Neighborhood Notes South Tabor December 2015

By Brenda Reddaway

South Tabor Neighborhood Association (STNA) held its monthly meeting on Thursday Nov 19.

The meeting opened with a debate on the pros and cons on the proposed idea by some of our neighbors of creating a bioswale and bike path on SE Woodward between 78th & 79th to replace the unmaintained street that currently exists. There was a good discussion on the topic, with well-reasoned points both for and against. Our SE Uplift liaison pointed out there is a current program run by the city of Portland called Street by Street Up Out of the Mud.

More information available at portlandoregon.gov/transportation/58466 or portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/423548.

Our Jade District liaison reminded the neighbors that the JAMS (Jade APANO Multicultural Space) building on the corner of SE 82nd & Division is available for rent by community organizations. More information at apano.org/resources/rent-our-space.  The building was bought by Metro last year, and the bureau is moving forward with its long-term plans for mixed-use development at that location.

Metro is looking for a development team, and has put out a Request for Qualifications for interested parties. Information available at oregonmetro.gov/news/metro-releases-request-qualifications-82nd-and-division-project.

The Land Use Committee has drafted a letter that will be sent to the Portland City Council in response to 2035 Comprehensive Plan proposed zoning changes that affect the South Tabor neighborhood. STNA opposes the change in zoning regarding Franklin High School from Institutional-Residential to Institutional-Campus.

The Institutional-Residential zoning currently requires land use reviews and community input on changes to Franklin and its campus, and a change to Institutional-Campus would result in less stringent land use reviews and neighborhood input.

STNA also opposes the change from Residential to Mixed-Use in Residential Areas as it would reduce the residential character of the neighborhood and allow more commercial and mixed use development to occur in predominately single-family neighborhoods.

Additionally, the association supports changing the zoning designation from Residential to Mixed-Use on Mixed-Use Corridors on non-conforming properties already being used for commercial purposes, and lie within mixed use zones such as SE Division and SE Powell. It supported zoning changes from R2/R1 to R1 for existing split-designated/zoned sites that are already zoned for multifamily development.

There were several ideas proposed for future projects and workshops for the neighborhood in the new year. STNA is looking for interested parties to serve as Board members and committee chairs, or to simply volunteer. If you are interested, contact us at president@southtabor.org.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Neighborhood Notes South Tabor December 2015

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