UPDATE: The location below has been corrected. The meeting will be held from 7 PM to 9 PM at Grace Presbyterian Church, 6025 NE Prescott.
The proposal to rezone Colwood Golf Course from open space to industrial will be considered by the Portland City Council on September 17th. To prepare for the hearing, the Keep Colwood Green Coalition will be meeting 7:00pm – 9:00pm on Thursday, September 4th, at Grace Presbyterian Church, 6025 NE Prescott, Portland. The meeting is open to anyone who supports the mission of keeping Colwood zoned as open space.
Why should anyone are about a golf course being rezoned? Because Colwood is one of the last parts of the environmentally sensitive and diverse Columbia Slough area that has not been lost to industrial development and abuse. As noted by the Hearings Officer, “… the Colwood site open space is unique, is a practically irreplaceable asset.” Our region cannot afford to lose a single inch of open space in this unique natural area.
The area surrounding Colwood is extremely deficient in parkland, natural areas, and other open space. The Cully neighborhood access rate is 2,780 people per park acre, compared with a citywide average of 40 people per park acre. Additionally, the transition from open space and habitat area to industrial use would have a pronounced effect on local health. North and Northeast Portland already suffer from the long-term effects of existing and historic industrial uses in the area. New air and water pollution sources in this are would have a pronounced impact on the health of local residents as well as local wildlife.
What should happen to Colwood? How about a new regional park? Seriously. Creating a Colwood Regional Park would dramatically enhance the livability of the Portland area. Funding sources for a Colwood park include Metro’s Natural Areas Bond and the Portland City’s parks system development charges. It is important to note that both of these funding sources may only be used for park and open space acquisition. Use of these funds would not affect the funding of other pressing needs in Portland or the region.
What could a Colwood Regional Park be? With 140 acres, the better question is “What do YOU want it to be?” A canoe launch and interpretive trails like at Smith and Bybee lake, a learning farm like on Sauvie Island, new bike and pedestrian access to the Columbia Slough trail, more play fields and playground space, a state of the art driving range. These are just some of the possible amenities for a Colwood Regional Park. But the door closes to everything that Colwood could be, if it is rezoned to industrial.
Any Questions? Contact Bill Barber at Central Northeast Neighbors – 503-823-2883, billb@cnncoalition.org, or Tony Fuentes, Concordia Neighborhood Association, 971-570-6930, milagros@milagrosboutique.com