Category Archives: land use

Density to Increase on Garfield

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A new development planned for the Walnut Park portion of the King Neighborhood will see dutch colonial style renovated with the yard to either side built out with new construction detached row homes or “skinny houses.” The houses will have attached garages accessed from the alley in the rear. Max Ritchie, the developer has built four homes nearby that are examples of his building style. They are located in pairs at 4724 N Commercial & 4131 N Albina. Mr. Ritchie says the homes are constructed with great care and sensitivity to direct neighbors and the neighborhood at large, and are Green certified through Earth Advantage.

The homes at NE Garfield may have a slightly different front elevation, so as to more conform to the neighborhood, and paint colors will be selected based on the surrounding homes. Extensive renovations are underway on the existing home on NE Garfield, and Mr. Ritchie says he plans to make it his personal residence.

A land use review concerning the partition of the lot is pending. You can read the notice here: http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/index.cfm?c=42260&a=321970

You can contact Max Ritchie if you have further questions at: oregonocean@gmail.com

Register Now! Metro Grants Workshops

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Helping make the region a great place
Metro grants and technical assistance

The liveliest cities and neighborhoods don’t happen by accident. It takes vision, leadership and investment. But how do you turn a good idea into a great project? Metro can help.

If you have an innovative idea to integrate the natural world into your community please join us for a workshop about Metro’s Nature in Neighborhood grant programs. Participants will learn about the goals, criteria and application procedures of the grant programs as well as how to create a program plan and what resources are available to help get a project started.

The Metro Council’s 2006 Natural Areas bond measure established $15 million for the Capital Grants Program to inspire innovative partnerships that enhance ecological functions and increase the presence of nature where people live, work and play. This includes projects that acquire land for public ownership or result in a capital improvement on public land.

A workshop focusing on the Capital Grant program will be offered at two locations:

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010
7 to 9 p.m.
Beaverton City Hall, 4755 SW Griffith Drive

This workshop is being co-sponsored by OSU Extension, Washington County Citizen Participation Program, City of Beaverton Neighborhood Program, Clean Water Services, Tualatin Riverkeepers and the Tualatin Watershed Council.

Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010
9 to 11 a.m.
Metro, 600 NE Grand Ave., Portland

Metro’s restoration and enhancement grant program supports hands-on activities and environmental education programs that protect and contribute to watershed health in the region. The program connects community-minded people to their neighborhoods, natural areas, backyards and beyond. New this year the program will fund a small number of planning grants to assist communities in developing their projects.

One workshop will focus on Metro’s Restoration and Enhancement Grants Program

Saturday, November 13, 2010
9 to 11 a.m.
Metro, 600 NE Grand Ave., Portland

The deadline for Nature in Neighborhoods Restoration and Enhancement Grants pre-applications is 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Kristin Blyler at 503-797-1834 or Kristin.Blyler@oregonmetro.gov. For more information, visit www.oregonmetro.gov/grants.

Kristin Blyler
Grant program
Metro – Sustainability Center
600 NE Grand Ave.
Portland OR 97232
503-797-1834
kristin.blyler@oregonmetro.gov

Pizza Hut to Lease Former Adidas Store

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Pizza Hut is reported to have signed a lease for the vacant property at the corner of Alberta and MLK. The store will provide take-out and delivery only. Pil Jun Chung, owner of several local businesses and properties including the Alberta Street Market, has had difficult finding a lessee for the property since Adidas moved out over a year ago. Long envisioned as a focal intersection in the plans to rejuvenate the King commercial district, the site has been plagued by poor foot traffic, no onstreet parking and a lack of commercial activity in the vicinity. With another large national chain expanding into the area, the continuing development of walkable communities with local identities is in question in King.

The Portland Development Commision’s Vanport Square project stalled after the first third was completed and is still not fully leased. The existing buildings on the south end of the site were bulldozed for a phase of the project that never began and removed a noise buffer from neighbors on Garfield Street.

Unable to wait indefinitely for economic conditions to change, private landowners are put in the postion of leasing to whomever can profit from the decreasing affluence of the community as customers with means patronize other neighborhoods. King could benefit from a renewed discussion about what we want our community to look like long-term and not wait for apathy or resignation to make that decision for us.

PDC to Modifiy N/NE Urban Renewal Areas

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Press release from PDC:

CAC approves changes in two URAs
In August 2009 the Portland Development Commission asked a Community Advisory Committee to examine several key issues in two north and northeast Portland urban renewal areas as part of the North/Northeast Economic Development Initiative. After months of public involvement, the 21-member CAC voted at its Wednesday, May 19 community meeting to approve eight separate recommendations regarding policy issues and boundary adjustments for the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area (ICURA) and Oregon Convention Center Urban Renewal Area (OCC URA).

“The approval of all eight recommendations really speaks to the collaborative process we used throughout this project,” said John Jackley, PDC’s Director of Communications and Business Equity. “We brought together the traditionally underrepresented communities, representatives from neighborhood associations, higher education, businesses and the unions to support a common vision of more jobs and more resources for residents and small businesses in north and northeast Portland.”
The adopted recommendations included policy issues dealing with prioritization of investment in the two URAs, the establishment of a Community Benefits Agreement for the Rose Quarter development, recommendations for the Portland Housing Bureau and five URA boundary adjustment recommendations.

The boundary changes include expanding the ICURA to include 75 acres along NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, 103 acres in the St. Johns Town Center, 33 acres of the Alberta/Killingsworth node, 28 acres along the south side of Lombard Street and 186 acres currently in the OCC URA along Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
For more information on this process and to review next steps visit: http://pdc.us/four/nnestudy

Portland Plan Retreat Notes

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Notes write up from NECN pdx plan retreat 4-3-10

Hello Neighborhood and Community Association board members, leaders and activists;

Attached please find the notes from the Portland Plan Retreat that was hosted by the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods on Saturday, April 3rd from 10am-1pm at Curious Comedy Venue. We had great turn-out of a wide variety of people who have experience working on a wide variety of issues in our community – from education to transportation to the arts and more!

Thank you all who were able to attend and contribute your time and ideas! Your participation is what makes these events successful! Debbie Bischoff, NE Portland District Planner with the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, will be in-putting this information into the Portland Plan.

The next step for you and your neighbors is to take this information, and the other priorities you see in your neighborhood to the Phase II Workshops. Follow this link to find the schedule of workshops: http://www.portlandonline.com/portlandplan/index.cfm?a=289672&c=50730#1. At this workshop Portland Plan staff will be presenting the goals that have been identified in each of the 9 Action Areas from Phase I, get your feedback on these goals and lead a discussion about equity in the City. You are welcome to attend any of the workshops, not just the NE workshop.

Please contact Lauren McCartney anytime if you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this process and the notes.

Lauren McCartney
Neighborhood Association Outreach Coordinator
Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods
4815 NE 7th Avenue
Portland, OR 97211
P: 503-823-4135
F: 503-823-3150
E: lauren@necoalition.org
www.necoalition.org