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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2005)
ilîe ^lortlatxb (©b server August 3.2005 E m BRA i 'ING D i VERSIT ' i _______________________ Page ah H ousing ■ i .m ■ Hot Spot Billy Reed’s is Just the Beginning involved in each o th e r’s lives. This creates Owner plans second diverse housing project synergy. "O ur vision is tocreate sustainable cityscapes, with a country feeling, that reward people visu ally and physically. By building houses synchro nized with nature, we save energy. With no asphalt, there’s no 'heat island effect’ that raises natural temperatures. Utility bills are lower. A village green is like surrounding yourself with How can people create a diverse com m u nity for n o n trad itio n alliv in g ’T hink blueber ries. T hink sustainability. T hink hom e. D iversity is about to get a huge w elcom e on G raham Street in N ortheast Portland. Bill Reed, visionary builder and diversity advocate, has another big idea in the w orks. A fter 15 years o f building innovative, energy efficient hom es, plexes and the Standard Dairy on M artin L uther King Jr. B oulevard, Reed is creating B lueberry Lane to m eet the changing needs o f hom eow ners seeking creative and sustainable living. “ It's o u r crow n jew el— a w hole new model for infill developm ent," he said. W hen Portland w as built it had diversity in the size o f hom es. “T ypically, the bungalow s w ere ow ned by fam ilies. N ow , fam ily living is not typical. If you w ant diversity, you need to build houses that offer different w ays o f living— for single parents, groups o f friends, extended fam ilies, you nam e it. “Row houses that are suitable for young yuppies actually gentrify the area and d o n ’t support diversity. By building larger hom es, w e attract individuals w ho w ant to becom e photo by K atherine B lackmore /T he P ortland O bserver BUI Reed brought new housing and economic vitality to 2808 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when he renovated the old Standard Dairy into housing stock and the landmark Billy Reed's Restaurant and Bar. Now he's planning to create a whole new model for diverse housing on infill lots in the neighborhood. green fields,” Reed said. The early plans call for four Craftsman style homes built to Platinum Level Earth Advantage specifications, featuring all master bedrooms and master baths to accommodate group living. Large front porches, upper balconies, edible landscaping, common walkways and gathering spots foster openness and community. Under ground garages, one per bedroom, are secured. What makes BI ueberry Lane even more unique is homeowner involvement from the get go. The first planning session is Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 6 p.m. to 8 pm at Billy Reed’s. “We have no preconceived notion o f whose goingtoshow upor who will ultimately live there. Everyone is invited to tell us how we can help them create their future," Reed said. “My dream is about creating community. But I can’t dream how that community functions. Only those who are going to live there can dream how their home will function best. W e're looking for a diverse group of people who have a propensity to live in this kind o f environment and who want to help us create a more synergistic ideal." For more information, call 503-603-9901. Disabled Find Barriers in Housing: Discrimination found in up to half of rental inquiries A new groundbreaking study show s that people w ith disabilities are often d isc rim in a ted ag a in st w hen trying to rent apartm ents. T he U.S. D epartm ent o f H ous in g a n d U rb a n D e v e lo p m e n t agency plans to use the inform a tion to educate renters and land lords on their rights as w ell as pro vide fair housing advocates with new guidelines and strategies that will allow them to inves tigate and detect d is c r im in a tio n a g a in s t people w ith disabilities. “T he A m ericans with D is a b ilitie s A ct, th e la n d m a rk le g is la tio n signed 15 years ago, has m ade great strides in r e d u c in g b a r r ie r s to people w ith disabilities HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson in em ploym ent, g o v e rn m e n t, and p u b lic p la c e s ,” s a id HUD Secretary A lphonso Jack- so n . “T hat means breaking down the barri ers to affordable re n ta l h o u sin g and hom eow nership that disabled individuals som etim es face." In the C h ica g o -b a sed study, h e a rin g -im p a ire d p eo p le w ere d isc rim in a te d a g a in st a p p ro x i m ately 50 percent o f the tim e w hen using a telep h o n e -o p e rato r relay to search fo r ren tals. M obility im p a ired p eo p le u sin g w h e e l ch airs faced d isc rim in atio n about a th ird o f the tim e w hen they v is ited rental p ro p erties. “ W e w o u ld all like to th in k we have m ade m ore p ro g ress in e d u catin g lan d lo rd s ab o u t the F air H o u s in g A ct b u t, th is stu d y pain ts a d iffe ren t p ictu re o f the p ro b lem s faced daily by people w ith d isa b ilitie s ,” said Jack so n . “ It is im p e rativ e th at lan d lo rd s pro v id e peo p le w ith d isa b ilities the sam e atten tio n and resp ect a ffo rd e d all p o te n tia l ren ters. W e in ten d to e d u c a te b o th c o n s u m ers and la n d lo rd s ab o u t the rig h ts o f d isa b le d in d iv id u a ls .” T h e s tu d y a ls o fo u n d th a t p eo p le w ith d isa b ilitie s are fre q u en tly d en ied th e ir re q u e sts fo r rea so n ab le m o d ific atio n an d re a so n ab le a c c o m m o d atio n n e c e s sary to m ake the a v a ila b le h o u s ing fully ac ce ssib le. There are seven days in a week. Why should you only get to enjoy two of them? In the best situations, you push your colleagues to do their best work, and they turn around and do the same for you. Sometimes it's the fire of competition that drives you. Sometimes it’s just the desire to see the best idea win. Whether it’s yours or not. Sound like a place you could respect? Good. We feel the same way. Come check out job openings on our website. Nike is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Nike Factory Store Steven Shane - Store Manager 2650 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd Portland, Oregon 97212 n ik e jo b s .c o m /u s
