Category Archives: land use

N/NE History & Storytelling

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From Groundwork Portland:

A remarkable group of individuals have come together over two meetings at Reflections Coffee and Talking Drum Bookstore to plan an inter-generational exchange between community elders and King School students. Students in the Schools Uniting Neighborhoods program on Tuesdays and Thursdays over the next 5 weeks will learn from community members about their experiences growing food, living in N/NE, neighborhood changes overtime, and what it means to have a community garden in King Neighborhood today.

Students will be taking the stories and lessons they learn and creating art that will then go at the Emerson Garden site.

Would you like to participate or help?
Contact Cassie at cassie@groundworkportland.org or 503.662.2590

New Subsidized Housing for Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

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According to the Portland Tribune, a new housing project will break ground next year just south of the King Neighborhood on NE Cook and Martin Luther King. The development will feature ground floor retail, LEED certification, and serve residents earning 30, 50, and 60 percent of median area income.

Community Livability Grant funds available in Interstate URA

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The Portland Development Commission (PDC) will have funds available in fiscal year 2011-12 for community livability projects in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area (ICURA). PDC’s Community Livability Grant Program began in the Interstate Corridor URA in 2006 and expanded to the Lents Town Center URA in 2010. The program has awarded nearly $2 million to more than three dozen projects that improve livability for residents and enhance the unique nature of the Interstate Corridor and Lents Town Center neighborhoods.

For the Interstate Corridor URA Map, click here.

Up to $300,000 in Community Livability grants will be awarded in the coming fiscal year in each of the two urban renewal areas. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, neighborhood and business associations and neighborhood groups.
Individuals or groups interested in submitting an application are strongly encouraged to learn more about project eligibility, completing the application, and the evaluation and selection process by attending an information workshop. For ICURA: Thursday, April 7, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Legacy Emanuel Hospital, 2801 N. Gantenbien, Room 1075 in the East Wing.

The grants support a wide variety of community benefits: historic preservation, open spaces and gardens, community and cultural centers, social services, jobs training, and the growth of local businesses. The work is not always visible, but investment supports each organization’s ability to benefit the community.

Grant applications are due to PDC by Monday, May 10 at 5 p.m. Applications will be reviewed by Community Livability Committees for each urban renewal area, which will make recommendations back to PDC. Decisions will be announced by Thursday, June 30, and projects can begin as soon as the grantees have formalized a Letter of Agreement with PDC.
Since 2006, PDC has awarded approximately $1.8 million in Community Livability Grants, ranging from $5,000 to more than $100,000. Projects receiving awards have included:

• Green/energy efficient upgrades to a historic building
• Preservation of historic assets: Kenton’s Paul Bunyan statue; Historic Columbian Cemetery
• Improvements to small community open space and community fruit garden
• Added outdoor performance space
• Exterior improvements to a music center
• A wheelchair ramp for a community medical center
• New shade trees and benches at Humboldt School
• Heating, electrical upgrade, and doors for a new art center in Kenton
• Exterior building improvements for a community center in Boise
• A new furnace and energy efficient improvements for a child care center
• Historic building improvements, including acoustic upgrades, new solar power and sustainable storm water runoff

Details about the grant program, highlights of two recent projects and a downloadable application are available at: www.pdc.us/clg, or contact Susan Kuhn at kuhns@pdc.us; 503-823-3406 (Interstate Corridor URA).

Is PDC on Track with Neighborhood Economic Development?

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The DRAFT Neighborhood Economic Development (NED) Action Plan is now available for review. Comments are due March 30, 2011 and may be submitted to Kate Deane, Community Economic Development Manager at the Portland Development Commission at: deanek@pdc.us or by filling out the form included in the electronic document and mailing it to Kate Deane, PDC, 222 NW Fifth Avenue, Portland, OR, 97213.

As a neighborhood resident, small business owner, or if you are interested in helping to revitalize Portland’s commercial corridors, this is your opportunity to review the Draft Action Plan and provide comments. Your input is vital as the City of Portland works to create public-private partnerships, develop new resources for neighborhoods, and build capacity for local organizations.

More information about the NED Action Plan project can be found at: http://www.pdc.us/bus_serv/ned.asp.

Reimagining 15th & Prescott

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From Sabin Community Association:

The triangle at 15th & Prescott needs help. Currently it’s a paved space with no character or charm that routinely gets misused and tagged with graffiti. Nearby residents and businesses would like to see that change. So the Sabin Community association is soliciting ideas and raising funds to make the space more welcoming to all community members.

Please join us on Saturday March 12th from 2 to 4 pm on the corner of 15th and Prescott for a charrette on the Sabin Triangle. After we walk the site, we will head to Grain & Gristle for a comfortable place to share ideas. Volunteer architects will be on hand to guide the process. We hope to do something innovative to let people know that they are in Sabin and that this is a great community. Call Rosemarie Cordello with questions (503) 493-9434.