Neighbors see and tell it like it is

Love your neighborhood? Give us a sign.

Recently four people have reported the disappearance of Stop the Demolition of Portland Homes signs from their front yards. With the signs, neighbors exercise their freedom of speech, as for candidates or ballot measures, only for a cause closest to home.

The signs show what concerns early investors in a neighborhood—that treasured homes that have served generations of Portlanders should be allowed to stand and shelter many more. The signs put the word out to teardown developers: We see what you're doing, and there are plenty of less destructive ways to build a better Portland.

The signs show would-be buyers of replacement homes that neighbors mourn a loss of what made their neighborhood attractive in the first place. Many of the affected neighborhoods are appealing for their history, mature urban tree canopy, and unique, if often modest, architecture, usually built of now-rare old-growth materials. When all that goes to the incinerator or landfill, the neighborhood—and neighbors—take a hit.

It's a shame the signs are targets for trespass, and worse. Then again, they must be working! Truth will out. United Neighborhoods for Reform asks a modest donation ($5) to cover printing costs for the signs. To get yours, fill in and send the form at top right.

Apart from training security cameras on the signs or somehow locking them in place, maybe the best bet is to put them in a window or, better, get two.

Activists activate on the streets, online, and in City Hall

Born online, now on the street: Read on for action
by concerned Portlanders.

Neighbors are learning the ropes of the new demolition-delay rules that took effect, and succeeding in attempts to save affordable well-built housing. Appeals won by Eastmoreland, Brentwood-Darlington, and most recently Beaumont-Wilshire show that despite a cumbersome, ill-understood process Portlanders will go to bat for their neighborhoods. With the demolition delay as the only tool we have to counter rampant trash-and-build, neighbors don't seem to be afraid to use it.

Despite the 60-day delay, we likely still will lose homes, and that's why United Neighborhoods for Reform continues to monitor the formation and scope of the Residential Infill Project, which promises to establish new-construction guidelines related to footprint, setbacks, and so on. In particular, those working in the architecture, design, and construction industries who are sympathetic to renovation, reuse, preservation, and additions and ADU modifications of old-growth construction should apply to serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (same link as above).

Activists rally against demolitions on July 10 in Southeast Portland.
Photo by Larry Clark.

While we keep fighting for hazmat control during demolitions, we're planning a safety education campaign for affected neighbors and tracking how the city will enforce the new state law requiring an asbestos survey before demolition. We're also keeping tabs on the Bureau of Development Services transition to oversight by Commissioner Dan Saltzman.

After all the consciousness raising, and as the Great House Harvest of 2013-2015 marches on, more Portlanders are joining in. Stop Demolishing Portland activists plan regular protests following last week's successful action at Southeast 50th and Division.

Other activists are tackling one of the biggest problems of all—and an ongoing incentive to demolition—at fixportlandzoning.com. One battle cry: "Truth in zoning."

Infill expo shows the options

Mayor Charlie Hales says he loves the old houses too
at the infill expo hosted by the German American Society. 

Mayor Hales kicked off the June 4 industry event, saying all the right things about Portland's dwindling inventory of affordable well-crafted homes that have served generations—and could shelter many more if allowed to stand. The infill expo, with its crowd of people interested in creative, quality ways to provide housing, highlighted the many attractive and environmentally sound alternatives to demolition, whether it's building auxiliary dwelling units (ADUs), renovating homes, or crafting additions.

United Neighborhoods for Reform took part to show the damaging effects of demolition on neighbors and neighborhoods and what we are doing to curb or mitigate them.

Some scenes from the evening:

UNR steering committee members go one-on-one explaining anti-demolition efforts.

UNR works to stem the wasting of well-crafted, -sited, and -designed housing,
such as this unique 1928 home slated for demolition. As the sign points out, it's
not very Portland (historically, anyway) to throw away or, more likely, burn houses
just to make room for more expensive, much larger, and lower quality structures.

UNR members (from left) Barbara Kerr, Jim Gorter, Barb Strunk, Jim Brown,
and Janet Baker (obscured) talk with concerned neighbors at the infill expo.

Salem answers the SOS

Yesterday Senate Bill 705 passed the House, after collecting a yes from the Oregon Senate earlier this year. When implemented, it will require an accredited inspector to perform an asbestos survey before demolition. State leaders, in particular Sen. Michael Dembrow, heard out concerned neighbors at a constituent coffee here in Portland and went to work to help protect people from some of the hazardous materials that billow uncontrolled from demolition sites.

He's not done yet, saying lead is next.

With these protections, public health and safety will be better assured. According to federal studies, dust from demolitions travels up to 400 feet, and and until now city leaders were simply powerless to control it, or care. Luckily, we have state leaders looking out for us.

Sold for $815,000 and set for demolition: This Northeast
Portland home stands in the way of big profits.

If demolitions are curbed altogether, the hazardous materials problem eliminates itself. Imagine the lead dust that will emanate from the site of this slated demolition. This showcase house, built in 1928 on Northeast Alameda, probably has been painted numerous times inside and out over the past 87 years, many of those years before 1978 when each can of paint contained 15 pounds of lead. Pulverized during demolition, lead and other hazardous materials are free to waft into yards, lungs, and bodies. Children in particular are susceptible to irreversible damage from lead, with the Centers for Disease Control decreeing that no amount of lead is considered safe in kids.

Anyone who recycles would vote for deconstruction

When United Neighborhoods for Reform (UNR) members made the rounds of neighborhood association meetings late last year to present the demolition/development resolution, we talked about how if a house has to be demolished, deconstruction is the way to do it. For many reasons: environmental, a robust market for reuse, preservation of quality and now-rare materials, increased job creation, and reduced exposure to hazardous materials such as lead and asbestos.

Without deconstruction, we're throwing it all way—and sending hazmat dust
across the neighborhood in the process.

One neighbor rallied endorsement for the resolution from his neighborhood association based on the deconstruction element alone. In all the dozens of other neighborhood association meetings citywide, no one ever raised an objection to deconstruction.

Deconstruction and hazmat control have always been part of our effort and stand in line with Portland's desired reputation as a "green" and healthy place to live. Recycling is so important to city leadership and citizens that a goal was set for 75 percent participation by 2015, this year.

Shouldn't developers play their part?

Instead of continuing to put thousands of affordable homes in landfills or, more likely, biomass burners, let's give others a chance to use the old-growth materials in creative, quality projects. With the homes being demolished an average age of 87 years old, the materials have withstood the test of time and could serve future generations. Character counts, to the reuse deconstruction industry and its growing legion of customers, and Portland's innovative deconstructionists are ready and able to lead the way.

According to the Bureau of Planning's Shawn Wood, the region's landfill is already about a quarter full of construction- and demolition-related waste.

As attractive as deconstruction is (the Rebuilding Center's Shane Endicott noted that deconstruction meets four of the city's goals, but mechanical demolition none), we are up against powerful interests, ones that have an aversion to assuming the costs of environmental responsibility—even though, according to Bureau of Development Services staff, deconstruction only costs about $3,000 more than mechanical demolition—as well as public safety from their wasteful activities. Note, too, how handily they rolled back newly instituted charges for cutting down mature urban trees and delayed parks fees.

Activists ring the table at the last meeting of the Deconstruction
Advisory Group to support mandated deconstruction if demolition must occur.

When we heard there was a plan afloat for taxpayers to pay developers to deconstruct, UNR responded. Supporters packed the last meeting of the Deconstruction Advisory Group, but it already seemed that there could and would be no change to the developer-driven proposal on the table, heading to City Hall this Wednesday, June 3. Please tell your leaders you want to see deconstruction, if demolition must occur, paid for by those profiting from the redevelopment.

You are invited:

When: 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 3
Where: City Hall chambers, 1221 S.W. Fourth Ave.
Who: Your elected leadership
Why: Call a stop to the wasting of quality resources; demand deconstruction, with an accelerated timeline for implementation
How: If you can't make it downtown, send letters to council (contact info at right, scroll down); show up to bear witness; consider testifying (sign up before 2 p.m.) if you recycle and believe that repurposing of quality building materials is the right thing to do and a cost to be borne by developers as the price of access to this city's finite resource

If you could clone yourself, now would be the time to do it

Check the banner for opportunities to show you care about rampant home demolitions, now entering their third record-breaking year.

Several meetings occur at one time on one day, so let's divide and conquer, or at least let neighbors' voice be counted.

Here's something you can do right now that will make a difference—and from the comfort of your own keyboard. E-mail or write (info in right margin, scroll down) your city commissioners and mayor in support of funding for the work to revise new-construction guidelines (again, Item 2 of our resolution, without trees). It's in the mayor's proposed budget, but hasn't been voted on or approved by council as a whole. I don't know why it will take upwards of $500,000 to revise city regulations on items such as setbacks, height, and footprint, but consultant studies are expensive and hopefully we taxpayers get our money's worth.

We need this work funded to further protect open space, mature tree canopy, and affordable, well-built housing in our neighborhoods. The endorsements from 43 neighborhood associations—which keep coming in, by the way—show people care about these losses and want more of a say in the future of great places they helped create.

A city grows green: Neighborhoods continue to endorse United Neighborhoods 
for Reform's resolution to help Portland neighborhoods. Welcome,
University Park and Mt. Scott-Arleta!

We continue to move forward on all fronts. For example, UNR's hazmat team was instrumental helping bring Senate Bill 705 forward, and now it's passed the Senate and headed toward the House this Wednesday. Even if city leaders can't act on public safety (the EPA's Kim Farnham called Portland's recently instituted hazmat measure "voluntary"—and UNR agrees), state leaders will. Thank you to all involved.

City puts on a reel deal

Moviegoers pack the Kennedy School gym Wednesday for a festival of local films.

Except for the odd lecture, the festival of local films that screened Wednesday, April 29, at the Kennedy School focused on Portland's growth, including many of the pains and opportunities involved. Some highlights of the festival—and links to watch online—are listed below.

The city also showcased a few of its public-funded film projects (two are online here and here), which herald the large new apartment buildings recently built around town. Given the loss of thousands of affordable homes citywide, these apartments increasingly are about the only option available for many residents now and in the future. Still, this newly built landscape begs for more creativity and quality—trademarks of past Portland architecture.

Perhaps the city could hold a contest as it did to improve "skinny houses," only this time for designs of apartment buildings with character, ones that look interesting and contribute to their surroundings, with, say, public plazas and greenery?

Along with United Neighborhoods for Reform's movie of what Portland loses and gains in these heavy demo days, highlights of the evening included:

Kunal Mehra's Elegy to Doug 35: 75 years to grow, 2.5 hours to erase.

A capacity crowd watches and learns.

The Coalition for a Livable Future's Equity Shares Project: "Sometimes I think the landlord doesn't do the repairs because I can't speak English."

Karina Adams and Lizette Cosko's Birds Striking Building Windows: When buildings go up, birds go down. New ideas can save them.

Ifanyi Bell and Kathleen Holt's Future : Portland: One of Portland's native sons talks with those who came before, and stayed.

Ruth Ann Barrett's In My Backyard: Short but not so sweet.

The Portland Chronicle's Growing/Vanishing: Title tells all.

Greg Baartz-Bowman and George Wolters' Den$ity: In two high-profile cases, neighbors win appeals of contested projects. Or do they.

Chris Hornbecker, Digital One, and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's Roll On, Oregon: The world looks better on two wheels.

Karl Lind's The Friends of Memorial Coliseum: When good buddies grow old, you take care of them.