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August 3.2005
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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
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