LUTC Meeting Minutes 2015-02-09

Posted on by Eliot Neighborhood

Minutes of Eliot Neighborhood Association Land Use and Transportation Committee 2015-02-09

Committee members present: Allan Rudwick (chair), Clint Lundmark, Paul Van Orden, Phil Conti, Laurie Simpson, Alise Munson (recorder)

Others: Rich Brooks, Cida Architecture;
Karuna Properties II, LLC;
Rich Newlands, PBOT

Meeting called to order at 6:30 pm

3116 N Vancouver

Rich Brooks presented the plan for a new micro-unit living complex to be built at 3116 N. Vancouver Ave. A single family home  currently exists on the site and will be demolished to make room for the 16-unit complex. The building (zoned RX) will be five levels (50-feet) tall with many of the units sized at 275 sq. ft. Bathrooms and kitchens will be shared. There will be no parking provided. The west side of the lot is directly across from The Red Cross. Two houses sit directly north and south of the lot. A demo date was not given.

Building/Design considerations presented to Cida Architecture by the LUTC

  • Lack of parking – no parking is provided for residents living in the micro-units. Secure bike parking – 16 hooks – will be provided to residents.
  • Height – 50-feet is well below the 100-foot height limit allowed in RX zoning.
  • Siding – Try something that mixes well with the look/feel of the 100-year-old homes on the same block.
  • Usable bike parking – Bikes either have to be lifted up onto hooks or taken into units. People who ride heavy or longer bikes will have potential problems storing their bikes.
  • Windows – Fiberglass is suggested over vinyl

One North Courtyard

The representative for the developer at One North (located at Fremont Street and Williams Avenue) is asking for community input on quotes to be etched into steel bands to be used in the public courtyard’s landscaping. Deadline to submit quotes in March 9, 2015.

From One North’s website
“Send a short quote, phrase, or anecdote to onenorthpdx@gmail.com. Submissions can be about what the character and history of the Boise and Eliot neighborhoods means to you, what inspires you or just what you love about this place. Please be sure to include your name and the author.
“You can also drop your ideas in person at one of our suggestion boxes. They’re located at the New Seasons grocery across the street from the site (at Williams & Fremont), the Urban League on Williams Ave, or the Rebuilding Center on N Mississippi Ave.

After the presentation, Laurie asked how the developer/owner is addressing concerns about public access to create a true public space. The response: Outdoor seating will be available for restaurants housed in the building. The developer/owner is also working with community organizations to help program the space and create a community advisory group for public participation.

Rodney Bikeway / Williams St Project

Project Manager: Rich Newlands,. Portland Bureau of Transportation presented the next phase of the Rodney Neighborhood Greenway Project

PDOT will host another public forum to discuss the effects of the street additions to Williams Avenue and Rodney Avenue including the diverter at Ivy Street, traffic along Rodney Avenue and the updates on Williams Avenue.

Some of the recent findings released by PDOT include:

  • The volume of traffic south of Fremont Street remains the same.
  • The car traffic south of Russell Avenue has increased.
  • Drivers travel at an average of 21 mph on Rodney Avenue.
  • Travel times (car) along Williams Avenue from Russell to Skidmore has increased per trip by 20 percent or 40 seconds.

Two crosswalks with speed bumps will be added on Fremont Street at Rodney Avenue on the north and south junctions. Parking of the north side of Fremont will be replaced with a bike lane.

Rich is setting a date and time for the next open house to address the changes and gather neighborhood feedback. He will let the ENA know when.

Williams construction should end Feb. 20.

Parking at Ivy and Williams

Paul Van Orden requests that the LUTC endorse a letter he wrote addressed to the City of Portland Commissioners regarding the illegal parking lot located at the corner of NE Ivy Street and Williams Avenue used by New Seasons and owned by Ben Kaiser. Allan Rudwick made a motion to endorse the letter and send it to the City Commissioners. Phil Conti seconded it. The motion passed.

Design Guidelines

The ENA leadership asked the LUTC to discuss creating neighborhood guidelines to set standards for developers proposing to develop more building. The suggestion is to encourage development on vacant land and to stop demolishing older homes. Laurie Simpson and Phil Conti expressed interest in helping Allan Rudwick begin the process.

Meeting ends 8.40 pm

3 thoughts on “LUTC Meeting Minutes 2015-02-09”

  1. As the sole dissenting vote I want to point out that the TEMPORARY parking lot on the corner of Ivy and Williams actually benefits the neighborhood. It is keeping overflow parking from New Seasons out of the neighborhood. As long as it is temporary there is minimal harm to the neighborhood. Presumably it will not be needed once the development across Ivy from New Seasons is completed.

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