Category Archives: housing

PCRI Addresses KNA, Pledges Cooperation with Neighbors

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A PCRI home in King gets painted

A PCRI home in King being painted

Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives Executive Director, Maxine Fitzpatrick, Melvin Oden-Orr, PCRI Board President, Karen Gibson, PCRI Board Member, Ben Loftis, PCRI Housing Developer and Cyndi Natalello, PCRI Manager of Property Management all came to KNA’s November meeting to discuss their organization and to address community concerns outlined in our blog post in September. An informational video was shown about the organization that owns 88 properties in the King neighborhood and about 700 in total.

Ms. Fitzpatrick said that PCRI staff felt the organization was unduly negatively represented in the blog and that the attention went beyond what was pertinent to the interest of the neighborhood association. PCRI Board Chair, Melvin Oden-Orr outlined the many competing financial responsibilities of PCRI as it strives to meet mandates by city agencies and provide housing as its portfolio increases. He pledged that PCRI is doing its best to serve the residents of our community and urged patience.

The attendees discussed the issues and it was resolved that KNA and PCRI should work more closely to resolve misunderstandings and any issues that arise with PCRI properties or tenants. PCRI was recognized for providing a vital service in a city that has insufficient affordable housing. PCRI will come to KNA meetings quarterly, will be more responsive to complaints or concerns by residents, and will work strategically instead of reactively to problems.

Concerns about PCRI properties can be referred to PCRI Manager of Property Management, Cyndi Natalello at (503) 288-2923 or cyndi@pcrihome.org.

Read the meeting minutes here.

Visit the PCRI website here.

Fair Housing Choice Committee Needs Members

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From the Portland Housing Bureau:

Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing Choice

The Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) is looking for people interested in participating on the committee to conduct the Analysis of Impediments (AI) to Fair Housing Choice.

On behalf of the consortium of the City of Portland, the City of Gresham and Multnomah County, PHB is required to submit to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) certification that it is affirmatively furthering fair housing. This certification has three elements and requires that the County:

  1. Complete an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI);
  2. Take actions to overcome the effects of any impediments identified through the analysis; and
  3. Maintain records reflecting the actions taken in response to the analysis.

Background

HUD defines impediments to fair housing choice in terms of their applicability to local, state and federal law. In Multnomah County, barriers would include:

• Any actions, omissions or decisions taken because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, mental or physical disability, source of income, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity (protected classes) which restrict housing choices or the availability of housing choice.

• Any actions, omissions or decisions that have the effect of limiting housing choices or the availability of housing choice on the protected classes listed above.

The AI process involves examining various data and interviews with a variety of key stakeholders variety of sources related to housing, which affect people protected under fair housing law.

PHB has contracted with Fair Housing Council of Oregon (FHCO) to conduct fair housing testing within Multnomah County. A full report on the Multnomah County testing is expected in February 2011. Back in April, the FHCO released a report on fair housing testing FHCO conducted in Ashland and Beaverton to see whether renters face housing discrimination. The FHCO sent African-American and white testers with the same credentials to look at apartments advertised in newspapers and online. The testing showed that more than 75% of Black testers in Ashland and Beaverton faced discrimination.

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New Housing Planned for Vacant MLK Frontage

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Ivy City Homes is the name of a new mixed-income housing development planned for Ivy Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. just south of King Neighborhood. It is to be one of the first projects nationally to earn the Earth Advantage Community certification for sustainability.

A public/private partnership with the Portland Development Commission, the project provides a provision for permanently affordable homeownership with a subcontractor base consisting of a high percentage of minority-owned, women-owned, and emerging small businesses. Permanent affordability of 30% of the units to families earning up to 80% of the median family income through a partnership with Proud Ground, a community land trust with deed covenants that restrict the resale prices of the permanently affordable units through future resales.

The homes are to achieve a LEED for Homes certification with energy-efficiency of 45% over current energy code and will have energy efficient appliances and secure bike parking. Construction on the 28 units of residential and live/work space is scheduled to be completed summer 2011. Of the 28 units available for sale, approximately nine will be affordable to families earning 60-80% of the median family income for the area.

http://aristondev.com/projects/ivy-city-homes

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.

Prospective Home Buyer Seminar

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The Umpqua Bank staff will be putting forward a seminar for prospective home buyers on Thursday, November 11th from 6 to 8 PM at the Alberta store. Jennifer Leon, Umpqua Residential Mortgage Officer, and Pasquale Jenkins, Executive Director of Sabin Community Association, will talk about the finance options available to you. Other speakers are being confirmed for this event. There will be light food and beverages as well. More details to follow and you can connect with Serena Miller (SerenaMiller@umpquabank.com) for more information.