By Midge Pierce Which mailer did you get–blue, yellow or none at all? Did you respond? Distinctively colored notices sent by city planners over the past few months have caused considerable …
Blue is for Better Housing Design Read More
By Midge Pierce Portlanders concerned about the changing cityscape are bracing for the outcome of a June 13 City Council hearing on new seismic retrofit rules. Proposed Unreinforced Masonry (URM) …
URM Update: Over-reach or Critical Need Read More
By Don MacGillivray Cyclists are a huge part of the Central Eastside Industrial District (CEID) and their numbers are increasing. The building boom here is complicating the future of the …
Cyclists Input Needed in CEID Transportation Network Read More
By Don MacGillivray For years off road cycling has been tossed around like a political football with major advocates and critics who argue about any significant cycling changes to Portland’s …
Balancing Recreation with Nature Read More
Correction: A slight but important correction needs to be made in this article: https://www.southeastexaminer.com/2018/06/the-case-for-participatory-budgeting/ The author refers says “The new organization is “The Rosewood Initiative” and they recently held a …
The Case for Participatory Budgeting Read More
By Midge Pierce Finding balance between compassion for the homeless and diffusing neighborhood tensions is a dilemma for police caught between charges of excessive force on one hand and increasing calls …
Police Explain Homeless Crisis Limits Read More
By Midge Pierce A name change for the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) to the Office of Community and Civic Life has surprised observers who wonder if the new label …
By Sean Miller Portland has rolled out its Vision Zero Action Plan in order to engineer reduced speeds into city roads. The plan hopes to accomplish this through lower posted …
Best Practices for Making Vision Zero Work Read More
By Midge Pierce 135,000 Portland residents received notices from the City that their single family property would be rezoned under the Residential Infill Project (RIP). Now they’re realizing their home, …
Clarion Call Issued for Final RIP Planning Testimony Read More
By Don MacGillivray It is rare to have the opportunity to choose a new member of Portland’s City Council. With Dan Saltzman retiring, the Council will lose it longest-serving member …
City Council Candidates Read More
By Bryan Brumley The Rev. E.D. Mondaine became president of the NAACP Portland Branch in March. He remembers growing up in St. Louis, Mo., in the shadow of chemical factories …
Frontline Communities on Climate and Environmental Justice Read More
By Allen Field The Richmond Neighborhood Association holds its 1st Richmond Graffiti & Litter CleanUp Day, Saturday, June 16, from 9 am to 1 pm. From a staging area at …
SOLVE Richmond’s Graffiti and Litter Clean Up Day Read More
By Midge Pierce Now that a proposal to rezone a chunk of Mt. Tabor Park has been rescinded by Commissioner Amanda Fritz, park supporters are breathing significantly easier. “We delivered …
Tabor Park House Sale Averted Read More
Run Mama Run PDX The Mother and Child Education Center invites the public to participate in the 10th Annual RunMamaRun, a 10k/5k stroller-friendly run or walk, and kids’ fun run …
Community News May 2018 Read More
By Gabriel Frayne Jr. The city-wide dilemma concerning how to mandate seismic retrofits for Portland’s nearly two thousand unreinforced masonry buildings (URMs) without forcing their demise will take a step …
Council Ponders URM Retrofits Read More
By Don MacGillivray In 2016 Portland adopted the Vision Zero program. The accomplishments in its first year are impressive. Vision Zero’s intent is to end all roads related deaths and …
Vision Zero Has Miles to Go Read More
By Don MacGillivray Portland has serious transportation issues growing in ways that concern everyone, especially commuters. The cost of traffic congestion averages $1,200 annually in wasted time and fuel for …
PDX Transportation Goals Read More
Dozens of street safety advocates rallied at Powell Park on Tuesday to oppose the removal of the bike lanes on SE 26th Ave. at Powell Blvd. one of Portland’s most …
Cyclists Rally For Safety Read More
By Midge Pierce Add “diverter” to a meeting agenda in SE Portland and tension and attendance rise especially if the diverter is at the junction of neighborhoods with vastly different …
Divisive Diverter Impacts Hawthorne and Division Read More
By Midge Pierce Love ‘em or hate ‘em, new speed bumps are doing their job along Thorburn St., the curvy route between SE 62nd and Gilham. Debra Monzon, neighborhood project …
Thorburn: Successfully Slowing Roadrunners Read More
By Adam Meltzer The Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) has proposed cutting the Graffiti Abatement Program for the 2018-2019 City budget stating that the program does not align with its …
Proposed Elimination of ONI’s Graffiti Abatement Program Read More
By Don MacGillivray Diesel exhaust has been an issue in Portland for many years. Recently the central city has more than thirty large buildings under construction at one time and …
Diesel Exhaust Emissions Control Lagging in Oregon Read More
By Midge Pierce 60 Minutes viewers may think Portland’s moment has passed, but a 100 foot long, 10 panel mural is helping keep Portland’s art scene vibrant at Belmont and …
Mural Mixes Art and Ethos to Benefit Art Community Read More
President Andrea P. Cook, Ph.D. announced that Warner Pacific College will now have the designation as a University. This reflects a new era at Warner Pacific and it better encompasses …
WP Goes from College to University Read More
By Midge Pierce Hate was a no-show at a recent rally expected to bring out angry protesters over a proposed Foster Rd. homeless shelter. On a Saturday in which Portland was …
Discourse Drives Homeless Protest Read More
By Gabriel Frayne Jr. Roughly a decade ago Portland acquired a reputation as a city “where young people go to retire,” or at least wait tables and brew coffee while …
Future Trends in Portland’s Demographics Read More
By David Mayne Kellogg Middle School at Powell and 69th Ave. will be rebuilt and ready for SE Portland middle schoolers in the fall of 2021. The work on Kellogg …
101 year-old School to be Reborn Read More
By Midge Pierce As analysts sift through thousands of comments to the Recommended Draft of the City’s Residential Infill Project, a commonality emerges: housing affordability is paramount. Some respondents say …
By Midge Pierce With delays likely in federal grant funding and a design estimated at some $14 million over budget, Trimet officials have trotted out a new descriptor for the Division …
Transit Recalibration Offers Opportunity Read More
By Don MacGillivray Last year’s budget cuts to the Oregon State Human Services budget are taking effect now. Because of the short fall of nearly $600 million, Oregon’s least fortunate …
Club Impact Fills Social Gap Read More
By Midge Pierce Preservationists, thwarted by Portland’s perceived pro-growth demolition practices, finally have a turn at the mike. To launch its Historic Resources code process that calls for identifying, protecting …
Preservation Gets Its Turn Read More
By Midge Pierce Portland’s biggest story continuing into 2018 is its housing emergency. Homelessness remains rampant despite shelters such as the 100-bed facility planned for a vacant store at 62nd …
Petition Calls for Public Vote on RIP Read More
By Midge Pierce Even though the Portland Bureau of Transportation has temporarily delayed a final decision on a semi-diverter proposed on the Lincoln Street Greenway at 50th, the rift between …
Diverter Divides Cyclists and Community Read More
Artwork by Aaron Trotter – a wonderful local artist. Check out more of his work @ https://www.illustratedplayingcards.com/ Property owners throughout Portland are preparing for an imminent event of historic proportions that could …
Seismic Retrofits for URMs Read More
Diverters Two competing perspectives about a PBOT-proposed street diverter at SE Lincoln and 50th circulated through the Mt. Tabor and Richmond neighborhoods last month. Those supporting the diverter say it …
SE Updates December 2017 Read More
By Don MacGillivray OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is planning for significant growth and change over the next twenty years. With one million visitors each year the …
By Midge Pierce Crime prevention may be as close as ballot measures in the next county election or as remote as finding funds for more preventative services. Both perspectives were …
When it Comes to Crime, the County Matters Read More
By Midge Pierce As neighborhood associations hunkered down last month to meet the deadline for response to Residential Infill Project amendments and individuals circulated petitions to stop RIP’s elimination of …
New Challenges to RIP Read More
Home Energy Score If you’re in the market to buy or sell a home, you’re about to get a peek at the inner workings of your Portland home. That’s because …
Community News December 2017 Read More
By Don MacGillivray The City of Portland is experiencing a housing boom and crisis happening simultaneously. In spite of herculean efforts by government and the not for profit sectors, the …
Density and Design Around the Nation Read More
By Midge Pierce Montavilla has become a flashpoint in recent debates over social justice and the use of police force. Last month’s neighborhood association board elections ushered in new faces …
Progressives Push; Montavilla Pivots Read More
By Midge Pierce A shift in proposed housing densification from vast tracts east of I-205 inward to more neighborhoods in inner SE and NE is a significant change to Portland’s …
RIP Follows the Money: Splits Southeast Read More
An inevitable by-product of Portland densification is the loss of local landmarks. This is a tale of Two City Sites with very different outcomes. SE 50th & Hawthorne Blvd. First, …
By Midge Pierce Caught between crime and compassion, residents along the commercial corridors and tree-lined streets of SE are in a quandary about how to solve problems the City can’t: …
Grassroots Group Grapples Crime Read More
By Don MacGillivray Recent reports say that Oregon has one of the worst overall drug problems in the United States based on per capita consumption. According to a recent report …
By Midge Pierce Under new leadership, Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) is steering its seven neighborhood coalitions that include SE Uplift (SEUL) to look beyond neighborhood self-interest toward support …
Potential Seismic Shift Comes to SEUL with New Leadership Read More
By Don MacGillivray Gov. Kate Brown’s signed the new state $5.3 billion road-and-bridge funding bill that will provide “congestion relief” at The Rose Quarter, where the state plans a $450 …
Transportation Bill Partially Funds Congestion Relief Read More
By Don MacGillivray For developers and landlords it is the best of times. For low income renters and the homeless it is the worst of times. In spite of 30 …
Solutions for Homeless Remain Elusive Read More
By Midge Pierce The results of a 10 year process to improve sub-standard building and working conditions at the Mt. Tabor Central Maintenance Yard will be available for public review …
Mt. Tabor Long Block Gets Makeover Read More
By Midge Pierce Climatologists, foresters and other experts – one of whom calls the recent Gorge conflagration “a postcard from the future” – have advice for Portlanders anxious to help …
Climate Change, Gorge Fires and Volunteer Actions Read More
By Nancy Tannler Thanks to the $482 million school building improvement bond the citizens of Portland voted for in 2012, Franklin, Roosevelt and Grant High Schools and one K – …
Franklin High School Re-Opens Reinvented Read More
By Midge Pierce A project that will likely be the largest affordable complex in SE Portland is slated to replace an aging strip club at 30th and Powell. Portland Housing …
Affordable Family Housing and Apartments Coming to Powell Read More
By Don MacGillivray Many people in Portland are concerned about the building boom currently underway within the inner city neighborhoods. Recently Portland’s Bureau of Development Services (BDS) has made it …
By Midge Pierce Peacock Lane is on track to be the first of three SE Portland neighborhoods considering a National Historic District designation to actually receive it. State Historic Preservation …
At a recent City Council meeting held at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) on 82nd Ave., Council and audience heard from residents about The JAMS building is …
Future Vision Looks Rosy on 82nd Avenue Read More
By Nancy Tannler Homeless camping and the negative impact on the neighborhood compelled the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association (LNA) to hold the Laurelhurst Safety Meeting last month. In attendance were hundreds …
Laurelhurst Neighbors Seek Solutions for Homeless Crisis Read More
By Midge Pierce Brace yourselves. The back half of 2017 will bring ever more dramatic changes to Portland’s cityscape as new state laws are implemented, zoning and codes are aligned, …
Dizzying Array of Landuse Changes Coming Your Way Read More
By Midge Pierce The faces of the SE Uplift board are younger, more diverse, more representative of advocacy coalitions and less likely to be homeowners than boards past. In a …
Changing of the Guard at SE Uplift Read More
By Michelle Frost Southeast Uplift is a community center tucked into the neighborhood just a block from Hawthorne and around the corner from SE 35th St. The sidewalk in front …
SE Uplift Welcomes New Executive Director Molly Mayo Read More
Improve the places you love Have you noticed invasive plants like Ivy and Blackberry bushes popping up along your favorite trails, and rivers? Have you seen discarded cups, cans and …
Community News July ’17 Read More
By Midge Pierce It’s a tough time for state passage of tax plans, pension reforms and possibly emergency housing. By the time you read this, a legislative bill nicknamed “Build …
Foes Blast Build Bill Read More
At the corner of 76th & SE Stark where Beet’s Auto Repair once existed, developer Randy Rapaport is proposing a “work-force housing” project. He presented his idea to the Montavilla …
By Don MacGillivray Housing in Portland is in crisis. Not only the lack of affordable housing, but the affect market rate housing has on changing neighborhoods, displacing people, and in …
Better Housing by Design Read More
By Don MacGillivray Finding an affordable home for a low-income senior citizen seems almost impossible. The typical rent for a small apartment may be around $1,000 a month, and even …
Low Income Housing for Seniors Read More
By Nancy Tannler This year’s Big Float happens Saturday July 15. (See details on page 13) Hopefully this year’s event won’t take place on one of those cool, cloudy summer …
Reclaiming the Willamette River Read More
By Midge Pierce A bill known as a “Build Baby Build” legislative bill under the idea of addressing emergency housing statewide is fueling what critics call a widespread assault on …
Infill on Steroids Gains State Traction: Riles Residents Read More
By Midge Pierce With astronomical rental and housing costs, no one denies the need for affordable housing. The question is whether HB 2007 is the solution. Critics call HB 2007 …
Reactions to HB 2007 Read More
By Don MacGillivray Portland will soon be processing the City’s sewage and making a profit doing it. This is making “power from poop.” With over seven billion of us on …
Bio-gas / Poop to Power Read More
By Midge Pierce If the devil is in the details, as nearly 3000 legislative measures move through Salem, it’s understandable that lawmakers, many of whom have additional jobs elsewhere, find …
By Midge Pierce In Rip City’s cyclical economy, the bloom may be fading from the construction boom. Now, builders are using radical new tactics to muscle back, according to citizen-watchdogs, …
By Michelle Frost At Portland Police’s community open house and dedication ceremony on Saturday, May 20, at 4735 E. Burnside station, officers will dedicate the new bronze sculpture= of K-9 …
Police Dog Mick Honored Read More
By Midge Pierce Portland’s reputation for good design needs to be refreshed, according to the final version of Portland’s Design Overlay Zone Assessment (DOZA) project prepared by consultants for the …
DOZA – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Read More
By Nancy Tannler The SE Uplift Board, Buckman Community Association (BCA) and community activists continue to petition with Portland Parks & Recreation Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Director Mike Abbaté and Mayor …
Citizens Plead Case to Keep 1.31 Acres As Open Space Read More
Citizens who want to help shape the future of SE Portland and be part of critical solutions to the quadrant’s urgent issues like road safety, transportation, housing affordability, infill and homelessness …
Shape the Future of Portland Read More
By Juliette Muracchioli, Graffiti Abatement Program Coordinator, City of Portland Seen more graffiti in Portland lately? You’re not alone. Graffiti reports have nearly quadrupled over the past four years. One …
Graffiti explosion in PDX Read More
Former Gov. Barbara Roberts and Commissioner Loretta Smith high five after renaming the Multnomah County Elections Building for suffragists Abigail Scott Duniway and Esther Pohl Lovejoy, who won the campaign …
Renaming the Multnomah County Elections Building Read More
By Karen Hery and Jim O’Rourke It’s no secret that Portland’s population is growing. Unfortunately, the growth of Portland’s police force has not been keeping up. A hiring freeze in …
Policing Pinch Affects Everyone Read More
By Midge Pierce Plants and flower pots are soon due to replace children and frisbees on a quarter of Mt. Tabor’s so-called Long Block between Lincoln and Harrison east of …
Long Blocks’ Open Space Changing Read More
By Midge Pierce Neighbors and online groups have been abuzz as hundreds of homeowners have stepped forward to volunteer for Multnomah County’s pilot program to construct tiny homes (essentially ADUs) …
Finding a Place for Tiny Houses Read More
By Midge Pierce With more than 1100 signatures in support of nominating Laurelhurst for National Historic Designation, residents are undeterred by a poll indicating a slight majority in nearby Eastmoreland …
Pro vs Con – Preservation Gets Ugly Read More
By Don MacGillivray Perhaps the greatest change in the requirements for future employment is an advanced education. More than three-quarters of Oregon’s future students will require a college degree to …
Challenges and Opportunities in Public Higher Education Read More
A Jade District meeting last month to describe the Bus Rapid Transit proposal was a show of commitment to running elongated buses down Division St. It also signaled optimism that …
Division Residents Not Warming to BRT Read More
By Midge Pierce Quality design, community context, scale, neighborhood compatibility, welcoming public spaces, citizen engagement and sufficient project noticing – these are bedrock concepts in three years of meticulous work …
DOZA Oversight is Blow to DDI Read More
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)’s iconic International Rose Test Garden (IRTG) in Washington Park is celebrating its centennial this year (1917-2017). It was in February, 100 years ago, that Portland …
Rose Garden Turns 100 Read More
By Midge Pierce For National Historic District nominations, the wind of opposition may have lost some sail. For homes in new districts, onerous required design reviews – the hard-sell against …
State Relaxes Historic Hurdles Read More
By Midge Pierce A newly-minted neighbor who moved to Portland for its friendliness, charm and generosity laments that the PDX future is “Seattlelization” complete with insufferable traffic, short tempers, instability …
Progressive Plan Promises Better Housing Read More
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 benefits of passive housing gaining …
Aiming for Carbon Zero and Portland Housing Choices Read More
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 different kind of sky is falling …
Oregon: Living Beyond its Means Read More
Interrupting Hate in Public Spaces March 23, 7 – 9 pm Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church What if you see someone being harassed or bullied because of their race …
Community News March 2017 Read More
The backyard at the office of The Southeast Examiner with a foot of snow; the most recorded snow fall in twenty years
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 the property at Washington …
Funding Washington HS Community Center Read More
By Midge Pierce With a the tally of 2016 home demolitions topping 375, according to The Portland Chronicle, some 600 plus signatures support designating Laurelhurst a National Historic District to …
Laurelhurst Races Against the Wrecking Ball Read More
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 event drew an enthusiastic crowd and …
Let’s Talk Air Quality Read More
By Don MacGillivray Oregon’s economy has achieved its pre-recession strength, but the recovery has not reached all of Oregon. Significant investments have been made in public education and a college …
Oregon’s Budget: Hard Realities Face the State Read More
By Midge Pierce Mere hours after the new administration gutted the Environmental Protection Agency website, and just days after climate data confirmed that 2016 was the hottest on record, a …
Oregonians Prioritize Environment Read More
By Don MacGillivray Portland’s Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) has officially renamed itself The Street Trust. The change has been in the works for over a year and was made final …
Bicycling Into the Future Read More
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 furiously here and nothing …
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-year-old Franklin High School campus. Now …
Franklin Makeover Nears Completion Read More
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 satisfied tenant consider …
Rental Housing: a Crisis Becoming a Disaster Read More
By Don MacGillivray The Village concept is about creating interdependent communities for those that prefer living in their homes and neighborhoods rather than moving to retirement communities. The model …
Village Communities for an aging society Read More
