By Marshall Hammond
A large empty lot and a chain link fence are nearly all that remain of a troubled complex of vacant medical offices at 4511 SE Hawthorne Blvd. after a demolition crew leveled the buildings between SE 45th and 46th avenues in early October. The fence surrounding the property may soon be gone, too, if Killian Pacific, the real estate developer that owns the property formerly known as Hawthorne Center, follows through on plans to remove it the first week of November.
The neighbors who live around the lot are concerned that if the fence comes down they’ll experience problems similar to those that occurred when the property’s last tenants moved out in mid-February and squatters quickly moved in to replace them. Fires were a regular occurrence, drug abuse was rampant, and in April a pit bull that had been let loose on the property squeezed through a fence and attacked a jogger, causing serious injuries.
The property became a common topic of conversation and consternation at neighborhood association meetings and the Portland Environmental Management Office’s (PEMO) problem solver meetings. After the dog attack, Ignacio Simon, chair of the Sunnyside Land Use and Transportation Committee for the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, acted as an intermediary between the neighborhood, Killian Pacific and local government.
One of the first issues was the need for better fencing on the property. “We worked with [Killian Pacific] at the behest of the neighbors living around there to expand that fence all around the perimeter and for it to be flush with the perimeter to improve the situation. The encampments that formed around that building and sometimes inside that building were quite disruptive to the neighbors,” said Simon.
Killian Pacific worked with PEMO to acquire short term permits to put up fencing on the public property surrounding the building. With those permits expiring, Killian Pacific plans to remove the fencing the first week of November, according to Chelsea Rooklyn, Brand and Impact Manager.
However, negotiations between the community and Killian Pacific are ongoing. In an email exchange, Jenna Dowding, Director of Portfolio Management, wrote to Rep. Rob Nosse of the Oregon State Legislature, “In order for us to keep the fence, we would need the neighborhood’s participation in the cost. The estimate for the rental and repairs, as we’ve experienced it being damaged, will be approximately $6,000 for the year. Given the amount of costs we just put into the demolition and the continuing costs for security and janitorial, we’re at a point where we can’t keep spending funds on items for what is now a vacant lot.”
Killian Pacific bought the property in 2016 for $3.9 million with plans to redevelop it into housing. Those plans have changed now that “market conditions aren’t conducive to development” according to Dowding’s email. “We recognize that the community will benefit from development sooner rather than later, therefore remain open to selling to someone else. Unfortunately, our basis is very high given our recent investments. We are open to selling, but want to acknowledge that with our basis this is much higher than it normally would be for a land deal,” wrote Dowding.
Simon wants the neighborhood to have input on how the property will be developed and is pushing to get the property developed quickly. “We’re trying to reach out to nonprofit housing developers and private developers in the area to see if there’s any interest with them to buy up this lot and start development as soon as possible,” said Simon.
Another potential buyer Simon will be approaching is the City of Portland itself. “There has recently been a lot of interest within the neighborhood and within our association to see if we can lobby the city to purchase this lot and turn it into a community space, whether that looks like a small park, or a plaza, or maybe a combination of things including even a private public partnership where part of the lot can be taken up as a small community space and the other part can be developed.”
Simon’s efforts to engage the city are just beginning. His next step is to draft a letter on behalf of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association to Portland Parks and Recreation to advocate for turning the lot into a “community space.”
“Once that happens it really will become a sort of grassroots effort. We have a lot of neighbors around the area who are very interested in this. We’re all connected through a Slack channel and we’re trying to organize perhaps a letter writing campaign or a campaign to sign up at a city public hearings-related to the Bureau of Parks and Recreation to advocate for this cause,” said Simon.
For the time being, the future of the lot at 4511 SE Hawthorne Blvd. remains uncertain and development may be a long way off. In the meantime, Killian Pacific has said they would welcome any ideas or proposals for temporary use of the lot if they were supported by the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, and they would be willing to grant temporary usage in a license agreement at no cost.
Members of the community who would like to contribute to efforts to turn the lot into a community space can contact the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association by emailing board@sunnysideportland.org and attending the next Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting, which will be held Thursday, December 28, 8 pm at SE Uplift, 3534 SE Main St.
4511 SE Hawthorne Blvd. mid-demolition. Photo by Marshall Hammond.
Why weren’t emails considered to residents of the area?
Companies like Killian Pacific and Menashe that buy up or already own old buildings and then let them fester and spread blight in the community will never do the proper or right thing unless they are coerced to do so, and their dereliction of ownership is a major contributing factor to the Portland’s livability issues.
I agree.
It’s pretty disgusting that they would not take responsibility for their investment. 6k a year is peanuts compared to the eventual profit they will make on that lot. It shouldn’t be legal to neglect your property and allow it to become a nuisance.
Hi Loren,
This is not the only cost being carried on the property, as stated in the article, there are security patrols (3x daily) and janitorial costs that are being taken on to mitigate disruption for the neighbors, in addition to the significant costs of expedited demolition.
Also worth noting, is that fencing was not an effective method of keeping trespassers out and was both expensive and took time to have repaired. No fencing allows for security to do their job and trespass individuals on private property, rather than lining fencing along the property line which attracts individuals to have encampments against the fence and on public property (green spaces between sidewalk and property line) where we do not have authority for removal. A nuance that would have been helpful in the article to outline reasons for fence removal.
Dear Killian Pacific:
My sense is that if this lot were in any other city, your company and its investors that own it would have been forced to fence off the area and keep the fence maintained. I’m not an attorney, but does the city of Portland not recognize owner liability in such cases? I live across the street from this troubling disaster-in-the-making and have not seen a single security guard there. Do you know the times they are supposed to be there? I’m curious what the janitor’s job is there. In my eyes, making a poor investment does not mean you should be able to abdicate the moral (at a minimum) responsibility of it.
Your PR says your organization is “community-driven.” “As we look toward the future, we are driven by a desire to help grow strong communities and deliver real, lasting impact.” In this case you have succeeded and have delivered “real, lasting impact.” Shouldn’t moral, fair play be an integral part of your business? Should the neighborhood have to bear the burden of your difficulty? It is difficult to believe that in a business that either owns or has built 3.1 million square feet that you cannot pay $500/month for fencing to prevent the entire place from becoming hazardous for all that live nearby.
I’m an older woman and had some of the last group look in my windows and become menacing. From my windows, I saw dozens of bikes being broken down daily to part off, and witnessed open drug purchases and use daily as well. There were also loud yelling fights, sometimes physical, especially frightening and aggravating at night. It’s extremely uncomfortable, as perhaps you can imagine, to have such behavior just a few feet from one’s home and “haven.” It utterly ruins the neighborhood’s quality of life. It will be back shortly if it remains unfenced.
I beg you to do the right thing.
Best,
Kerry
A couple of clarifications
– there were massive cut outs in the fence that killian pacific had been made aware of MULTIPLE TIMES and did not fix where the dog ran out
– Rob Nosse and sunnyside association helped to speed up permits, waived costs on the current fence and skipped land use reviews for this demo. Killian pacific didn’t even notify neighbors of the demo.
Killian pacific is a bunch of rats and should be held accountable for the neglectful behavior and the conditions the property has created in the neighborhood. I hope the neighbors can band together to pursue legal action against this corporation.
Hi Kathleen,
There was notice of the demo timeline done through the neighborhood association and in a public meeting with the Land Use Committee on June 22nd and all neighbors were invited to attend for a conversation. This is on record and the neighborhood association acted as the intermediary throughout the process, they agreed to share information with the neighbors. Killian Pacific shared updates and followed through on all commitments, including expediting demo and increased security. Repairs to the fencing were made within the timeline of vendor availability and extensive fortification of the property was done to keep trespassers out. Thank you.