ENA LUTC Meeting Minutes: June 2022

LUTC in attendance:

• Allan, Andrew

Public:

• Luke Stein

Presenters:

• Winta Yohannes, Chandra, Carly Harrison, Ashley Koger, Stanley Ong,Kathryn Doherty-Chapman, Kristan Alldrin, Jackie Zusi-Russell

Albina One

• similar to before

• they don’t have a copy of our letter of support

• going to Design Request this week, Approval by august perhaps

•  chandra@leverarchitecture.com with questions

PBOT – North Portland Parking

Jackie-Earth Advantage

• can help reach out with developers about decontrsuction & getting certified. They have a metro grant.

• looking at incentive program

• some adopted practices into the standard practice

• RIP might increase deconstructions

• only set up for full deconstruction 

• goal: help connect people doing demolitions with this program

ENA LUTC Meeting Minutes: April 11, 2022

• Present at tonight’s meeting (non-presenters)
  • Brad Baker
  • Andrew Champion
  • Mike Warwick
  • Jason Cohen
• Bureau of Environmental Services Presentation on Irving Park Stormwater Project
  • Presented by BES Public Involvement Representative Matt Gough
  • BES background
  • Nature patches throughout park already there
  • Problem with stormwater runoff going into streets on the NW corner of park, sogging ball fields
  • BES installing rain gardens in addition to the nature patches
  • Rain gardens look similar to the ones we see on the side of streets to collet stormwater—green street planters
    • Will be installed throughout the park
  • Additional green street planters will be installed on 7^th Ave north of San Rafael to address flooding which happens there; part of the project
• Does LUTC want to write a letter of support re: Residential Infill Project 2?
  • Cottage clusters, six unit townhouses, four units in lower density area lots.
  • Hasn’t been looked at in detail yet by committee
  • RIP is being changed to align with new state laws
  • Seems to generally align with LUTC values—increasing affordable housing
  • Concerns:
    • Will this drive up value of land?
    • Increased property taxes?
      • New construction has higher property taxes; will that impact affordability when passed on to residents?
    • Perhaps not affordable, but more affordable than it would be otherwise
      • Can people living on the streets afford these new units?
  • Will write a letter in support—aligns with our overall values

ENA LUTC Meeting Minutes: November 14, 2022

Fremont Bridgehead Project Presentation – Allan Rudwick

Link to Recording: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfHMcFXqs7H-qtIZm2BmbDqJJxGnrf3OZ8PYRKGzf5WKas6rQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

• History & context of neighborhood
  • Displacement of homes for bridgehead and highway
  • Decreased census numbers
  • Removal of families
  • Proposed Prescott Freeway – never built
    • On ramps and off-ramps to this proposed freeway
  • Before and after images – dense single family homes; now parking lots and long ramp
• Proposing removal of three quarters of ramp, essentially everything northeast of Mississippi Ave.
• Question of ambulance access – new proposal would make for more direct access to ED for ambulances coming off the Fremont Bridge.
• 8 acres would be reclaimed
• Surrounded by City maintenance and shop yards
• 6 acres on one side; 9 on other
• Land valuation – high based on comparable land—$1 billion in land value and significant tax revenue
• Keeping traffic down in adjacent neighborhoods is important
• Pedestrian, bike and Tri-Met corridors could be constructed and cut off significant amounts of time and distance
• Benefits:
  • ODOT: Less maintenance burden, opportunity to remedy bad design, positive public relations
  • City: Profit from land sale, tax revenue
    • Community: Compensation to displaced families, fill gap in urban fabric, rebuilt Tubman Middle School site
  • Legacy: Improved ED access
• Next steps: City, community and state will all need to work together
  • Grant(s)
  • Stakeholder committee
  • Divide land, sell at auction
• Q&A:
  • Carbon offset. Portland Clean Energy Fund.
  • New PPS school at Red Cross site?
    • Present to PPS
  • Reconnecting Communities grants for exactly these types of projects – part of federal infrastructure bill recently passed
  • Interest in keeping some public land for public use, for example a public pool or something similar to ease pressure on already existing public amenities in neighborhood
  • Include County leaders
• Call to action – need to connect with organizations, etc. More voices.  Time to move past planning stages

Permits

• Streimer rezoning
  • IG to EX. Layman’s terms: More industrial to slightly less industrial and flexible.
    • We will send letter that is supporting; mention that movement to EX across neighborhood is favored by ENA LUTC
      • Mike to write
    • Albina Library
      • Letter re support; push for activation on street front and less surface parking. Wonder Ballroom parking after hours, or other public parking use after hours
        • Jason to write
      • Vancouver & Russell apartment building
        • Unflattering design, no street front activation
        • Rezone push, generally supportive
        • Potential of LUTC signing on to higher height in exchange for better use of street front
        • Mike will write letter

Eliot Parking Committee

• Allan is on committee

Freeway Lawsuit

• Utilizing our network to fundraise

Updating ENA Design Guidelines

• Current version does not address commercial or multi-family

Action Item:

• Find old minutes and post online

Attendees:

• Allan Rudwick
• Mike Warwick
• Andrew Champion
• Jason Cohen
• Michelle DePass
• Doug Klotz
• John Russell
• Seth Anderson
• John Pugsley
• Paul Buchanan
• Joseph Cortright
• Alan Kessler
• Jeremiah Via
• Eric Wilhelm
• Sherifa
• Victoria
• BNF

Attendees:

• Eric & Shireen Hasan
• Allan Rudwick
• Alison Harmon
• Mike Warwick
• Kathryn Doherty-Chapman (PBOT)
• Serena Li
• Jason Cohen
• Travis Sowerby
• Suzanne McIllnay
• Kyle Monroe
• Danelle Isenhart
• Mark Lisac
• Taylor Gentry
• Stan Hubert
• Helen Spieth
• Kyle Monroe
• Clint Lundmark

• PBOT spokesperson – Kathryn Doherty-Chapman (Kathryn.doherty-chapman@portlandoregon.gov)
  • The plan is to do a study and have a discussion. PBOT doesn’t know when, what, where or how much yet.  When PBOT does have a proposal, it will share widely and have an open house/survey.
  • Meter discussion. Permit parking.  Can stay beyond limit if you have a permit.
  • Wednesday night meetings on zoom going forwards. Regular meeting schedule.

• Presentation on proposed apt. building on NE Graham – Danielle Isenhart, Travis Sowerby, & Mark Lisac
  • 29 units
  • Bike parking, no car parking
  • Three stories
  • Open questions
    • Q: Discussion of process – confusing that sign out front says nothing has been submitted to city; unclear where we are in terms of land use application
      • A: Not yet submitted for land use review
    • Q: Same address as existing building?
      • A: Will be partitioned
    • Q: Easement line for parking lot?
      • A: Will remain
    • Q: Difficult to understand where enterance and pedestrian ways are
      • A: Showing floorplan – screenshare
    • Q: Looks hard to get bikes inside – three doors to get to final rack location.
      • A: Yes, but not against code. Best we can do.
    • Q: Cost & time?
      • A: No cost projection yet; 12+ months
    • Q: Concern about too many units in the neighborhood; street parking being taken up; taking down beautiful trees
      • A: No response
    • Q: Who is the developer?
      • A: A family with an LLC but the architects are not willing to disclose their names. Lake Oswego P.O. Box.
    • Q: Low income options?
      • At least two under city rules
    • Q: Handicap accessible?
      • 8 type B units on ground floor and 1 type A unit on ground floor
    • Q: Is there market demand for this?
      • A: Yes

• Demolition permit at 202 NE Graham
  • Looks like they are trying to demolish a garage and build an ADU on top
  • Garage has already been demolished

• AirBNB contacts – City passes out a phone number to neighbors.

• 7^th & Tillamook Intersection
  • City is not doing anything in response to the neighborhood sentiment
  • Generic response letter to specific ENA LUTC letters
  • Should another letter be sent?
  • A neighbor who is an attorney has filed a lawsuit.
  • Leveraging Congressman Blumenauer?

• Discussion about equity and inclusion in the development process in the neighborhood.