses a favor.” see it.” Flipper sees it differently. Specifically, Austen would “If what business owners are like to see “buidlings restored looking for is low rent, they and occupied, the street scape may have to start looking toward well lit, the area thriving as if another part of town. If they you were in New York City, want to be a productive business employing people in the com with people out on the street en joying munity and taking part in the themselves. I ’d like to see cul revitalization, they can be equal tural activities and things partners. If they want to own happening, such as the Alberta the property they’re currently Street Fair.” occupying, we can help with that. Gentrification “is a con “There’s good gentrification cern,” she says. “We need to work and bad gentrification involving at displacement. Both have been the grass roots level to accom going on for a decade. The new modate everyone." district is not the cause of that, ban renewal funds can pay for physical improvements and some ser vices such as development op portunity assessments, but not for on going programs and maintenance. K fH H E D Y SCH ooi P Menamins v Oregon's consinxitou inA isfy generates good tonnlv wage iobs in ewry community throughout our state. 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