Readers of this column will know that the NE Quadrant phase of the Central City Plan update recently finished. The resulting Plan was approved by City Council. This plan is “advisory” and may be changed of modified subsequently. Concern about possible changes that would upset the compromises agreed to by the stakeholder committee resulted in a request that the committee be notified of any prospective changes and re-engaged to review and comment before they are adopted. It isn’t clear Council will be bound by that request, but here is hoping it will be.

Continue reading One Down, One to Go

As a fairly recent transplant to Eliot I am excited for the developments along Williams and Vancouver. The addition of New Seasons and mixed use residential buildings are just the beginning of local economic growth, and this has the benefit of also increasing scrutiny of factors that affect Eliot as a walkable and healthy neighborhood. There is a general theory of walk-ability that requires satisfaction of four main criteria: it must be useful, safe, comfortable and interesting. Having a grocery store return to Eliot will meet the first criteria, and I for one will enjoy the proximity of my favorite place to shop. The nature of walking allows you to meander and find your most interesting and safe route, although the two can often be mutually exclusive. Safety for pedestrians, a very fragile group, requires well-lit paths, well-marked crossings, a buffering from cars and an overall sense of security. Residents of Eliot must deal with high traffic volumes, and a proximity to the freeway that compromises this sense of security.

Continue reading Thoughts on Neighborhood Development

The State requires the City to adopt and update a comprehensive land use plan for a 25 year future period.  Multiple plans are embedded within this process, including transportation plans,  district plans, and Portland’s Central City Plan.  The City is in the midst of updates to both the Central City and Comprehensive (city-wide) Plans.  Portions of Eliot are in the Central City and are covered by that Plan update, as has been described in this column for the past two years.  The Central City update is proceeding in four stages corresponding to different quadrants of the central city.  Eliot is in the Northeast Quadrant, which is the first part of the central city plan to be updated.  That update is now complete after two years of meetings, in which Eliot was well represented.  The final plan will go to City Council for review and approval in October, with the other central city quadrants to follow.

Continue reading City Planning Update: One Down

One of the hot button issues in the NE Quadrant Plan process was bike and pedestrian safety, particularly along Broadway near I-5.  In response to a spate of recent vehicle/bike accidents and pressure from multiple parties, including Eliot, City staff have agreed to try and speed the adoption of some of the proposals in the Plan.  One of these was to limit access to North Wheeler from Broadway as that has been a contributor to bike accident statistics.  To do so the City erected temporary wooden barriers with “no right turn” signs.

Continue reading Own Worst Enemies

The Portland Brownfield Program has grant funding available until September for North and Northeast Portland property owners.  These funds can be used for free or low-cost or Environmental Site Assessments on brownfields or properties where previous use may have contaminated the soil or ground water with petroleum or other hazardous substances.

Continue reading Brownfield Grant Funds Expire in September