Frequently Asked Questions

are divided into three section Project/Process (immediately below), Halo LID & Funding>, and Street Cleaning questions. New questions and or answers are added to the top of each section...

Q: (added 4-19-2008) Is the design presented at the April Open House the final design and is the cost given there the final cost?
A: The design and cost presented at the April Open House is only one possible design and cost, if the process goes forward, a much more detailed design would be developed in a much more detailed process that would involve neighbors much more. A even more accurate cost would be developed for that detailed design and it is on that design and cost that neighbors would vote for or against a Halo LID. The design presented at the open house was done in order give neighbors a good estimate of what one design solution might cost, as well as give people an idea of what one design solution might look like, and be a base design to get neighbors feedback and suggestions on. See the Halo LID Open House PowerPoint Presentation, 12.7MB for more info about the design and its cost.

Q: (added 4-19-2008) Why were no bike lanes included in the Open House Design? Isnt' Hamilton designated as a Bike Blvd? Can bike lanes be added in the final design.
A: Because Safe, Sound, and Green Streets and the Regional Bike Transportation Plan designate Hamilton as a Bike Blvd. The core team asked what that meant and what type of improvements they would like to see included in a Halo LID if one were done. And what having that designation might mean in regards to improvements done at a later date (e.g. after a Halo LID project might be done). Here are some of the answers we got:
• Yes Hamilton is designated as a Bike Blvd.
• What that means in terms of actual facilities has NOT been determined or specified. Don Baack of SWNI Trails who is doing an update to the Regional Bike Transportation Plan suggested that it would be really great if the Hamilton Halo LID could include bike lanes along the uphill stretches of Hamilton.
• To the extent that the Halo LID did not include bike lanes, and if money to add bike lanes later became available, improvements done under a Halo LID could be modified to accommodate bike improvements at a later date.
• With three exceptions the uphill sections of Hamilton are on the south side of the street. One possible way to accommodate or make major improvement for bicycles would be to substitute a widened shoulder type of bike lane for the proposed pedestrian improvements on the southside, and add or have a combined bike lane pedestrian path along the three uphill sections on the north side.
• At the beginning PDOT do NOT envision that bike improvements would be part of the Halo LIDs, and so that did not ask Otak to include them in their design work. The Hamilton Halo LID core team repeatedly asked that Otak include uphill bike lanes in their proposed design for the Open House, or at least as part of one design proposal, but that request was not included in the design for the Open House.

Q: (added 4-19-2008) Who would maintain the new improvements?
A: Maintaining pedestrian improvements is the same as it is for existing sidewalks in the City, it is the responsibility of the adjacent homeowner.

Q: (added 11-15-07) Is the SW Hamilton Halo LID working with the Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) effort?
A: Unfortunately at the end of last school year Debi Bradway withdrew Bridlemile Elementary School from the formal SR2S program. During the SR2S program at Bridlemile it was understood that any substantial upgrades to Hamilton were unthinkable, so we didn't really include anything beyond asking for swales to trails. Now is the best time to capture and incorporate those unrealized wishes for SR2S. Anyone who participated in the SR2S process is encouraged to subscribe to the BNA-HSPi email list and share your ideas there.
Q: (added 11-15-07) Can SW 45th (from Hamilton to BvHwy) be included in the project?
A: Not as part of the SW Hamilton Halo LID project. But one goal of all three pilot Halo LID projects is to act as models and inspiration for future projects which can be started by neighbors along a street at anytime.

Q: (added 11-15-07) Won't these improvements just increase (auto) traffic volume and speeding on SW Hamilton?
A: To be determined... this question was been passed on to others to see what they think/say, here are the answers (newest at bottom) received so far:
• I am a homeowner in SW Portland and an avid (dog)walker and cyclist, and frequently walk/ride up on Fairmont, a SW designated pedestrian/cyclist roadway. Generally, drivers are respectful of walkers/cyclists and speed is not a great issue on that road. The curving nature of the road certainly keeps the speed down as well. New signage, road dots and the existing speed bumps on SW Hamilton should improve awareness of walkers, cyclists and afford school children a chance to walk to school. - Marina McCulloch
• I think the improvements would encourage and allow for more pedestrian traffic, and therefore could decrease traffic taking/picking up kids going to school or running short errands, as well as encourage drivers to slow down as they see more people walking along the side of the road. - Juliet Moran
• Hamilton already has speed bumps. The average speed went from around 38 to something like 28 as I recall. If we continue to have speedbumps, I would not expect any increase in speed. If parking is provided along the street, I think the speed will drop as well. - Don Baack
• Improvements could do something like add congestion, but national traffic studies can weigh in on this ---if you search the national transportation web pages, you should be able to substantiate your claim on this as they have a very comprehensive study section. - Greg Schifsky
• These improvements are for peds and cyclists. I don't believe they will increase auto volume and speeding. If anything it will slow down autos when they see the peds and bicycles that use the improvements. - Kathy Bambeck
• I wish I could cite a study about this (I’m sure one’s been done) but I don’t have one at my fingertips. I think that design is really key to preventing problems since I understand that drivers drive as fast as they feel is safe to drive, regardless of speed limit signs. That’s why “traffic calming” measures such as speed bumps and skinny streets are more effective at slowing down traffic than lower speed limits. I recently drove on Oleson Road in the new section and had a hard time keeping to the 25 mph speed limit since it’s so wide. If we could design the pedestrian improvements so people can walk more safely, but Hamilton remains the same width, maybe we can avoid increased volumes and speeds. I think Juliet has a good point about fewer local cars on the road, and more pedestrians on the road, making drivers more cautious to watch out for pedestrians and bicyclists. - Marianne Fitzgerald
• RE a study to cite. You may want to look at the book, Suburban Nation: The rise of sprawl and Decline of the American Dream, by Elizabeth Andres Duany. It was published in 2000. I read it about that time. It addresses, how road design affects speed, livability etc. As I listen to the discussion about Hamilton I keep thinking about this book. It is in Multnomah County Library. - Ginger Danzer 11-17-07

Q: How will the work of the BNA Core Team and Otak coincide with proposals that are included in Safe and Sound Streets, Bureau of Environmental Services Ditches to walkable swales project, and the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan update?
A: BNA Core Team members, Otak, and PDOT LID staff working with them, are aware of those plans, projects, and proposals and will be including them in the design (and possible funding) considerations for the project as it goes forward.

Q: How can neighbors be involved and when?
A(updated 6-27-2008): At any time join the BNA-HSPi email subscription list .

Q: Why all this attention to this problem now?
A:Pedestrian Improvements for SW Hamilton and SW Shattuck have been one of the most consistently asked about and requested improvements in Bridlemile. The Halo LID pedestrian improvement pilot project is a unique opportunity to plan and fund such improvements in the near term. To not participate in this process now would simply mean some or all of those improvements might not happen until much later - if ever. Being selected as one of the pilot projects means that we will get much more in the way of additional help from SWNI and PDOT in developing our plan for SW Shattuck and SW Hamilton. This help will make it easier to both do the plan and more likely that the plan will be something that can be done.

Q: What is/was the Core Team working committee responsible for doing?
A:(Updated April 19, 2008) The core team in-conjunction with PDOT and SWNI Transportation is and will be reviewing the surveys (mailed to those within the potential Halo), Open House comment cards, Open House red dot green dot exercise, and other responses to determine whether or not to continue pursuing a Halo LID for Hamilton. Also hoping to help organize neighbors interested in doing improvements on their own via email, web, and at the May 14, 2008 BNA Monthly Meeting.
Previously the Core Team identified problem areas to Otak engineers on a walk through of the street in Nov 2007. Reviewed and made suggestions regarding the proposed design. One member attended the SWNI Transportation class. Helped answer questions at the April 2008 Open House. And created and updated these related web pages. Attended SWNI Transportation and BES Ditches to Swales and Safe, Sound, and Green Street meetings to understand how those related projects and proposals might work together and or benefit the Hamilton Halo LID pilot project (whether or not it goes forward).

Q: Why is the project area for SW Hamilton limited from SW 60th Pl to SW 42nd?
A:(Updated April 19, 2008) There already are sidewalks or wide shoulders between Scholls Ferry and 60th, and a 18-36" wide shoulder area on the north side of SW Hamilton from 42nd to Dosch. But it is possible that the final Halo LID could be extended to cover more or all of the street if there is sufficient interest from neighbors; and that might be worthwhile since Safe and Sound Streets has designated all of SW Hamilton from Scholls Ferry to Dosch as a bicycle boulevard.

Q: Why did the August SWNI News say that the project area for SW Hamilton was only between SW58th place to SW45th?
A: Some working papers that PDOT delivered showed only this range of SW Hamilton; but the correct range is from SW60th to SW42nd.

Q: What were the complete list 10 projects that were under consideration for this pilot program?
A: The Transportation Committee subcommittee dropped one proposal to improve all four legs radiating from the SW Shattuck/SW Hamilton intersection because it is already largely covered by projects 5 and 6 (below). The subcommittee also dropped Dosch from Patton to Sunset from 8 (below) because engineering challenges make it so difficult to do.

1) 35th, between Stephenson and Arnold (West Portland Park and Arnold Creek)
2) 61st, for an undetermined length (Ashcreek)
3) 26th, from Taylors Ferry Road to Barbur (Markham and Multnomah)
4) Marquam Hill Road, from Fairmount to 11th or 13th (in Homestead)
5) SW Shattuck between Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy and SW Hamilton (Bridlemile)
6) SW Hamilton, between 42nd and 60th Pl. (Bridlemile)
7) 31st and 30th, from the intersection of 31st and Multnomah Blvd to the Headwaters development (Multnomah)
8) Dosch, from Sunset to Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy (Hillsdale)
9) 30th from Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy to Vermont (Hayhurst)
10) Bicycle and pedestrian improvements on Vermont, from 30th to 37th, and 45th to the county line (Hayhurst, Multnomah, Hillsdale, and Maplewood)

Q: We have been told by the City recently that because of a City platting error, all homeowners on SW Hamilton actually have their property extend a few feet into the existing street. How will that affect any planning efforts?
A: We've asked PDOT for a clarification regarding this question, and will post their answer here.

Q: How soon could plans for future pedestrian improvements be implemented?
A: The planning phase would take at least a year, but then depending on approval of the plan and funding sources work might begin within a year after that. Right now there is an opportunity for the Bridlemile Neighborhood to create a street improvement plan as part of a pilot project to fund those improvements using a Halo LID

Q: Are improvements limited to conventional curbs and sidewalks?
A: No, the types of improvements can include a whole range of designs, methods, and materials including asphalt, pavers, and many others. Basically, the improvements done in a particular Halo LID would be depend to a large degree on the wishes of the property owners living there.

Q: Can bicycle lanes be included?
A: Yes, and bike lanes could enhance pedestrian safety by further separating pedestrians from traffic.

Q: Is there some way that elderly people who cannot afford to pay for the Halo LID or if they have a reverse mortgage or some other arrangement where they are somehow protected from paying taxes immediately or have some form of tax abatement, must they pay the Halo LID amyway?
A: "Yes, deferrals are offered to senior citizens with qualifying incomes." - Andrew Aebi April, 2008

Q: Will having sidewalks improve property values?
A:"Property values are affected by multiple factors, including but not limited to the existence of adequate adjacent and nearby transportation infrastructure. The most walkable neighborhoods in Portland (e.g., Hawthorne, Alberta, Mississippi, etc.) have seen strong increases in property values, but I cannot predict future macroeconomic trends. I find that over time fewer and fewer people dispute the need for and benefit from sidewalks; what we need to hear from the neighborhood is whether the benefits of the proposed improvements are worth the cost." - Andrew Aebi April, 2008

Q: Will property taxes go up as a result of these improvements?
A:"No. Property taxes can increase beyond the 3% annual cap when improvements are made to individual properties, but these Halo LID improvements would be in the public right-of-way. Increases in properties real market value (RMV) will simply cause the gap between assessed value and RMV to grow, but no one's assessed value will increase by more than 3% per year as a result of improvements to SW Hamilton Street." - Andrew Aebi April, 2008

Q: If homeowners elect to participate in a Halo LID and then another LID for something else such as street paving of their unimproved street is passed do they have to pay for both?
A: Yes, but keep in mind that each LID would have to have a majority approval from those asked to participate in it. "Nothing precludes property owners from pursuing multiple LIDs for multiple projects if they wish to do so, except for the financial capacity of the properties to carry multiple LID assessments. I understand Bridlemile residents' concerns that a Halo LID could be followed by subsequent LIDs for other arterials. However, from my experience I think it would be unlikely that residents would support more than one LID, but this would be Bridlemile residents' call. Just to be clear however, participation in one LID does not exempt a property from a future LID, regardless of whether the project is funded by a Halo LID or a conventional LID." - Andrew Aebi April, 2008

Q: Over how long a period of time does the property owner have to pay for a Halo LID?
A: The City of Portland offers financing for 5, 10 and 20 years terms on all LIDs. "Each property owner individually decides whether to pay in full or finance over 5, 10 or 20 years with no prepayment penalty. Interest rates are subject to change, but I advise people to budget 6.75%." - Andrew Aebi April, 2008

Q: If a homeowner who is participating in a Halo LID sells their home before the term of the financing they chose for the LID is complete, are they responsible for payments after they sell the home, or is the new owner?
A: The new owner continues the payments until the term of the financing is completed or they sell the house, which ever comes first.

Q: If a homeowner's property is subject to a waiver of remonstrance, is he or she informed about the LID, process, etc?
A: Yes, homeowners are informed and can participate like any other homeowners, and can even say they are against it; but their property counts as a yes vote. These waiver of remonstrance came about when the developer chose to not make the improvement at the time of development in exchange for the waiver.

Q: What percentage of homeowners have waivers of remonstrance in the SW Hamilton Halo LID area?
A: Since the boundaries of the SW Hamilton Halo LID have not yet been determined we don't know what those figures are yet. Will post here when we know the proposed boundaries.

Q: How are the costs for a Halo LID determined and allocated among people who are expected to pay?
A(updated 11-15-2007): Costs of all LIDs are apportioned on the basis of benefit to property. The location of specific Halo LID areas and benefiting properties to be included in the halo LIDs is yet to be determined, and is one of the things that Andrew Aebi (LID Administrator for the City) will be working to determine. The cost of the LID depends greatly on the types of improvements.

Q: What percentage of "No" votes (also called remonstrances) is required to stop a Halo LID from going forward?
A: City Charter provides that if a 60% remonstrance level is reached for any particular LID, formation of the LID is defeated and City Council no longer retains the prerogative to form the LID.

Q: Is a Halo LID the only possible source of funding these projects in the near term?
A: No. Whether or not a Halo LID is chosen to be one or more of the funding sources is ultimately up to those who would be affected. While the underlying assumption of this initiative from Sam Adams's office was that Halo LIDs would be the primary or even sole source of funding, from the beginning, there was push-back from people like SWNI President Glenn Bridger and others who said the City had a responsibility to provide big subsidies. Part of the "financing issues" discussion would be to get some estimates on costs to homeowners within the Halo LID and to find out if any subsidies would be available. It's quite possible that through this discussion, the working group, the homeowners, and the larger community will discover that it's all too expensive, and will then reject the project. It's also true that other sources of funding to subsidize Halo LIDs have not been specifically identified. It's fuzzy. Possible sources might be system development charges, money available for storm water improvements, grants, money from one of the new sources that Sam is exploring (e.g. Safe and Sound Streets), or even general transportation revenues if we had the political power to pry some loose. If Sam Adam’s transportation plan goes to the ballot in May, and it passes, then there would be money for matching funds next year, but that would still be just a part of the cost. Mark Lear said that the pilots might get a higher match than projects that are initiated a few years from now, but I don’t think that has been worked out yet. I think the heart of Sam Adams's proposal is that if people in the community want street improvements--particularly pedestrian improvements--a way to fast track it would be to use Halo LIDs.

At the Nov 5th meeting Andrew Aebi LID Administrator for the City described a number of projects that he had worked on and the creative funding ideas that he and those involved had used to come up with a consensus combination of LID and whatever other funds might be available. Although some aspects of the Halo LID are new, sharing the costs of an improvement among properties that are not all adjacent to improvement is not. Regardless of whether the LID applies to adjacent and or non-adjacent properties, the approval steps and process are the same. The Office of Transportation wants very much to see these projects get built and with our help and input.

Q: If homeowners don't approve the Halo LID funding for a plan what benefit(s) will there have been in participating?
A: First we will still have a well developed street improvement plan, and just having that will make it much more likely to get chosen or implemented in the future. Second, it is likely that the plan will also identify smaller but still meaningful improvements that could be done and made using a range of possible funding sources or grants. Possible examples include: having a striped crosswalk where SW Trail 1 crosses SW Shattuck, making the demand trail along SW Shattuck drier

Demand trail and ditch along SW Shattuck, looking North from 53rd and SW Shattuck.

by using wood chips (like Montessori school has already done between its parking lot and the creek)

Wood chip path by Montessori school

or gravel, converting some additional swales to walkable surfaces, to name just a few.

Q: How large an area would a Halo LID for and SW Hamilton or SW Shattuck cover?
A(updated 11-27-2007): There's no clear or easy answer to how large a Halo LID is. It's a relatively new concept. More traditional LIDs often included just the properties directly abutting the street segment being improved, although there has always been flexibility in drawing the boundaries. The concept behind the Halo LID is that a number of people and properties near the project but not abutting the project do benefit from the project. Many of the Halo LID projects will benefit people who use mass transit. There's a rule of thumb that people will walk a quarter mile to destinations. So we might see LID boundaries being drawn as far as a quarter mile from the project. But it could depend on a lot of things. Topography might reduce the area that benefits from the project. Maybe the project site itself is a destination, or maybe it's a transit point that takes people to a destination. Obviously, the more properties there are within the LID, the more the cost is spread out - so that's one of the practical advantages of more expansive boundaries. Determining what is a meaningful Halo LID and how costs might be apportioned are some of the things that of the things that Andrew Aebi (LID Administrator for the City) will be working to determine.

Read more about the LID process in the:
• City Code
• City Charter

Q: Who is responsible for keeping the shoulder or sidewalk along our streets clean?
A: Property owners are.

Q: Can people clean the shoulder or sidewalk along my property without my permission?
A: Yes that part of the street that is within the right of way can be cleaned without home owner permission.

Q: Have other questions or concerns?
A: Please contact the BNA Board.

This page updated on 6-27-2008.

Ideas, Challenges, and Alternatives

On November 16th, 2007 The BNA Halo LID core team, Erica Rooney (the Otak project manager), and Amanda Ownings Otak Civil Engineer walked both sides of SW Hamilton from SW 60th to SW39th to identify challenges, opportunities, solutions and alternatives for each section of the street. Below are a few of the many challenges, followed by one or two possible alternative pathway designs (from Table D-1.pdf, 284KB PDOT Alternative Pathway Concepts) that might be used.

These alternative pathway designs are meant to show what might be possible, and different solutions can be applied along the different sections of SW Hamilton depending on topography and other factors. The street widith between the yellow center line and the white fogline is 10', street right of way along Hamilton varies greatly from just a few feet to 15-20' outside of the white fog line. So the notes below each photo are just meant to be illustrative discussions of the types of challenges and issues with some of the improvements that might be used if there is sufficient right of way to accommodate them, neither are complete... how would you solve or balance them? Add your own solutions here (see bottom of page for how).

From Table D-1.pdf, 284KB PDOT Alternative Pathway Concepts.

From Table D-1.pdf, 284KB PDOT Alternative Pathway Concepts.

From Table D-1.pdf, 284KB PDOT Alternative Pathway Concepts.

From Table D-1.pdf, 284KB PDOT Alternative Pathway Concepts.

From Table D-1.pdf, 284KB PDOT Alternative Pathway Concepts.

• (added 11-15-2007): Use a low impact material/surface that its better for runners and walkers.

• Have signs put up saying, "This is a pedestrian-friendly area - watch out for pedestrians."or "Pedestrians use these streets too, watch out for them." - or something similar. It is sometimes hard to see pedestrians, and we want drivers to watch out for them.

• Use "Pott's dots" - reflectors on the center line and fog lines of streets - so drivers know where they are on the road.

• Educate pedestrians to use the safe side of the street when/if only one side of a street has been made pedestrian safe -even if it means walking with traffic instead of facing it, or walking on a side of the street you normally don't use.

• Make SW Hamilton and SW Patton between Scholls Ferry and Shattuck a one-way couplet, going East on SW Hamilton and West on SW Patton. This would free up half the existing streets pedestrians and cyclists, and would eliminate the no stoplight protected left turn from SW Hamilton onto Scholls Ferry and have people use SW Patton stoplight to get onto Scholls Ferry.

• Convert ditches along both streets to walkable swales.