Author Archives: King Neighborhood Association

UNR’s next public meeting on demolitions.

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United Neighborhoods for Reform (UNR): Demo/Development SummitIII

Open to the public

Tues., Oct. 7, 7:00-9:00 pm  —  Summit III: Reaching Consensus

Grant Park Church, 2728 NE 34th Ave, Portland, OR 97212

(Please park in parking lot.)

An invitation c/o Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association (BWNA) and Central Northeast Neighbors (CNN)

 

On Monday evening, September 29th, representatives from seventeen neighborhoods gathered together for a Summit II follow-up meeting at Grant Park Church, united in addressing citywide concerns over problems associated with residential demolition/development practices.

Here’s a summary of that meeting by UNR Chair Al Ellis (editor@bwna.us):

1.) The group now has a name: United Neighborhoods for Reform (UNR). While the focus of UNR is currently on demolition/development reform, the UNR network provides a means of uniting neighborhoods together for future collective action on other issues of common interest.

 

2.) The meeting was publicized as a “Prelude to Summit III”–i.e., with an objective of preparing the way for a decision at Summit III on items for inclusion in a proposal to be submitted to City Council on behalf of participating neighborhoods.

 

3.)UNR is pursuing a two-track approach to demo/development reform: first, support for ongoing efforts by local government to enact substantive reform; second, crafting of a UNR proposal to present to City Council on pressing issues that are either not being addressed by local government and/or are not being attended to in a timely manner in accordance with residents’ urgent concerns.

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Demolition in our Neighborhoods: information, upcoming meeting, and petition

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The Land Use & Transportation Committee of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods tell us:

As you are well aware, demolitions and related implications have been a very hot topic in our neighborhoods for some time. Here’s a fairly recent article by Jim Redden that puts the issues and the stakeholders involved into context:

http://koin.com/2014/09/23/portland-historic-home-saving-hitting-snags/
 
The NECN-LUTC is devoting time to some aspects of this topic at its Wednesday, October 22 meeting (7-8:30 pm).
Our speaker will be Claire Carder, community participant on the City’s DRAC (Development Review Advisory Committee). Claire would like to share information and get NECN neighbors’ input on proposed demolition delays and neighborhood notification.
[NECN-LUTC meets at the offices of NECN, 4815 NE 7th Avenue, in the King Facility Building.]
In the meantime, some of you may have already received the petition that is circulating regarding demolitions in Portland Neighborhoods.
In the words of the organizing group of neighbors, which is calling itself United Neighborhoods for Reform, “this online petition focuses on short-term fixes needed immediately to protect the character and integrity of Portland neighborhoods.”
Link to the petition: http://tinyurl.com/oggcctd
United Neighborhoods for Reform website:
http://www.stopthedemolition.org/

 

 

Inner NE Sewer Extension Construction Update: October 1, 2014

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As part of the City of Portland’s effort to provide properties with sewer connections that comply with city code, Environmental Services continues construction on the Inner NE Sewer Extension project. This project will also help protect public health, property, and the environment by increasing the capacity of the public sewer system, reducing the potential for basement backups, and reducing the likelihood of emergency maintenance work in the future.

 

A project map is available at www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/InnerNE.

 

CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE

Below is the estimated Inner NE Sewer Extension construction schedule for the rest of this week and next week. Please be aware that this schedule is subject to change due to a variety of factors, including conditions underground, weather, traffic impacts, subcontractor schedules and availability of materials. There may be periods of inactivity between construction phases.

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Community process under way for Natural Grocers project at MLK& Alberta.

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Portland Development Commission has issued this announcement about upcoming Vanport working group meetings:

With the late-August announcement that property owned by the Portland Development Commission at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Alberta Street will be the site for Natural Grocers, the community process related to the project is getting under way.

Majestic Realty, with Colas Construction as the primary contractor and Natural Grocers as the anchor tenant, is proposing to construct an urban retail shopping center consisting of approximately 20,000 square feet of gross leasable area in two separate buildings to include commercial/retail lease space for between four to 10 businesses in addition to Natural Grocers, along with approximately 100 parking spaces.

Natural Grocers, a community-centric grocery store that focuses on free nutrition education and healthy food, is a Colorado-based chain with stores in 14 states. The company currently has eight locations in Oregon, including four in the Portland area.

A Project Working Group (PWG) has formed to provide input on building and site design, and to develop a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). The PWG membership represents a diversity of expertise and experience in the community including N/NE small business owners, long-time property owners, business assistance and workforce training providers, area residents, and community members.

PWG meetings are open to the public and meeting details can be found at www.pdc.us/mlkalberta. The first meeting is this coming Monday.

The proposed development will serve North/Northeast Portland neighbors and businesses. It will increase the foot traffic and profitability of nearby businesses, introduce Portlanders to a high-quality, affordable grocer and revitalize a parcel of land that has sat dormant for 15 years.

PDC’s equity policy will apply and construction opportunities will be available for majority/minority joint ventures as well as subcontracting and workforce.

Steps to Problem Solve Nuisance or Crime Influenced Businesses/Properties:

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5steps

1. Talk with a couple of your neighbors. See if they have common concerns. Be sure your conversation is problem-solving centered and respectfully specific. What do you want the business or property owner to do?

2. If the problem is not crime, talk with the owner yourself. You can find out who the owner is by going to Multnomah County 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland. OR 97214 Suite 175, Division of Assessment,Recording, and Taxation, M-F 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Ask a clerk to help you navigate the computers. It is not always easy to find the owner and his mailing address.

3. Bring your concerns to the monthly neighborhood association meeting or N.E.C.N. SALT meeting (Safety and Livability Team). The SALT team is a good place to begin if crime is the major concern. The commander of North Precinct comes quarterly.

4. Ask your neighborhood association to do one or more of the following actions:

4a. Ask the association to write an official letter to the business on your behalf detailing your concerns and possible solutions. You will need the name and
mailing address of the owner.

4b. Set up a meeting with the business owner to discuss concerns. Have them
come to special meeting or a monthly meeting.

4c. Ask the crime prevention specialist to write a good neighbor agreement. This a good practice if the business is new as it sets goals for both residents and
owners. It is not as good for a long established business with a poor collaboration
history. More info

5. Report nuisances to the nuisance inspectors. The City of Portland has a long list of city codes. If something bothers you, it may be a violation of code. Call and find out. More info

 

When all else fails, contact the police and ask them to write a chronic nuisance letter. That letter will specify what the business must do to be in greater compliance. All in all, if the business is closed down for one year, that is the sole decision of the city attorney, not the police. Law enforcement develops and writes the letter, then enforces it. More info

 

If you need help dealing with a problem in your neighborhood, get in touch with us. We can help! Contact:  eileen.kennedy@kingneighborhood.org

 

Other useful links:

Community Problem Solving Resource Guide

Neighborhood Mediation Program

North Precinct Portland Police

Combat Drug Houses

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