HAND November 2019

By Jill Riebeshel

At our last meeting, Sarah Peroutka, speaking for St. Philip Neri, announced the parish’s annual  Thanksgiving meal and thanked the Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood district for its annual contributions.  The meal often attracts as many as one hundred guests, and will be from 11 am to 1:30 pm and includes donated items to fend off winter cold and care packages with first aid items, canned food, fast-food coupons or gift cards. Call the parish secretary at 503.231.4955 with questions. Two other groups that could use help: the Yellow Brick Road (provides shelter for homeless youths) and Janus (homeless support services).  The board voted to increase its usual contribution this year. 

A meeting of HAND representatives, Abernethy PTA and Catholic Charities were brought up to date on ongoing but still tentative plans for the campus.  Envisioned is low-cost, permanent housing for about twenty residents, mainly women and children, with support and security provided. An architectural firm has been chosen. 

TriMet’s Thomas Scharff provided a rundown on fifteen-mile long Division Transit Project for the #2 line. Diesel-powered sixty-foot articulated buses built by Novabus, will use Tilikum Crossing. Research showed the technology wasn’t up to powering the large vehicles via electricity. 

Raimore will build forty-two covered and eighty three platforms. Thomas announced an open house November 14, 4-7 pm at PCC’s SE campus. TriMet will have to do rerouting for construction and in the event of rail freight blockages at SE 8th and 11th avenues. Launch date is fall 2022. Part of the rerouting envisioned by TriMet is eliminating a left turn at SE 12th for westbound motorists on Division. Board members see serious problems with that decision and will make its views known to TriMet. The board pointed out serious problems with other proposed reroutes. 

Thomas said the Gideon Crossing pedestrian/bicycle bridge, over Union Pacific and MAX tracks from SE 14th Ave.-SE 13th Pl, is on schedule. Primary motivation for the bridge is to provide access for safe crossing over tracks when they are blocked. Due date for project completion is fall 2020. 

Another major project on the boards is the carefully drawn up Design Overlay Zone Amendments, or DOZA, a guide for planners and builders to use as Portland grows. Amendments were created to help make city’s centers and corridors better designed places for people and to preserve as much of the long held intrinsic and unique aspects of our city. HAND board members urge the city to employ particular ideas from the report they feel are important. 

HAND November 2019

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