We are Project Grow. We offer good services for people with and without disabilities. This whole area is inclusion and everyone is allowed to come in here. It is also an employment job for people with and without disabilities, it gives you something to do and make money. You can come here and have good things to do, stay busy, go to dances. We have a community garden; it makes the world a better place, we are planting things. Mondays and Wednesday are homemade art day. We also do a haunted house and it is amazing. We like to go to coffee in the neighborhood and last Monday went to Powell’s.

I think that at the beginning of the year (2011) we went to city hall to talk to the commissioners to try to get them to not close project Grow. We let them know how important this is to us and to keep this open for all people with disabilities to have work to do and have more to do in their lives. This is a great place and it needs to be here. We need to do more advocating to get more people to come visit here. Some people ask us questions about what we do here at Project Grow. People need to know what employment means for people with disabilities… No one belongs in a sheltered workshop, it is not a job! People with disabilities have feelings and need real jobs, we need to have a place in the community where we are respected and treated like adults. We are not children anymore and want to be treated with respect. People need to have jobs in the community and get along in life with everyone else.

People like free stuff. Maybe we can give people coffee if they come and visit us, we will make it for you. We also have eggs for sale from our chickens here. Once a month we have a dance here. It is fun and you should come by. We also have Friday morning meetings where we talk about things that we want to do and what people are interested in doing. Its your turn to speak up…

Eleanor Bailey - Artist

As the newly elected chair of the Eliot Neighborhood Assciation (ENA), I am looking forward to an exciting year.  Why?  Because I enjoy meeting people and talking about what’s happening in our neighborhood now and what the future holds for us.  I enjoy the sense of community that comes with being involved with the neighborhood association.  I see great promise in our community, and I hope to contribute by creating and encouraging positive changes.

As chair of the ENA Board, I would like to invite each of you to attend a meeting this year.  I’m not asking you to join the board, but I would like to see you at just one meeting.  Come with a friend if you’re nervous, but you’ll find that we’re not too scary a group.  At my first meeting, I sat in the back, not too sure of where I fit in, and tried not to make much of a ruckus; however, a couple topics were interesting to me, and I chimed in.  I found that it’s hard not to participate in a discussion about your neighborhood.  And now I realize the more diverse the group in the room, the more perspectives we can bring to an idea, issue, or problem.

The Eliot Neighborhood Association is the primary contact point between the City of Portland and the people who live in Eliot.  The ENA works hard to strengthen our community through a quarterly newsletter, neighborhood cleanup activities, community gardening, and summer concerts at Dawson Park, among many other things.

Our neighborhood meetings regularly have about 10-15 people attending meetings, representing just 0.25% of the 3500 people living inside our neighborhood boundary.  Some of our peer neighborhoods have much more participation, and residents of those neighborhoods have a correspondingly greater amount of power to affect things around them.  Come out to a meeting to meet new friends and share your thoughts on how you’d like to see our community grow.

The Eliot neighborhood board meets the second Monday of every month.  The public is welcome to attend.  Board positions are open.  Currently renters, business owners, and minority residents are under-represented at meetings and on the board.

Eliot Land Use and Transportation Committee

Meeting Minutes – January 16, 2012

Meeting was called to order by Chair, Mike Warwick at 6:30 PM as scheduled.  A quorum was present.

Review of NE Quadrant freeway proposals

Mike reviewed the current status of the freeway options being considered by ODOT and PDOT as part of the NE Quadrant planning process.  The three neighborhood representatives to the NE Quadrant advisory committee were invited to review the most recent analyses and proposed options based on the December advisory committee discussion and decisions.  Staff from ODTO and PDOT spent the time over the holidays simulating a variety of options and their impact on freeway and surface street traffic.  Staff wanted to present these to the neighborhood representatives in advance of the meeting.  There was a limited amount of information handed out at the meeting so Mike brought what he could to review with the LUC.  He prepared a more complete description of the options which is posted on the Eliot website.  It updates his article in the Eliot News.  The same materials were presented to the NE Quadrant committee January 19^th and are available in the “packet” for that meeting on the Portland Plan web site.

In summary, staff determined the greatest improvements were provided by removing and replacing the existing freeway overcrossings and adding an auxiliary lane for merging/exiting traffic.  Additional benefits are provided using the braided ramps south of Broadway.  This results is two options the staff want to consider (aux lane and braided ramp).  Staff developed two options for reconfiguration of surface streets to manage freeway traffic and reduce conflicts between pedestrians and bikes.  One option involves putting “lids” over the freeway at Broadway/Weidler and Vancouver/Hancock.  The Vancouver/Hancock lid creates a connection across the freeway at Hancock that is new; that connection is expected to create cut-through traffic in Eliot and is, therefore, being opposed by Eliot’s representatives (as well as residents on Hancock and adjacent to Rodney Street.

Proposed “New Seasons” Development

The owners of the former Wonder Bread site south of Fremont between Williams and Vancouver have asked for a pre-application meeting with the city to discuss their proposal for a new single story building and associated parking that may be used for a New Seasons store.  New Seasons will (may) be a tenant only.  They are not the project developer and therefore, aren’t the one that needs to comply with zoning and building codes.  The committee shared their knowledge of the project.  Mike will attend the pre-app.  The meeting is for the benefit of the developer, however if neighborhood representatives show up they are usually asked for comment, so Mike asked the committee for any comments he should make.  The committee agreed on three major concerns:  first, management of traffic the store will attract given the area already suffers from poor traffic flow and conflicts with bike commuters; second, opening up the right of way to extend Ivy Street through the site; third, building the building to allow for future expansion upwards (adding floors over the store).

At the pre-app the City responded that traffic wasn’t a planning issue and therefore couldn’t be a basis for objecting to a proposal.  Mike made it clear that simply adding traffic signals on Cook would not address the likely problems that will develop because the site plan doesn’t have a surplus of parking.  He said there will be conflicts over parking on residential streets that the City will have to address.  That seemed to fall on deaf ears.  The developer indicated the parking lot would be accessed via an alley through the site, but the lot lines are such that it doesn’t line up exactly with Ivy.  They will provide sidewalks that will align with the sidewalks on the south side of Ivy as a result.  They also indicated they only intend for this to be a single story building.

Pre-app for Proposed High Rise Apartment Building on the SE corner of Williams and Fremont

Ben Kaiser is proposing to build a new multi-story apartment block on the block facing the proposed New Seasons.  His application requests a change from a medium density residential (R) zone to an “employment” (E) zone.  The primary purpose of a E zone it to support employment/job creation activities, typically light industrial.  While residential development is allowed, it is not encouraged.  However, the E zone provides more leeway for development, including fewer restrictions on building setbacks and other features that makes it attractive for lazy developers, as is painfully obvious in some of the new apartment blocks on Williams north of Fremont.  Ben’s pre-app appears to envision towers of 45 and 65 feet high adjacent to single story residences on the edge of the Eliot Historic Conservation District.  Mike suggested that Eliot oppose the zone change since it does not provide any employment as well as the proposed heights next to the historic district.  The committee agreed and Mike will carry that message to the pre-app meeting.  Since Ben is known to at least two committee members, he will be given a heads up prior to the meeting and offered a chance to amend his proposal at the pre-app.

Lot Division for 18 NE Stanton

A developer recently purchased this lot, which is substandard (40 feet wide instead of 50).  It is adjacent to the residence of Board member Joan Ivan who lives in one of Eliot’s few remaining Victorian cottages.  The developer is proposing to partition the lot into 3 parcels with two in the rear and one in the front with a common green to tie the rear lots to the street frontage.  The front parcel will abut Joan’s property.  They also intend to ask for a variance for the side set back to compensate for the fact the lot is narrower than normal.  Once the partition is granted, the buildings on each parcel the single buildings can be approved without LUC review.  It wasn’t clear to Mike how we could affect that element of the proposal or even if we could change the planned partition.  The committee agreed that if the common green and front parcel were reversed, we wouldn’t have a problem, but that if they are not, we would not approve the side setback request, at least, if it was in our purview.  Mike is going to find out what power we have and present our concerns to whatever staff he can as well as to the developer.

Meeting was adjourned shortly before its 8:30 scheduled end.

In 1993 the Albina Community Plan called for the identification of a gateway at the convergence of N.E. Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd that would announce the entrance to a historic area of Portland, enhance the pedestrian environment, and incorporate multicultural public art.

The gateway consists of a plaza that will provide space for community gatherings and events.  Featured in the plaza are four 20 foot high weathering steel heritage markers with twelve interpretive markers that honor the history of the North Northeast neighborhoods in four major themes; Community, Civil Rights, Immigration/Migration, and Commerce and Culture.  The perforated weathering steel fence surrounding the plaza buffers the plaza from the heavy traffic flow on NE MLK while allowing clear sight lines into the plaza.  The fence and heritage markers will be lit with energy efficient LED lights creating a soft glow for nighttime interest.  Canopy trees in the plaza define the space and provide shade and seasonal color for visitors.

For more information on this project you can contact Irene Bowers, Senior Project Manager at Portland Development Commission or visit http://www.pdc.us/ura/convention_center/heritage-markers.asp.

Boxlift Building

By Angela Kremer

If you’ve walked or driven down MLK towards Broadway at night you may have noticed the illuminating lights of the rehabbed green building known as the Boxlift Building.  The olive green building recently was completely renovated through a financial and technical assistance from the Portland Development Commission.  The Boxlift, located two blocks north of the future Streetcar and a block from Tiny’s at Tillamook, signals a key piece in the walkable, mainstreet feeling on this section of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.  The remaining 7000 (+/-) square feet of space to be leased in the building, offers a question for Eliot: does Martin Luther King start to act as meeting places that link Eliot residents to Irvington and Boise?  Can residents finally enjoy destinations in Eliot by safely crossing through busy, car-dominated streets?

The Boxlift Building is a mixed-use building sector that signifies the goals of neighborhood economic development.  The rehab of the Boxlift offers potential retail and employment space for small business owners in Northeast and beyond. The first floor of the building contains two occupied spaces, Strut Salon, and  Journey Fitness, sales store demonstrating a product sold to hotels and corporations.  According to Dennis George, the building owner, the remaining 7,000 (+/-) square feet available could potentially be divided into three separate rentable spaces.  These prime sections of the building offer street frontage and a wall of windows onto a side parking lot, a clear advantage for drive by retail.  Josh Bean, with Doug Bean & Associates, the Building’s leasing agent, and the owner, see the potential for a variety of uses including a neighborhood restaurant.  Josh Bean says “We are hoping to attract a restaurant, bakery, or café concept for the prime corner space which will provide an amenity to the other tenants in the building and the neighborhood alike. We have some flexibility on size, but the corner 2,200 (+/-) square foot space has excellent visibility and is a good size  for a local neighborhood type eatery.” The building also sits across MLK from the Gateway and Heritage Marker pedestrian-way and park under construction as part of the PDC-funded Master Plan.  The goals of these two projects are similar—to create vitality for economic development while improving the pedestrian experience and drawing on the multicultural identity of Eliot and Northeast Portland.

The Boxlift represents the future of Eliot’s potential for redevelopment, small business development and improved livability through partnerships with developers.  The Boxlift offers a sample of the challenges of redevelopment in Eliot:  careful planning is necessary in order to develop “green” features, for example, leaving surfaces bare rather than tiling them is more environmentally sound.   Funding also supported the new seismic upgrades, and the spacious windows, all of which attract retail, showroom and office users.  Retaining the building as mixed-use was achieved by retaining the second story artist lofts in this exciting mixed-use commercial space. PDC funded this commercial mixed-use project to leverage the Streetcar and help develop business, for a combined subsidy of loans and grants of just over $530,000.

The Boxlift Building, built in 1929, used to have parking upstairs, then was converted to a warehouse with printer which necessitated the mechanical addition of a “boxlift” instead of an elevator for freight.  Mr. George added several windows and a door on the southside which now leads up set of stairs to the 15 artist workspaces for rent.  Currently, there is only one unit vacant for the artist spaces, which includes safe disposal and flammable materials areas as well as showers for the working artists.  The windows and high ceilings as well as ample wall space make these spaces attractive as working/gallery space.
There is one unit available that rents at about $995 per month, fully supported with utilities.  Besides working artists, the Boxlift has attracted some retail and the sales office of a Journey Fitness on the first floor.  The Boxlift is currently looking to lease the remaining 7,000 (+/-) square feet.

However, this neighborhood, our neighborhood, is Eliot. Nobody lives in Boise-Eliot. At least I hope not because it’s a school.

When the Boise-Eliot Market was starting I asked if they would consider using “Boise & Eliot”.  The response…“the aim was to name the market in honor of both neighborhoods.” Wouldn’t an “&” symbol do that as well?

Now I hear a music festival is taking the name “Boise-Eliot Music Festival”. What, no “&”? Is it in Boise or Eliot?

The hyphenated name is confusing to the rest of the city and Eliot deserves its own identity.  We share a longer border with Irvington. (Interestingly, the real estate agent who sold my house listed it as in Irvington.) Maybe we should be Eliot-Irvington?

I think I’ll stick with just Eliot.

Main lobby features large windows and bamboo lanterns

Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel is opening a new home for children’s health care. Located on the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center campus, the new building offers an innovative approach to health care in a healing environment that is four times the size of the current hospital.
We’re inviting you to our fun-filled and free Community Opening Celebration on Saturday, February 11 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Our Community Opening Celebration features:

• Grand-prize drawings for family trips and more
• Low-cost bike and snowboard helmets
• Giveaways
• Music and entertainment
• Scavenger hunt
• Lego Playzone
• Kite making and photo booth

Our new home provides our community with an innovative approach to children’s health care, where complex medical and surgical care is blended with a peaceful environment.  The building is 334,000 square feet, with nine-floors and 165-beds.  All patient rooms are private, except for seven twin rooms in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and have beds for parents. The hospital’s family spaces are meant to feel like home. There are three family lounges with kitchens, five playrooms, a classroom, a teen center, an art therapy studio, a theater, a wellness center for parents and families and a terrace garden.

Our Children’s Emergency Department is more than twice its current size and is completely separate from adult emergency care, including the entrance.  The department is staffed 24 hours a day by doctors and nurses who specialize in children’s emergency care.

Randall Children’s Hospital contributes to neighborhood development and sustainability. N. Gantenbein Avenue has been improved with new lighting, landscaping and walkways; improving the connections to our neighborhood.  Dozens of sustainable design features have been incorporated into the building and landscaping, including bio swales on N. Gantenbein Avenue, rainwater collection on the roof to create a fountain in the Terrace Garden, the use of bamboo throughout the building and very large windows bringing natural light into our units.

We invite the community to tour our new home at the Community Opening Celebration on Saturday, February 11.  For more information about Randall Children’s Hospital visit:
legacyhealth.org/newhome and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/legacychildrens.

Installed Solar Panels

In 2009, Solarize Northeast helped 200 Northeast Portland residents install solar electric (photovoltaic) panels on their homes. In 2012, the 2nd round of Solarize Northeast aims to double the number of solar electric systems in Northeast Portland.

Solarize Northeast provides a pathway to affordable and simple solar installation. Utilizing a community committee & competitive bidding process, the project selected Mr. Sun Solar as the contractor partner. Mr. Sun Solar has a strong commitment to customer service, education, and is a local Northeast business.

Starting in January, educational workshops offer the basics of going solar, tax credits and other financial incentives, financing solar panels, with experts in each area available for Q&A. Participation in the workshops is free.

Solarize Northeast brings the community together around a common cause: beautifying the neighborhoods and promoting energy efficiency. The community-project is organized by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) whose mission is to improve the livability of North and Northeast Portland.

The deadline to participate in Solarize Northeast is May 15, 2012, and this year, contracts signed before February 29, 2012 receive the Early Bird Special.

As a community-driven project, Solarize Northeast depends on the participation and volunteers of Northeast residents. For more information on volunteering or registering, please visit http://solarize.necoalition.org or contact Gene Lee at solarize@necoalition.org, 503.823.4113.

There have been 11 CAC meetings to date. The next is the 19^th. A wide range of freeway/interchange options have been reviewed by the CAC and the list has been reduced to a small number. Those have been briefed to the Eliot Board and described in the Eliot News previously. The options range between “no-build” to a range of proposals that require the replacement of two or more of the current I-5 overpasses (Broadway, Weidler, Vancouver, and Flint) along with revisions to the I-5 on/off ramps to improve the flow of auto, truck, pedestrian, and bike traffic. None of the proposed options has been acceptable to some or all of the stakeholders. The neighborhood representatives (Eliot, Irvington, and Lloyd District as well as the Rose Quarter and landowners in that area) have been outspoken in opposition to the disruptions that would accompany the demolition and replacement of two or more overpasses along with the curtailment of the new streetcar service for the duration of construction. They have also been united in opposition to proposed new overpasses at Clackamas and Hancock that would allow vehicle traffic to the east. Eliot has proposed relocating freeway ramps as far away from Broadway/Weidler as possible, since those ramps are the source of the congestion the State wants to address. That would require new elevated ramps, the “braided ramp” option. Elevated ramps are expensive and the City is concerned about how they would appear from downtown as freeway ramps are unattractive. Accordingly, this option was discounted.

At the last Transportation meeting (Dec. 9^th) Staff were asked to look at hybrid options that included elements of each of the options that had support, including the discarded “braided ramp” option (south of Broadway only). Staff did some additional study after the meeting and wisely asked neighborhood representatives to give them some feedback before doing any further work. After all, if the new hybrid options were unacceptable to the neighborhoods, City support may be jeopardized. Because the time for Staff analysis was limited, the presentation was sketchy, although Staff did conduct a large number of computer simulations of how various options performed. The results of that effort point to two options that have a number of features that not only address most of the neighborhood concerns, they also significantly improve freeway performance, provide new amenities to the area (more “park” land) and reduce expected construction time and disruption (at least for vehicles).

Admittedly, it is difficult to visualize these new proposals but each has the following features:

• A “braided ramp” option south of Broadway. It turns out this is the best option for increasing through traffic, which is the primary focus of the effort.
• A new overpass at Clackamas for pedestrians and bikes. At his point in the design process, an elevator may be necessary for pedestrian access (for ADA reasons), which means it could NOT be used for motor vehicle traffic.
• One option has a new overpass that replaces the current Vancouver overpass. Initially, this went east/west over the freeway at Hancock. That was necessary to route the Number 4 bus along Williams. In the new plans the bus route along Williams is intact, so there is no need for a connection between Williams and Vancouver at Hancock. Instead, a new north-south alignment of Vancouver is needed. I have asked that the Hancock connection between Williams and Vancouver be “demoted” to an “option” from a requirement to address Eliot resident concerns about increased traffic into Eliot.
• A “lid” over the freeway associated with new overpasses. Both options have a lid that bridges the entire area over the freeway between Broadway and Weidler. Some of the area will be new roadway, while at least half of it will be available for park-like uses (or at least landscaped). The second option has a similar lid at the new Vancouver/Hancock overpass. These lids have two purposes. The primary purpose is for construction staging. They will reduce the need to build temporary vehicle overpasses during construction, and thus reduce construction duration and cost. Afterwards, they will provide a park-like amenity for the area.

These new proposals will be presented to the CAC and Staff hope to get agreement to focus future efforts on refining them. Based on what was described to me, these are surprisingly good options, assuming the proposed freeway improvements are necessary.

The justification of those proposed improvements is that this section of I-5 is one of the top 60 “bottlenecks” in the nation as identified by the trucking industry. Obviously, they have a bias. They have identified the need for a new bridge across the Columbia River (the CRC) as in the top 200, just for reference. Data presented by Staff indicate the majority to truck traffic in this section of I-5 is local deliveries. These are unlikely to be displaced by steadily rising fuel costs, unlike traffic across the Columbia, so I have more faith is this “top 60” evaluation than that for the CRC. In addition, the traffic merges and lane changes required in this area of I-5 require sudden vehicle movements, stops/starts, etc. that lead to accidents, although Staff wasn’t able to present much in the way of hard data on accidents in this particular area or analysis of how they would be reduced through the proposed improvements. They did simulate traffic flows with the improvements and there were many fewer traffic slow downs, which is what they want.

I asked Staff about prospects for this work to actually be funded. Because of the high rank of the project (top-60) they expect Federal funding will be forthcoming. They do not anticipate (or expect) any local funding will be necessary. In other words, it all depends on Congress. Because of how the option was evaluated, the entire project, including the “lids” and ped/bike improvements, are tied to freeway safety improvements, so there is less reason to think those “non-motor vehicle” elements will be dropped. That would be an unacceptable risk for the neighborhoods I think.