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.

Scenes from the summit show that many care about record-breaking loss of Portland homes

We couldn't set up the chairs fast enough at the United Neighborhoods for
 Reform gathering on April 9. That's UNR member John Sandie
up front at the podium describing efforts to enforce control of hazmat
during demolitions. Progress has yet to be made at the city level,
but state leaders are acting (see next post for details and link to news story).

UNR's Barb Strunk talks about neighborhoods' loss
of affordable housing, drawing on two years of hard-won data.

UNR's Al Ellis emcees the proceedings, which drew
Portland neighbors from 8 to 80.

Restore Oregon's Brandon Spencer-Hartle talks about his group's involvement
in the issue and tools, such as the conservation easement, that can help
homeowners protect their homes.

It takes greenbacks to make Portland greener

The busy week ahead starts Monday with a rousing forum on budget issues including the mayor's request for the task force to improve new-construction guidelines (basically Item 2 of our resolution minus the trees). Please show up to support this force and the proposed funding to make it happen. It's our hope that the task force is an equitable, reputable group of people dedicated to revising rules for such new-home parameters as height, footprint, mass, and setbacks to ensure development fits better into an established neighborhood, and contributes an amount of open space, including room for mature urban tree canopy (existing or future), similar to what its neighboring properties do. Access to blue sky, the feel of sunshine on your face, and the ability to grow abundant gardens are just a few things that make this city great.

Details on the forum plus two more, May 7 and May 20, are here. If you can't make it to one of the events, be sure to let City Council know you support the proposal and funding to help new construction fit in better with its surroundings.

United Neighborhoods for Reform gathered an SRO crowd on April 9 for Summit IV, the first

At Eighth and Failing, a developer digs in.

few of which resulted in the resolution now driving development reform on several fronts. At the most recent summit, we enlisted recruits for, and identified the several major areas of, concerns with the current demolition trend, from deconstruction to hazmat control to lot-splitting, to name a few. These work groups create the basis for action ahead.

At last hazmat control has drawn serious attention from serious people, with state leaders acting on it in Salem. They're (and we're) not waiting for Portland to realize its voluntary program is meaningless and does nothing to protect neighbors, proven as recently as this week when Peter Kusyk's crew started demolishing the church at Northeast Eighth Avenue and Failing Street without so much as a lead-abating hose in sight.

The charge for justice

City Council gets an earful about
the unfairness of appeal fees at its
April 22 session.

While we keep trekking to City Hall, there's still plenty of change to occur at the ground level. Another encouraging sign came this week from the city auditor's and ombudsman's offices, which brought a proposal to Council to reduce appeal fees. The advance notice of the proposal mentioned that one appeal fee was "over $1,300," a reference to the newly instituted fee for neighbors seeking demolition delay. The $1,318 is nonrefundable; it only buys the chance to try to save a home from the landfill.

The auditor and ombudsman's lineup of strong, compelling supporters gave testimony that gave Council pause (turns out it was the easier day of the week, considering what happened Thursday). Some highlights from the appeal-fee hearing:

The League of Women Voters representative said a sound appeals system helps with "greater awareness of shortcomings in city policies and decision making."

Former Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder, in reciting his story of wrong done, referred to a city bureaucracy that was "arrogant and fearful."

The National Lawyers Guild representative said that the chance to be heard was a valuable tool in reinforcing people's faith in the system.

Rex Burkholder (left) and Dante James leave
City Hall on Wednesday after
testifying in support of reduced appeal fees.

Dante James of the Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights talked about his years of processing appeals as the code hearings officer in Denver, where the cost to file is nothing and therefore the appeals system is available to all.

Gregory Frank, Portland's own code hearings officer, described his job and, when it came to the question of what was a fair charge for an appeal, mostly answered by quoting another Northwesterner, the longest-serving Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas:

"The liberties of none are safe unless the liberties of all are protected."

A nominal fee or, as Denver does, charging nothing for an appeal helps ensure what James called important elements of a fair and functioning government: transparency, accessibility ("for everybody—for residents of this city"), and accountability. Without these elements, it's hands behind a curtain, little trust in leadership and staff, and fertile ground for corruption—and revolution. Speaking of, isn't it time we saw some candidates inspired to serve the interests of Portland and Portlanders?

Now for some decent exposure

Come on out 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, for a film festival shining a light on Portland's evolution. The movie King resident Fred Lifton made for the antidemolition cause will be screened, with a Q&A following, at McMenamins Kennedy School gym, 5736 NE 33rd Ave.

The latest installment of The City Lights focusing on
antidemolition issues included (from left) Fred Leeson,
Sara Long, Bob McCullough, Jack Bookwalter, and Carol McCarthy.

On the smaller screen, it looks like UNR, its members, supporters, and effort (and often all three), will continue to serve as the semiregular cast of The City Lights show on Channel 11. The most recent episode, on April 17, featured Eastmoreland and Multnomah neighborhood association activists along with UNR members and the Architectural Heritage Center's Fred Leeson. The show runs from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays; check the banner of this blog for the next date to tune in.

Finally, protecting local heritage and affordable housing makes a real fashion statement.

Activists take to the air and the grass roots

Anti-demolition activists (from left) Sara Long, Fred Leeson, and
Margaret Davis pause for a picture before going on air at Channel 11 for a
half-hour to discuss the wide-ranging effects of current
trash-and-build development practices.

This month United Neighborhoods for Reform (UNR) members and supporters had a chance to make the case against Portland home demolitions at the invitation of Carolyn Brunett, producer of The City Lights Show on Channel 11. The station is wired for some 450,000 homes; even if we reached a fraction of that audience, it was a fun and meaningful foray in front of the cameras—and there will be more.

Meanwhile, UNR prepares for the fourth summit, after the successful three that occurred in 2014, which gave birth to the effort. Now that City Hall knows how a large percentage of Portland residents feel about the loss of unique, well-built, and affordable housing in our neighborhoods, it's time to ensure the positive lip service among the mayor and commissioners turns into action.

At the Portland Community Media studio on March 13, United Neighborhoods
for Reform member Sara Long (middle), Architectural Heritage Center
president Fred Leeson (right), and The City Lights Show producer Carolyn Brunett
prep for airtime.

Join us 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 4330 NE 37th Ave. (at Skidmore). Read on for more background from the event announcement:

"Why a Summit IV?
"Last spring neighborhood activists met to explore the possibility of creating a grass-roots organization that could unite neighborhood associations in persuading City Council to address problems associated with the “demolition epidemic” in our neighborhoods. 

"That was Summit I.

"After a summer of increased destruction of viable, affordable homes—often replaced by one or more expensive, out-of-scale “McMansions”—neighborhood association leaders and concerned residents from more than 25 neighborhoods came together in the fall for Summits II and III, resolved to bring about code reform that could stem the demolitions and their effects.                         

"This was the genesis of UNR.

"A committee formed at Summit III drafted a resolution based on input from summit participants. The resolution went out to Portland's 90-plus neighborhood associations for endorsement, with UNR committee members attending as many meetings as possible to field questions and concerns. The resolution garnered more than 40 endorsements from neighborhood associations and was presented to City Council at two hearings—one in December, the other in February—via orchestrated testimony. The purpose of Summit IV will be to review the progress that was made at these hearings and related meetings, discuss objectives for an action plan moving forward, and establish committees to provide input on specific UNR reform initiatives."

We also seek recruits for the cause, which presses forward thanks to the contributed time, talents, and ideas of Portlanders willing to stand up and act. See you next week!