Last Thursday, on March 1^st, the Portland Playhouse’s appeal of a land use decision to terminate the staging of plays in their site at 602 NE Prescott was heard by City Council. The appeal, filed by the King Neighborhood Association on behalf of the Playhouse, centered on defining what a community arts center is, and whether the theater productions held at 602 NE Prescott constitutes community use, or a retail theater use (a status asserted by city staff, and which are not allowed under the building’s current zoning). City planner Mark Walhood noted that the city staff’s decision to deny the Playhouse’s original permit application was among the most reluctant they had ever made.

With more than eighty people in attendance in support of the Playhouse and none reporting opposition, the Council opened up the hearing to testimony from members of the public. Nearly two dozen folks testified at the hearing, including two King NA board members, and Playhouse artistic director Brian Weaver. There were numerous testimonials to the deeply-felt value of the work being done by the Playhouse, both in its theater programming and in its community service.

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Food is an issue in all of our communities with many different layers.
The Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council, citizen-based advisory
council to the City of Portland and Multnomah County, has formed a
Food Justice Work Group to help explore and elevate food justice issues and important topics related to food within the Portland metropolitan region. The ultimate goal of this work group is to develop a vision for Food Justice in the Portland metro region that can help guide the activities of the Food Policy Council, the City of Portland and Multnomah County.

As a first step, the work group will engage in discussion with
stakeholders and community members around identifying a common vision
and definition for Food Justice in the Portland metropolitan area.  To
do this, we will be holding four listening sessions in March in four
areas of Portland.

Desired Outcomes for our Listening Sessions are:
1.      To obtain feedback on draft Food Justice definition
2.      To begin to identify barriers to achieving food justice within
communities of impacted people
3.      To generate ideas for Food Justice work group (FJWG) work plan and
local policy recommendations
4.      To conduct outreach and communicate to the community regarding the
work of the FPC and the FJWG

Listening sessions in inner N/NE are:

March 15, from 4-5:30 pm:  Hollywood Library, 4040 NE Tillamook
March 21, from 6-7:30 pm:  North Portland Library, 512 North Killingsworth

Light refreshments will be available. Childcare assistance will not be available at either of these two sessions.  We are not able to provide transportation assistance. RSVP by responding to mkcuneo@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your participation ~ We hope to see you there!

–Food Justice Workgroup, Portland/Multnomah Food Policy Council