DOZA Oversight is Blow to DDI
By Midge Pierce Quality design, community context, scale, neighborhood compatibility, welcoming public spaces, citizen engagement and sufficient pro…
Local Headlines
Rose Garden Turns 100
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)’s iconic International Rose Test Garden (IRTG) in Washington Park is celebrating its centennial this year (1…
State Relaxes Historic Hurdles
By Midge Pierce For National Historic District nominations, the wind of opposition may have lost some sail. For homes in new districts, onerous r…
Progressive Plan Promises Better Housing
By Midge Pierce A newly-minted neighbor who moved to Portland for its friendliness, charm and generosity laments that the PDX future is “Seattleliza…
Aiming for Carbon Zero and Portland Housing Choices
By Jack Rubinger Aiming for Carbon Zero and Portland Housing Choices was a public forum held at TaborSpace last month. The evening focused on the be…
Oregon: Living Beyond its Means
By Don MacGillivray Some might say the sky is falling and it is. Portland’s rainfall in February broke an all time record. Unfortunately a differ…
Community News March 2017
Interrupting Hate in Public Spaces March 23, 7 – 9 pm Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church What if you see someone being harassed or bull…
Gone But Not Forgotten
The backyard at the office of The Southeast Examiner with a foot of snow; the most recorded snow fall in twenty years…
Funding Washington HS Community Center
By Nancy Tannler On January 6, Linda Nettekoven, HAND NA and Jeff Cole, Sunnyside NA, appeared before City Council to remind them that a portion of …
Laurelhurst Races Against the Wrecking Ball
By Midge Pierce With a the tally of 2016 home demolitions topping 375, according to The Portland Chronicle, some 600 plus signatures support designa…
Let’s Talk Air Quality
By Jack Rubinger “Let’s Talk Air Quality,” a community-based video and report made its premiere Sunday, January 22 at the Lents Team Center. The …
Oregon’s Budget: Hard Realities Face the State
By Don MacGillivray Oregon’s economy has achieved its pre-recession strength, but the recovery has not reached all of Oregon. Significant investment…
Oregonians Prioritize Environment
By Midge Pierce Mere hours after the new administration gutted the Environmental Protection Agency website, and just days after climate data confirm…
Bicycling Into the Future
By Don MacGillivray Portland’s Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has officially renamed itself The Street Trust. The change has been in the work…
2016
By Nancy Tannler, Editor As the year 2016 recedes into the past, we have remembered some of the highlights in pictures. Change is coming fast and fu…
Franklin Makeover Nears Completion
By David Mayne Franklin High Modernization enters the New Year with a new look. It seems like just yesterday that construction began at the 101-y…
Rental Housing: a Crisis Becoming a Disaster
By Don MacGillivray Rent increases as high as 40 percent have been reported last year in Portland. A rent increase of $500 will make even the most s…
Village Communities for an aging society
By Don MacGillivray The Village concept is about creating interdependent communities for those that prefer living in their homes and neigh…
Housing Comp Plan Updates
By Midge Pierce In the rush to make year-end decisions before the departure of Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Steve Novick, City Council hamme…
Short Term Rental Registration
By Midge Pierce Portland’s short-term rentals are burgeoning. Now, the City wants its fair share of the action. The number of STRs has quadrupled…
Building on Climate Progress
By Stephanie Kaza In the aftermath of the November election, many people are wondering what will happen with U.S. climate commitments. People fear …
Mt. Hood from the top of Mt. Tabor
Mt. Hood from the top of Mt. Tabor, photo taken by Andrew Haliburton. This is one of many of Haliburton’s exquisite photographs available in the 2017 M…
Parking Exemption for Inclusionary Housing
By Nancy Tannler At the recent Buckman Neighborhood Association meeting, Tom Armstrong from the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability (BPS) gave a…
Final Testimonials on Infill Issue
By Midge Pierce With roughly half the City zoned single dwelling, Residential Infill Project concepts that add multi-unit housing to single family n…
Tiny Houses for the Houseless
By Don MacGillivray Portland recently received some very good news on the homelessness front. Blanchet House’s grant proposal was selected the winne…
Emergency Mental Healthcare Facility
By Tim Hall In January, the Unity Behavioral Health Center will open in Portland and be the first and only psychiatric-specific emergency room in Or…
Groundbreaking on Service Center for Disabled
Photo above: New building design at 21st & SE Division Despite the pouring rain, a happy crowd was in attendance at the ground- breaking ceremon…
Mid Scale Housing Needed in Portland
By Don MacGillivray The “missing middle” has to do with the low density post war suburban development in Portland’s neighborhoods versus the new hig…
Dramatic Density Increase Proposed for Eastside
By Midge Pierce Love it or lump it, Portland's revised Residential Infill Project (RIP) concepts would turn Portland into a dramatically d…
SE Updates
HBBA Patrol Hawthorne business district is home to a variety of shops, designer clothing stores, distinctive restaurants, nightlife, and neighborhoo…
Settling the Rapid Transit Route/stops
By Midge Pierce SE citizens concerned about a stretch of the proposed bus rapid transit service lacking stops can take solace that a requested stop …
Homeless Issue Reaching Tipping Point
By Midge Pierce Portland residents, generally tolerant to a fault, have hit a tipping point over the City’s inability to solve the homeless crisis. …
Community News November
Save your seeds Grow Portland, a nonprofit organization dedicated to urban gardening, is starting a program to train local gardeners on how to save …
Halloween Fun at Lone Fir Cemetery
Photo courtesy of Metro By Michelle Frost If you enjoy a spooky night in the cemetery, hearing stories of Portland’s history, and wearing costume…
Dangerous Eastside Streets
By Midge Pierce The three most dangerous thoroughfares on the Eastside are Powell, Division and Broadway. Yet it was upper Hawthorne, with center la…
Toward More Affordable Housing
By Don MacGillivray In Portland the local government is scrambling to find ways to alleviate the one year old housing crisis. Developers have built …
Is Preservation a Dirty Word?
By Midge Pierce The lack of preservation incentives dismays Portlanders who consider the City’s classic, older home stock a greener, more sustainabl…
Comment Period Ending for Rapid Transit Line
By Midge Pierce Citizens have until Sept. 9 to weigh in on Metro’s Powell-Division Transit and Development Project that proposes to run articulated …
Last Swim at Buckman?
By Midge Pierce The lead in Portland Public Schools drinking water may have sealed the fate of Buckman Pool. PPS recently informed members of a g…
Infill Ideals Pit Developers Against Protectors
By Midge Pierce As the City reviews responses to last month’s Residential Infill Proposal (RIP) survey, the only clarity so far is the division betw…
A Mass Shelter: Full of Hope or Concern
By Don MacGillivray The public does not seem to know about the extensive work being done to address the homeless situation in Portland. Media co…
Hundreds Line Hawthorne to Pay Tribute
A week after the death of Fallon Smart, a 15-year-old Franklin High teen killed by a speeding motorist, a heart-rending scene unfolded along Hawthorne …
Fernandez Takes Reservoir Case to Court
Photo Scott Fernandez presents open reservoir evidence to the EPA in Washington DC. By Nancy Tannler Scott Fernandez, M.Sc. Biology …
Infill Doesn’t Promise Affordability
By Midge Pierce More housing is no guarantee of affordability, say critics claiming housing advocates are “drinking the density Kool-aid”. At nei…
New Columns at Lone Fir Cemetery Entrance
By Rebecca Koffman At one time, Lone Fir Cemetery’s two entrances were each flanked with hand-carved stone columns. The original columns on the ceme…
Division Preferred for Rapid Transit
By Midge Pierce As surprise subsides, Metro and Portland transportation officials are getting an earful as they make the rounds soliciting feedback …
Brownfields and Toxic Legacies in Portland
By Stephen Quirke The ongoing controversy over Portland’s air quality provides a snapshot of a longer problem stretching back over a century, and in…
PBOT Prioritizes Public/private Partnership
By Midge Pierce Traffic calming along the Thorburn curves between SE 60th and Gilham will likely get underway soon thanks to an unusual public-priva…
Lively up Your Street
A new street mural graces the greenway street at SE 69th and Woodward St. thanks to the guidance of City Repair, the organizational abilities of Meliss…
How We Grow
By Nancy Tannler With the projected growth of 250,000 Portland residents, the question of how we will grow is a major topic of conversation for neig…
PBOT Changes Committee Structure
By Midge Pierce As SE residents process Metro’s options for rapid transit, a wrinkle has emerged from the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT),…
Citizens Reactions to Residential Infill Project
By Midge Pierce Reactions to the Residential Infill Project’s Draft proposals expose density’s underbelly. Will the project be Portland’s saving gra…
The Springwater Corridor Task Force
By Don MacGillivray The summer has begun and folks are feeling good and getting out and about, including Portland’s homeless citizens. Arterial s…
Central Eastside District Construction Report
By Don MacGillivray At no time in recorded history has there been the level building activity in the Central Eastside Industrial Area as is currentl…
Development Pressures in Sunnyside
By Midge Pierce A loophole in Portland’s zoning code that can expedite demolition along historic Belmont clouds Sunnyside’s future. The loophole …
Help is on the Way for the Homeless
By Don MacGillivray In the mayor’s March state of the city message he announced the intent to develop a Navigation Center for the homeless street pe…
Senior Funding Crisis
by Don MacGillivray At the April “People’s Forum” held at the Multicultural Center of Impact NW clients and advocates met to talk about the crisis t…
Donuts of Development in Portland’s Future
By Midge Pierce Middle housing, so-called because it provides transition between neighborhood town centers and residential neighborhoods, is touted …
Montavilla From Trolley Stop to Vintage Coloring Night
By Karen Hery Montavilla has been a recognized neighborhood of Portland since 1889. The name originated from an abbreviation on a trolley destinatio…
Neighborhood clean-ups cancelled or postponed
By Midge Pierce Some residents who saved bulk trash for their neighborhood cleanup hit an obstacle last month. Stringent restrictions on asbestos…
A Place to Sleep for Everyone
by Don MacGillivray Last fall the City of Portland announced a state of emergency regarding homelessness and a crisis due to the lack of affordable …
Splash Pad and Loo for Park
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) shared two draft concepts of Colonel Summers Park’s upcoming improvements at a community meeting on April 7.…
Neighborhood Greenway Enhancement Project
Neighborhood Greenways are streets that prioritize bicycling and are the backbone of Portland’s bicycle network. SE Clinton has been a Neighborhood Gre…
Last Chance to Affect Comprehensive Plan
By Midge Pierce Mark your calendars. Do your homework. Organize your neighbors. Testify. April 14 and 20 are the last official opportunities to infl…
Portland’s Affordable Housing Challenge
By Don MacGillivray Many believe the housing problem is a function of poor life choices and resulting circumstances of those that can’t afford housi…
Bus Riders Unite
By Shawn Fleek Bus Riders Unite (BRU), Portland’s transit-riders’ union, launched a campaign for a low-income fare on March 18. As rents skyrocket, …
Bullseye Sued, DEQ Director Resigns, Emergency Rule Drafted
By Stephyn Quirke Since the news of toxic metal pollution first broke in February, a wave of community protest has pressed for change in both pollut…
Citizens Try to Save Belmont Block
By Midge Pierce As SE Portland continues to be split at the seams by development, residents along historic corridors like Belmont are learning the h…
Airborne Heavy Metals Cause Concern, Outrage in SE Portland
By Stephyn Quirke Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality made a public announcement February 3 that they had confirmed high concentrations of …
Remember Washington-Monroe Community Center?
By Don MacGillivray Without action in the near future Inner SE will lose an opportunity to add a significant piece of open space to the business cen…
Petitioners Press for Preservation
By Midge Pierce From Sunnyside to Montavilla, petitions are circulating to save the soul of Portland’s neighborhoods and classic homes. In the mi…
SE Updates
By Midge Pierce Reservoir update Work on the Mt. Tabor Reservoir Diversion Pipe Project continues with extended hours from 7 am to 6 pm on Saturd…
No Demolition Rules Changes in Sight
By Midge Pierce With change likely years away, Portland’s demolition derby is virtually unstoppable. The update of Portland’s Comprehensive Plan …
Proposed Cleanup Plan for Superfund Site
By Nancy Tannler The League of Women Voters (LWV) Education Fund and the Citizens Utility Board of Oregon gave a presentation about the Portland Har…
The Burnside Bridgehead – a Phoenix Rising
By Don MacGillivray Anyone crossing Burnside bridge can’t help but notice dramatic changes in the previously vacant blocks of the Burnside Bridgehea…
Legislative Housing Emergency Forum
By Ann Dudley At the Legislative Housing Emergency Forum in January sixteen state legislators were present to hear testimony from twenty-six people …
Infill Gets Slammed In Survey
By Midge Pierce Preliminary results of a city infill survey indicate the majority of the 7000 respondents disapprove of how Portland is adding densi…
Citizen attempts to set the record straight
By Nancy Tannler Since 2006 The Southeast Examiner has followed the story of the fate of the reservoirs at Mt. Tabor Park. To many people, the rus…
SE Updates
By Midge Pierce Green Zebra Green Zebra Grocery is doing its bit to put a jolly, sustainable face on SE 50th and Division’s construction corner wit…
District Elections and Good Government
By Stephyn Quirke The state of Oregon has a unique history of promoting civic engagement. Between 1981 and 2000 voting by mail was steadily increased …
Parks Budget Cuts Painful
By Don MacGillivray Buckman Pool once again is on the chopping block along with several other of Inner SE important services funded through the Po…
Homeless camps too many to monitor
By Midge Pierce Winter’s chill has made the houseless situation heartbreakingly acute in every corner of town. Now, fear is the latest twist in the ho…
RNA Board Elections Complaint Settled
The Grievance Complaint filed by three former Richmond Neighborhood Association Board Members against RNA Board Member Doug Klotz has finally come to a…
2015 Proved the Adage: You Win Some, You Lose Some
By Midge Pierce In 2015, activists climbed rooftops and tree limbs, neighbors sparred with bulldozers and walkers crossed the Willamette on the nati…
New Affordable Housing to Replace a Neglected Buckman Park
By Don MacGillivray One of Portland’s special places will soon be lost. Parks are generally sacred places that should be able to hold against drasti…
Displacement of East County Residents
As the people in the purview of The Southeast Examiner try to get a handle on density building, increasing rents and housing costs, there is another gr…
SE Updates
Mt. Tabor Reservoir Construction on the Mt. Tabor Adjustment Project to divert drinking water to enclosed tanks at Powell Butte continued last month. …
Sunnyside’s Getting Darker
As development continues along commercial corridors, solar access may become an issue of solar rights if a Sunnyside group holds sway. Light equity is…
Commissioner Fritz Still Champions Eastside Issues
By Midge Pierce With SE in the epicenter of change and growth, residents are urged by at least one City Councilor to step forward with testimony at th…
Understanding Gang Violence
By Don MacGillivray Gangs issues frequently appear in the news and many of the violent gang-related shootings cause death or serious injury. This is n…
Portland Parks Winter Wreath Fundraiser
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)’s Environmental Education program presents its 26th annual winter wreath fundraiser. Wreath sales support PP…
SE Resident Receives Spirit of Portland Award
By Nancy Tannler SE Portland resident Debbie Aiona received the Spirit of Portland Award at a ceremony November 17. Each year local individuals …
Paltry Penalties Threaten Canopy
By Midge Pierce While a street tree summit was underway in SE Portland, trees on private properties nearby continued to be felled in the name of dev…
Hearings Target Construction Madness
By Midge Pierce Love it or hate it, Portland’s post-recession transformation was unforeseen by framers of the original Comprehensive Plan 35-years a…
Trees Rate a “C” at Summit
By Midge Pierce SE Portland’s urban street trees get middling grades based on data from a recent tree summit at the Mt. Scott Community Center that …
Mt. Tabor Adjustment project
By Midge Pierce Excavation work needed to divert drinking water from Mt. Tabor continues on the park southside as part of the process to disconnect …
School Boundaries to Change
By Midge Pierce Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith is expected to weigh in on the redrawn boundary proposals in January. Additional…
Reservoir work – What to expect in November 2015:
The Portland Water Bureau’s contractor for the project, James W. Fowler Co. (JWF) will continue with exploratory excavation (“potholing”) i…
No Quick Fix to Housing Crisis
By Midge Pierce At the current pace of more than one demolition per day, some 800 more houses could be razed over the next two years before City cod…
SE Updates November 2015
Living Room Conversations Brad Malsin, Beam Development, co-hosted a Living Room Conversation Community Forum with Cameron Whitten to talk about the…