Author Archives: King Neighborhood Association

Leaf Removal Fee Comes to Section of King

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The City of Portland has instituted its long talked about fee for removal of leaves in the streets of Portland neighborhoods with the heaviest street tree canopies. Many homeowners were surprised when implementation finally came since there was apparently no advance direct notification. According to the Oregonian article on the subject, the news of the plan was supposed to be disseminated via the individual neighborhood associations–even though they are not city entities. Paige Coleman, director of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, distributed an email querying neighborhood association volunteers if they had in fact been notified by the city.

The portion of King that is in a leaf district is Walnut Park from Alberta to Ainsworth and Rodney to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. This district will receive two leaf removals each year. This year’s will be on November 5th and 24th and the fee will be $30 with low income households paying $10. Property owners can opt out of the fee if they apply for a waiver and submit a leaf removal plan. More info is at the City of Portland leaf removal page: http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=47144&a=319617

Read Oregonian columnist Anna Griffin’s take on the issue here.

Vanport Phase 2, 3 May Go Forward

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KNA’s Alan Silver attended the latest PDC Oregon Convention Center Urban Renewal Committee meeting. For those less wonkish of you, the OCCURA is the urban renewal district that includes most of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in NE and the Vanport Square project. Here’s what he has learned:

Ray Leary and Jeana Woolley (Vanport Square LLC) originally proposed 16 townhouses for Vanport phase 2, priced somewhere north of $300,000. They’ve concluded that there’s not a market for those at present, and are now proposing to build 8 single-family homes on the site, priced between $260-290,000. PDC is negotiating contracts with Leary/Woolley, and a construction start date of fall 2011 is anticipated.

PDC has been approached by two development teams about Vanport phase 3. One proposal would include the Urban League, medical offices, and commercial; the other team includes Jeff Sackett (one of the developers of Vanport Square), and its proposal includes commercial real estate, including negotiations with an anchor tenant whose identity the team is “not disclosing publicly at this time.”

The PDC is ‘gathering information’ on these two proposals at present. It expects to have no funds available to aid developers of Vanport phase 3, who will have to rely entirely on private financing to complete construction.

As far as OCCURA/Interstate – no one knows when the transfer of prpoerties between URAs is going to happen, and so PDC is writing out its 2010-11 budget for OCCURA knowing that it might have to rewrite it entirely. OCCURA is on a ‘status quo’ budget – anticipating no major changes in its priorities. Interestingly, OCCURA will go on operating even if every parcel in it is transferred to Interstate URA. As long as revenue generated by OCCURA activities continues to accrue to PDC (repayment of loans, etc), then OCCURA will exist to spend that money – and it must spend that money within the original boundaries of OCCURA (Interstate URA can’t access it).

So, we may see something built at Alberta/MLK. Just don’t bet on when yet.

King School Bookfair at Barnes and Noble

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Save the date of November 27th to do you book shopping for the holidays and support King School at the same time. All purchases at the Lloyd Center Barnes and Noble store on the Saturday after Thanksgiving from 12-5 will benefit King School PTA programs that support literacy programs and teachers at King School. There will be performances and activities and the PTA will be selling their excellent gift wrapping services. Stay tuned for more information or go to: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/king/351.htm

Groundwork Portland Houseparty

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From Groundwork Portland:

You are invited to Groundwork Portland’s first houseparty!
This year, we were proud to partner with residents of all ages and diverse backgrounds to design the Emerson Street Garden. Groundwork Portland’s Houseparty supports sustaining our impact in the community through:

…Community-led development
…Equal access to parks and open space
…Increased local harvest of fresh fruits & veggies
…Civic engagement and local job creation
…Developing our youth as leaders

We hope you will join us on Wednesday, November 17th for an evening of food, fun and connection. Please RSVP to Cassie Cohen –info@groundworkportland.org (503) 662-2590

Wednesday, November 17th from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
3934 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. #101