South Tabor April 17

By Sandra Hay Magdaleno

WOW, the three L’s, location, location, location or is it Land Use, Land Use, Land Use are upon us. Much of the last few board and committee meetings have dealt with land use and transportation issues.

The first order of business was presented by very distressed neighbors living in close proximity to a “nuisance” home where open and brazen drug deals, thefts, damaged property, noise and neighborhood safety events/issues are happening daily. Progress had been made by law enforcement for a certain time period, but due to budget restraints and a deficiency in the number of officers, this has declined while the activity has increased. STNA agreed to write a serious letter addressing these concerns that have been carefully documented to specific people on the City Council, Neighborhood Involvement, Legislatures and Police Bureau.

Several land use committee and special board meeting(s) over the past 4 or 5 weeks address the development of a 3 story, 900-unit storage facility on 62nd and Powell at the current 7-Dees site. The developer from Texas has been responsive to our concerns. We are awaiting the actual plans to see what areas were addressed and what was included concerning lighting, noise, safety, contextual design in relation to the residential area, We’ll keep you apprised of the situation.

Please review and weigh in on DOZA (Design Overlay Zone Assessment) both for the excellent work that has been done and for additional reaction and evaluation processes. Carefully consider the issues below.

Creation of at least one or more additional design commissions/quadrants that would clearly address areas outside of the downtown high rise construction zone; Lower the design overlay from 55 feet to approximately 30 feet for the new high density corridors; Create impact assessments with clear notification, engagement and follow-up processes; Create tools and support to help small developers and local businesses prosper with seismic and other upgrades, waiving or lowering fees and streamlining the process.

The survey was closed as of Friday, 3/17/17, so please write to the Design Commission and/or one of its members at:  Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, 1900 SW 4th AVE., Suite 7100, Portland, OR  97201 addressing your thoughts and concerns. Email: Lora Lillard (staff): Lora.Lillard@portlandoregon.gov; Planning Commission: psc@portlandoregon.gov; City Council: CCtestimony@portlandoregon.gov.

Another Land Use & Transportation request was made asking us to review and comment on the Division Key Sites to be included in the Division Design Initiative. Do so by emailing comments to:   ilovedivision.com. The goal of the key sites is to address priority areas from SE 12th to 82nd on Division that might be historical in nature and worth keeping and upgrading. Find those key sites at: divisiondesigninitiative.org.   

Neighbors were agreed that 62nd and Woodward was a key site needing safety improvements.   Crosswalks at 57th and Powell would be critical. Another key concern for Foster/Powell was 56th and Rhone. Email Cory at:  Cory@solovewicz.com or our Land Use Chair, John Carr at:  Landuse@southtabor.org with comments or suggestions.

The Emergency Prepardedness workshop will be held Saturday, May 13 from 12 noon – 4 pm at 3645 SE 32nd, downstairs next to the Cleveland Track. The next Land Use, Communications, and Sustainability Committee meetings will be, Tuesday, April 18 from 7 – 8:30 pm.

The next STNA Board Meeting is Thursday, April 20 from 7 – 8:30 pm. Both the committee meetings and the board meetings will be held at Trinity Fellowship, 2700 SE 67th with entrance from parking in the rear. All are welcome.

South Tabor April 17

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