CNA Land Use Update

By Garlynn Woodsong, Chair, CNA Land Use & Transportation Committee

The CNA Land Use & Transportation Committee (LUTC) is making a number of improvements. The Board approved the first LUTC Charter providing clear guidance on its policies, responsibilities, processes, and operations. They also ratified an initial slate of Members: Ben Earle, Steve Elder, Sam Farber-Kaiser, Ken Forcier, Jeff Hilber, Ali Novak, Kirk Paulsen, and Garlynn Woodsong. Up to nine are allowed and we hope to fill the open position soon.

The LUTC is also excited to work with the new CNA web team to soon start posting meeting information and related resources on the revived site.

Portland’s Comprehensive Plan is moving into concluding phases, with a final City Council Public Hearing on April 14th, followed by voting sessions April 28th, May 25th, and June 15th. The Planning & Sustainability Commission (PSC) will hold Hearings on the Transportation System Plan May 8th and the Employment, Campus Institutional, and Mixed Use Zoning Projects and the Residential & Open Space Zoning Map May 10.

Nan Stark, NE District Liaison for the Bureau of Planning Services (BPS), will be in the Kennedy School Community Room 4:30 – 6:45pm on Wednesday March 16th to talk with Concordia property owners who received Measure 56 proposed R5 to R2.5 zoning change notices and to anyone wanting to discuss the Comp Plan Update.

The Residential Infill Project also progresses. The Stakeholder Advisory Committee (RIPSAC) I serve on representing CNA and the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) recently held an extensive two-part design review discussion addressing building scale, narrow lot development, and alternative housing options. The RIP Online Survey Report is due as I write this, so look for the results in the April CNA Newsletter.

The  20s  Bikeway  Project  is  slated to  begin  construction later  this  year.  Unfortunately  it  won’t  include the improvements to protect the bicycle greenway from expected cut-through traffic likely from stop sign removal along the route that affected neighborhoods were promised. The Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) reversed their decision becausethe last formal traffic count from 2009 did not show a high enough level of traffic to qualify for traffic diversion per the Greenways Report adopted by City Council last August.

In addition to a couple of important new residential and mixed use development projects covered in other articles, your LUTC is also working on major arterial speed limit reductions, Concordia University related parking concerns, bicycle safety improvements on N. Portland Highway, and next steps in the Alley Improvement Project process.

Concordia residents are always welcome at CNA LUTC Meetings, 7pm every third Wednesday in the Community Room in the SE corner of McMenamins Kennedy School. Click here to join the LUTC notification list.