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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 2017)
Portland’s Book Festival ‘City of Roses’ Honoring VETERAN’S DAY A day for books, authors and workshops Madison grad embarks on a military career with the Seabeas See Metro, page 9 Volume XLVI • Number 45 See story, page 4 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • November 8, 2017 Established in 1970 Committed to Cultural Diversity photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver Now retired from the public and private sectors, Zari Santner and Michael Alexander are building momentum as volunteers and advocates for a plan to return the Rose Quarter area into a fully functioning, diverse neighborhood, keeping the sports and entertainment venues that now dominate the landscape, but adding new residential and business-centered blocks on existing tracks of publicly-owned land. ble Tom McCall Waterfront Park, located across the Willamette River from the Rose Quarter. “We want this place to be truly inclu- sive, integrated, livable community, and affordable community,” Santner said. Though the current renderings of the area are only ideas, Santner and Alexander said they’ve been met with a lot of support by D anny p eterson from community members and have so far t he p ortlanD o bserver gotten the ear of Mayor Ted Wheeler and Momentum is growing for a plan to re- the city council. make the Rose Quarter district into a fully new non-profit group Albina Vision wants for the next 50 to 60 years. Before urban renewal and the neighbor- functioning neighborhood, embracing its to make it a community again. “We want the community to know hood razing actions of the 1960s and 1970s, diverse past and re-creating a landscape Former Portland Parks Bureau Director about it. We want the community to, if they that can accommodate much more than its Zari Santner and former Urban League of believe us, to join us to really be part of this the Rose Quarter was home to residences, two sports and entertainment venues. Portland director Michael Alexander are happening. That’s what it takes,” Santner shops, and community gathering spaces. It was the historical neighborhood for African The Rose Quarter is home to the Moda the visionaries behind the idea. They have told the Portland Observer. Center, Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, In- been friends for over 10 years and worked Albina Vision has created renderings of American residents and immigrants. Santner said the intent of Albina Vision terstate 5 and parking garages. Visitors to together when Alexander served as a Parks what the Rose Quarter development could the area are typically there for 1 or 2 hours board member. Now retired, they helped look like. The supporters hope to bring the area is to resurrect a fully functioning neigh- to catch an event and then leave, but the form the Albina Vision organization as ci- back to a more neighborhood-friendly place borhood again so that North and Northeast land used to be a contiguous part of north vilians. The group’s aim is to have a com- that can house community gathering spaces, Broadway Avenue once again can become and northeast Portland’s street grid system munity driven plan that determines the fu- affordable housing, and local businesses. C ontinueD on p age 6 where folks lived, worked and played. The ture development of the Rose Quarter area A new waterfront park could resem- New non-profit offers plan for Rose Quarter Albina Visionaries