Category Archives: sustainability

Last day to comment on NE 7th Greenway

Posted on by

image002

 

 

 

Hi everyone,

First of all, thanks so much for your interest in the potential 7th/9th Neighborhood Greenway project. Your feedback is very helpful to us as we plan our transportation system.

We wanted to let you know about some upcoming opportunities to provide public testimony on various elements of the Transportation System Plan (TSP), which sets the policy foundation for PBOT and helps guide our decisions.

First of all, the TSP Stage 2 Proposed Draft is currently being considered by Portland’s Planning and Sustainability Commission (PSC). The PSC will have an opportunity to amend the Proposed Draft before sending it to City Council. While we encourage you to provide public testimony on all parts of the Proposed Draft, the section that is probably most relevant to the 7th/9th discussion is Section 5: Bicycle Classification Maps. These maps show where we have Local Service Bikeway, City Bikeway, and Major City Bikeway classifications that provide a policy basis for emphasizing bicycle travel compared to other modes of travel. If you want to read the descriptions of these classifications, they can be found in Section 4: Bicycle Classifications and Objectives.

We apologize for the late notice, but the public testimony period for the TSP Stage 2 Proposed Draft ends today, March 22nd, 2016, at 9pm, at the end of the PSC Public Hearing. You can testify in several ways before then:

·        U.S. Mail: Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission, TSP Testimony, 1900 SW 4th Ave., Suite 7100, Portland OR 97201 (include full name and mailing address)

·        Email: psc@portlandoregon.gov with subject line “TSP Testimony” (include full name and mailing address)

·        Testify online via the Map App. Bicycle Classifications have been posted to the Map App at www.portlandmaps.com/bps/mapapp. Click on the “comments” form to provide your testimony to the PSC. You can only click on individual street segments to make a comment, but in your comment you can describe the full street section you are commenting on.

·        Testify in person at the PSC public hearing.  You may speak for 2 minutes to the Commission, and your testimony will be added to the public record. The TSP Stage 2 Project Public Hearing is scheduled to be held at: 1900 SW 4th Avenue, Room 2500, Portland, OR Tuesday, March 22, 2016; 5:00 – 9:00 PM

The second upcoming opportunity to give public testimony is in regards to the TSP Major Projects List, which is currently before City Council as one element of the 2035 Comprehensive Plan. The Recommended Draft of the TSP Major Projects List contains project #40116, NE 7th/9th Bikeway, with an alignment primarily on NE 9th Ave north of the Lloyd District. In response to public feedback from neighborhood associations and individuals regarding NE 7th Ave, Commissioner Novick has offered an amendment to the TSP Major Projects List that can be found on page 105 of the Council Amendments Report. This amendment would change the project alignment to stay on NE 7th Ave up to Sumner, only then cutting over to NE 9th Ave. If you would like to offer testimony about this proposed amendment (or any other amendments to the TSP or Comp Plan), you can:

·        Testify in person at a City Council public hearing

o   Thursday, April 14th, 6:00 to 9:00 pm, City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave

o   Wednesday, April 20th, 2:00 to 5:00 pm, City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave

·        Testify in writing by mail or email directly to members of City Council before April 20th.

o   Contact information can be found here

o   Please copy tsp@portlandoregon.gov on any TSP-related testimony

Thanks again for your interest and engagement in this issue.

Zef Wagner

Associate Planner

Policy, Planning, & Projects Division

Portland Bureau of Transportation

Zef.Wagner@portlandoregon.gov

503-823-7164

Cevero Gonzalez

Constituent Services Coordinator

Portland Bureau of Transportation

1120 SW Fifth Ave, Suite 800

Portland, OR 97204

503.823.5080 Phone

503.823.7609 Fax

Cevero.Gonzalez@portlandoregon.gov

Draft of Portland’s new Comprehensive Plan

Posted on by

PortlandBPS_vert-rgb-480x3991The Planning and Sustainability Commission’s Recommended Draft of Portland’s new Comprehensive Plan is now available on the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability website. You’re invited to review the draft plan and submit testimony to City Council through the revised Map App, via U.S. Mail or email, or in person at a public hearing.

See the Comprehensive Plan Recommended Draft

Interactive Map App

The Recommended Draft includes a revised Map App, which allows community members to click on or search for a specific property to view any recommended land use changes. Most of the city will keep the same land use designation (residential, employment, open space, etc.); only 14 percent of the area of the city will be subject to change if City Council adopts the Recommended Draft. Visit the Map App at www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/mapapp

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has set up a helpline to answer questions about the draft 2035 Comprehensive Plan. Community members may call 503-823-0195, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Staff will be on hand to answer questions, and interpretation services are available for those whose first language is not English.

Additionally, District Liaisons will be holding drop-in hours throughout the city this fall to answer questions. I have hours scheduled at the Hollywood Library on September 30, and will be scheduling others, probably including a late afternoon at the NECN office.  Check the Comprehensive Plan calendar for dates, times and locations.

How to Comment

The public is invited to comment on the Recommended Draft directly to City Council via the following methods:

Email: cputestimony@portlandoregon.gov

Map App: www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/mapapp

U.S. Mail:

Comprehensive Plan Testimony c/o Council Clerk
1221 SW 4th Avenue, Room 130
Portland, OR 972014

In person:

November 19, 2015, 2 p.m.
Portland City Hall
1221 SW 4th Avenue, Council Chambers

Public involvement timeline

With the publication of the Recommended Draft and launch of the Map App, City Council’s official record opens. To give Council and the public time to review and understand the recommendations in the draft 2035 Plan, Commissioners will hold their own work sessions with staff on key topics from September through November.

The first public hearing at City Council will be on November 19, with other hearings to be scheduled soon after. Council will then hold additional work sessions to consider amendments to the Recommended Draft. A City Council vote to adopt Portland’s new Comprehensive Plan is anticipated in February 2016. Once the Plan has been adopted, it then goes to the State Land Conservation and Development Commission for acknowledgement.

September – December 2015: City Council staff work sessions
November 19, 2015: City Council hearing @ 2 p.m.
November – December 2015: Additional City Council hearings
January 2016: Additional work sessions to consider amendments
February 2016: Anticipated City Council vote to adopt the 2035 Comprehensive Plan
Early implementation projects

Several Early Implementation projects for the new Comprehensive Plan are currently underway, including zoning code updates for employment land, campus institutions and mixed use areas. Portlanders will have additional opportunities to weigh in on drafts of these projects as they come before the Planning and Sustainability Commission. See an Early Implementation timeline here: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/543016

For more information about the Comprehensive Plan Update, please visit the project website atwww.portlandoregon.gov/bps/pdxcompplan

P.S. We are providing hard copies of the Recommended Draft and Citywide Systems Plan to all District Coalition offices. If you would like your own copy, please send an email topdxcompplan@portlandoregon.gov.

Oregon Public House fundraiser for the North Star Village aging at home movement: June 8th.

Posted on by

oregon-public-house-logo-200

Oregon Public House Hosts North Star Village

 

Monday, June 8th    Noon – 9:00 pm
700 NE Dekum St.
All ages welcome. Kids play area available.

 

Bring friends and family to the Oregon Public House in the historic Woodlawn neighborhood for a meal, a pint and community. North Star Village volunteers will be there to greet and serve you. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to North Star Village.

 

The menu has something to cater for everyone’s tastes including vegetarian entrees and dessert lovers. Need to be tempted? Check out the Oregon Public House menu at http://oregonpublichouse.com.

 

Mark your calendars now for this special event!

Oregon Public House, the first nonprofit pub in the US, is a profit-generating machine for, and only for, the charities it supports. We hope to see you there.

Want to know more about this unique public house?  Check out this TEDXuConcordia Portland YouTube video to hear founder Ryan Saari’s entertaining talk on the birth of the Oregon Public House and its vision to support nonprofits seeking to make a difference by creating a family-friendly pub environment where neighbors from the surrounding area can come to enjoy community around good food and craft beer while supporting great causes.

 

For information about North Star Village, go to www.NorthStarVillagePDX.org or call 503.978.0540.

Conduct a Tree Inventory in your Community in 2013

Posted on by

treinvApplications are due January 15!

Walking around your neighborhood, do you see areas available for tree planting, street trees in need of maintenance, and neighbors who are concerned but don’t know where to begin? Urban Forestry is helping Portlanders take action to improve their community’s street trees by conducting tree inventories and creating neighborhood tree plans.

Communities begin by forming tree teams and gathering volunteers to conduct a street tree inventory. Volunteers are guided by Urban Forestry staff, who provide training and tools. Together, information is collected on tree species, size, health, site conditions, and available planting spaces. Data is analyzed and findings are presented to neighborhood stakeholders. Achievable strategies are set by the collective body to improve existing trees, identify opportunities for an expanding tree canopy, and connect the neighborhood with city and non-profit resources. The result is a Neighborhood Tree Plan. The plan identifies the current status and health of neighborhood street trees and provides recommendations for neighborhood action.
Continue reading →