Neighborhood Association Meeting
SWNI is looking for feedback to establish a schools committee. The committee will deal with school land use issues, school closures, boundaries, and magnet schools, just to name a few areas of concern. The goal is to have all neighborhoods represented. Interested? Call 503-823-4592.
Land Use Committee Report: The river concept draft plan is going through the review process.
Trees on Garden Home, next to Thriftway, have been severely pruned. It’s illegal for private parties to prune trees on a public right-of-way.
Safety Committee Report: A forum is being organizedthis spring to show a movie on meth and how to identify and deal with this problem.
Police will do a “welfare check.†Call if you suspect someone may need assistance.
Parks Committee Report: Multnomah Presbyterian Church granted an easement to allow connection of a trail from Gabriel Park to Miles Ct.
63rd Development Update: Working out compromises can be tough, especially when the city planner enters your negotiating meeting looking at the clock while announcing, “You have one hour and the only thing we are going to talk about is trees.†This is how staff from the city’s development services bureau (BDS) opened the final negotiating session between the Maplewood Neighborhood Committee, other city bureau staff and representatives of the subdivision developer.
Among other things, we had differences of opinion over transportation issues such as the driveway/street alignment and the sidewalk placement. The city planner insisted that those were closed issues and not to be part of our negotiations, despite our belief that they could be included.
On a positive note: Colleen Harold of the city’s sewer/stormwater bureau (BES), and Chris Goodell of Land Tech, the developer’s private consulting firm, redesigned the primary stormwater management facility for the subdivision. The original “vegetated swale†was reshaped to be shorter and broader, and designed as a series of “flow-thru†planters. This modification will preserve three beautiful old cedar trees in the front of the house which otherwise would have been cut down. Our committee viewed this first outcome as very positive for neighborhood interests.
Additionally, Maplewood had obtained a second opinion from a highly respected retired city arborist regarding a number of trees which he inspected and identified as healthy which grow near the east property border; these trees were listed by the developer’s arborist as diseased. In this case, however, the city planner remained adamant that he would only recommend “voluntary preservation†of these trees, which is “planerese†for saying the developer can cut or not, regardless. Our committee viewed this outcome as non-satisfactory.
At the final city council hearing on Oct. 26, our Maplewood committee expressed appreciation to the property owner and the council for allowing more time to negotiate. We thanked them for preserving the three large trees. We noted several remaining areas of vital concern to us which we had not been allowed to negotiate. We repeated our concerns about the confusing and contradictory nature of the city’s R10 neighborhood zoning (minimum 10,000-sq-ft lots), since they were approving 6,000 to 7,000-sq-ft lots in this subdivision. We also brought up the unknown factor of increased storm drain runoff from this subdivision to already severely eroded, degraded Vermont Creek. We therefore reserved our right to appeal.
Although city council finally voted to deny our neighborhood’s appeal, they did grant the two concessions--the modified tree preservation plan and the redesigned swale.
The city attorney is scheduled to have completed her findings for this particular land use decision by at least November 30. As is customary in Portland, she will base her findings on what is submitted by the developer’s attorney. If Maplewood decides to appeal this case to the state Land Use Board of Appeals, it will have 21 days from the date when the city’s decision is finalized.
Looking back over the past several months of interaction, our committee found this process to be both frustrating and enlightening. We strengthened our friendships with each other and we learned a lot about how Portland’s land use process works and whether or not the city properly considers neighborhood or public interests. We also gained knowledge that only the direct experience with city staff can bring.
Troy/Maplewood Conservation Easement Update: If Three Rivers Conservancy is to get involved, we would need to raise $15,000. Maplewood NA has an invitation to submit preapplication for Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods grant program.
52nd Demolition and Vacant Lot Development: A small group will be meeting with Peter Kusyk, the developer. There are two houses scheduled for demolition, with a total of 6 houses to be built, in the Maplewood area.
Design Review Committee: Gordon Trapp proposed we form a design review committee. He highlighted details on lot sizes and when a design review would be required according to Title 33 Planning and Zoning Chapter 33.825 of the City Code.
Friends of Vermont Creek will hold a work party on December 3, at noon. Help clean up one of the most polluted streams in Portland. They are requesting volunteers.
Brad Baugher, 503-244-7025 baugherb@oes.edu