Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

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Meet the Board – CNA is just one passion that attracts Brittany

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News
Concordia isn’t the only community in which Brittany van der Salm gets involved. She is pictured here during a monthly virtual meeting that connects her with fellow The Dinner Party participants, each of whom has lost someone significant in their life. Photo by Paul van der Salm

By Brittany van der Salm | CNA Board Member, AL6

Hi Neighbors! I’m Brittany van der Salm, a board member of Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA). I moved here in November 2019 with my husband Paul and our critters.

You can spot us at Alberta Park with our pups, Etta and Dobby, and grabbing cones at Salt & Straw. Or find us gardening in our yard with the help of our outdoor guard cats, Red and Fats Domino – in fact, you may have already met them. They love to greet people walking by.

Professionally, I work as a policy analyst, and I focus primarily on services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Outside of work – when I’m not planning my Halloween decorations – I like to read and bake. I love to bird watch, whether at my yard feeders, around the neighborhood or outside the city.

Several times a month I participate in and host virtual dinner tables through an organization called The Dinner Party. It provides community and support for people ages 20-40 who have lost someone significant in their lives.

On the last Tuesday of every month, I host a table for people all over the country who, like myself, have lost both parents. I love having this opportunity to connect with people who just “get it.’”

For me, showing up for the communities I’m a part of makes me feel more connected. That’s why I decided to run for election to join the CNA Board of Directors – to join others in my neighborhood and to help others to feel like a part of our community.

I’ve learned so much about the issues impacting our neighborhood by being on the board and attending meetings. On Nov. 3, we’ll have elections for next year. Board chair Peter Keller offers more details about that here.

If you’re interested in taking on a bigger role in our community, I urge you to consider running!

Dogwood is a marriage of wine and flowers

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses
Newlyweds Gabby Terraciano and Brant Ozanich share their love for wine and flowers in their new shop, Dogwood at 4932 N.E. 30th Ave. They’ll mask up and uncork a few bottles at the Oct. 31 CNA Social Mixer. See RSVP information below. Photo by Nancy Varekamp

By Javier Puga-Phillips | CNA Board Member, AL4 CNA Social Committee Chair

A new concept arrived in Concordia when certified sommelier Brant Ozanich and expert florist Gabby Terraciano opened the doors of Dogwood in April.

Dogwood is a wine and flower shop. “Wine and flowers are the perfect marriage,” Brant declared. In fact, he and Gabby are newlyweds and have taken the pandemic to relocate from San Francisco to start a new chapter in their lives.

“We always wanted to open our own business, and the pandemic gave us the extra time we were needing to do so,” Brant shared. They got married and opened their dream shop one month apart last spring.

Dogwood has an extensive selection of wines and flower arrangements ready for any occasion. As for the selection process, Brant noted, “We made a list of the wines we wanted to see in our shop and started selecting based on that list.

“We prefer wines grown on the West Coast from independent family-owned wineries and European wines.”

The flowers, on the other hand, are locally sourced, and Gabby and Brant are big believers in supporting women-owned businesses.

The couple met in San Francisco, but both have always had a soft spot for Portland. “Portland has always been a great city for us. We love the people, weather and vibe of the city,” Brant reported. When they came to Portland, they made a reservation in a popular restaurant on Alberta Street.

When they were ready to take the leap of faith and open Dogwood, they went back to Alberta and walked the street over and over again, realizing the need of a wine or flower shop.

They came across 4932 N.E. 30th Ave., where the shop is now located. “As soon as we walked into the space, we knew this was it,” Brant pointed out. They knew immediately that the Concordia neighborhood was home for them.

The decision on the shop’s name was almost as easy: Brant’s and Gabby’s love story began with dogwoods. “They were one of the first flowers I picked up for Gabby,” he explained.

Dogwood features a wine club that explores different regions of the wine world. Its focus is on enjoyment and education. The owners are also planning a combination of classes to get the community involved. Visit DogwoodPDX.com or Instagram.com/DogwoodPDX for details.

CNA Social Mixer

Concordia Neighborhood Association partners with Dogwood for a Halloween mixer from 7 to 10 p.m. in the new store. Dogwood plans to serve appetizers at the free wine tasting. Space is limited, so RSVPs are due at Social@ConcordiaPDX. org, and proof of COVID-19 vaccination is accepted at the door.

Nota del editor: Artículo disponible en Español, visita ConcordiaPDX.org/Dogwood.

Javier Puga-Phillips holds the At Large 4 position on the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors, manages rentals of the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room and chairs the CNA Social Committee. He is a real estate professional locally, and he is a published author and motivational speaker in Latin America and Spain.

Urbanism – Affordability is vital to develop ACUs here

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Land Use & Transportation

In August, this column continued its series on accessory commercial units (ACUs), and it focused on placement.

Affordability is also vital.

Affordable commercial space is not necessarily easy to come by in this neighborhood.

This is largely due to city zoning rules, under which most commercial uses are not allowed outside commercial/mixeduse zones. That’s where the price of land is higher on a per-square-foot basis than for land with residential zoning – even if just on the other side of a lot line from commercially-zoned parcels.

This is partly a function of the potential residual land value of developing to the highest and best use allowable on a property.

Seller expectations also play a role, with an expectation of a seven-figure sales price for commercially-zoned land in a hot corridor, even if it isn’t currently producing income of any sort. Even vacant lots can command a price premium, if they are commercially zoned.

Even if commercially-zoned lots were the same price as residentially-zoned lots, a lot in Concordia with a viable building on it of 2,000 square feet or more will likely cost more than $650,000. A smaller building might fetch as little as $250,000, if not in great condition.

That is a lot of cash.

Many people can afford to buy a home for those prices, because they’re able to save for down payments and can obtain federally-backed low-interest mortgages.

Yet purchasing a commercial property for a similar price to start a new, unproven small business is not really within the realm of possibility for these same people.

Therein lies a conundrum. To start a new business, a budding entrepreneur needs space within which to operate. Often, the entrepreneur-to-be may have access to a single-family home, perhaps with a garage or basement that provides the extra space within which to set up specialized equipment and create a product to offer.

The incremental price to build a new commercial structure as an accessory to a home is just the cost of the structure. The land has already been paid for by the primary use.

The incremental price of a new business could thus be reduced by an order of magnitude. It could be as little as the cost of bringing in a shipping container, trailer, camper, prefab shed or other space sufficient to house a small new business. That expense could be small enough to put on a credit card or saved within a reasonable amount of time on a middle income.

Bringing down the cost of entry can reduce the barriers of entry into affordable commercial space. This can ease attainment to the first rungs on the ladder of economic opportunity and make business creation more accessible to folks without subsidy.

The only requirement is to change zoning codes to allow for the legal concept of accessory commercial space.

Editor’s note: The first two installments of this Urbanism series about ACUs were published in July and August. 

Garlynn Woodsong lives on 29th Avenue, serves on the CNA board and is an avid bicyclist. He also is a dad who is passionate about the city his son will inherit. He is the planning + development partner with Cascadia Partners LLC, a local urban planning firm. Contact him at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.

CNA LUTC Meeting, Wed., Oct 20th, 2021: Draft Agenda

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized
Here’s the draft agenda for the CNA LUTC meeting this coming week.

Rachel Walsh from the Columbia Slough Watershed Council will be there to discuss potential pathways for collaboration.

Also, we plan to recap on the Alberta Street Design Walk, and discuss drafting a letter in support of the Historic Resources Code Project, as authorized by the Board.

You can join the meeting here:
Web:

Phone:
316-512-3077
PIN:
417604919#
One-touch:
316-512-3077, 417604919#
Looking forward to seeing you then!
cheers,
~Garlynn

From the Board – Be the change you want to see in Portland

Posted on by Posted in CNA 1 Comment

While it’s only October, it’s time to start thinking about the upcoming Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) board election, being held at our annual meeting on Nov. 3. I know that a lot of you consider volunteering for the CNA board or other community organizations. I understand this sentiment because I felt the same way for years.

With everything going on in Portland these days, many Portlanders complain that the city government is ineffectual and, like most of us, are pining for positive change.

We are all part of this city, and neighborhood associations are the grassroots level of city government. The CNA board represents 10,000+ Portlanders and, when we endorse issues or write letters, we are usually heard.

For example, this month we secured a meeting with the current owners of the Concordia University property, Lutheran Church Extension Fund, to lobby on behalf of the neighborhood. This resulted in some reassuring updates about the sale.

All of the members of our board volunteer their time because they want to be part of their community. Many of them have been on the board for years, and this continuity is really important in maintaining a nonprofit, all-volunteer board. That said, it’s great to get new volunteers who bring fresh energy and thinking.

At the moment, we are fully staffed. However, this could change in November if some current board members whose terms end in December decide not to run for re-election, and we don’t have new volunteers from the neighborhood to fill their board seats.

Just like any election, when a current board position is up for election/re-election, any qualified person can run for that seat regardless of whether the current board member is running for re-election.

So, if you’re interested in serving on the board, don’t be dissuaded because the position is currently filled. Put your hat in the ring, and may the best candidate win! That’s democracy.

In odd-numbered years like 2021, odd-numbered board seats are up for election. CNA board members serve two-year terms. The chair position, currently held by me, is only a one-year position so is up for election every year. So, by my count, that’s six board seats and one chair up for grabs.

Next month, I’ll provide an election primer. Meanwhile you can reach out directly to me with questions and/or check out our CNA bylaws to learn more: ConcordiaPDX.org/about-cna/bylaws.

Native Portlander Peter Keller has lived in Concordia since 1997. He runs a small marketing agency with partner Max, out of their home studio. He loves exploring outdoors with and without his dogs.

CNews Update – Grove info, tour are on tap

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News
Eleven local organizations are asking builders to avoid harming the International Grove while reconstructing the 42nd Avenue Lombard overpass. Representing three of those organizations are (left to right) Angelique Saxton, Native American Youth and Family Center; Bruce Nelson, Cully Tree Team; and Barbara Wharton, Concordia Tree Team. Photo by Chris Baker

Local tree advocates met recently with city representatives to discuss how to protect and preserve the International Grove. A report on that meeting is at ConcordiaPDX.org/pbot-grove-trees. To learn more about the challenges to the 10-year-old grove and to tour it, meet Saturday, Oct. 2, at 10 a.m. at Holman Street and 41st Avenue.

Note the date change from what was announced in CNews at ConcordiaPDX.org/2021/09/tree-teams-celebrate-groves-10th and ConcordiaPDX.org/2021/09/advocates-rally-to-preserve-grove.

News from the NET – PublicAlerts system offers best disaster info

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

In the case of an emergency such as flooding or forest fires, it’s important to have accurate information about the situation, including information about when to evacuate.

In the past, government agencies used tools such as radio, television and automated calls to landlines to reach households. These days, those methods are less reliable to reach many people.

Luckily, in the Portland area, the PublicAlerts system allows individuals to receive these types of notification through text, email or calls to cell phones.

Although landlines are automatically registered to public alert notifications, cell phone users must sign up at PublicAlerts.org. The service is available in 11 languages, and it has an additional feature that allows people to identify if they have special needs that might require assistance during a disaster or evacuation.

Supplying this information ahead of time allows emergency responders to deploy resources and personnel more efficiently.

PublicAlerts is likely to distribute the most accurate, location-specific information quickly. However, if cell phone networks are not working during or after a disaster, local radio and television intend to broadcast the most accurate information.

Pay attention to official announcements from official sources such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management.

In a major disaster like a Cascadia earthquake, the damage to power lines and cell phone towers makes it difficult to access information through television or the internet.

Each emergency kit should have a radio tuned to emergency frequencies in case the disaster is widespread enough to prevent other news from getting through. Make sure you have extra batteries for your radio if it doesn’t have a hand-crank for power.

Know where your nearest Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node (BEECN) is, since this is a place to get information if other sources are unavailable. For most Concordians, that’s in Alberta Park, but check for information on other nearby ones at PortlandOregon.gov/pbem/article/483656.

Planning how to get reliable information can save lives.

Erin E. Cooper is a marine biologist living in Woodlawn. She spends a lot of time thinking about disasters and has been a NET member for many years. Contact her at OceanListener@gmail. com.

Volunteer organization fights food insecurity

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Trees, Volunteer Opportunities
Kris Balliet, Concordia resident, chairs the board of directors of the Portland Fruit Tree Project. The pandemic has put a spotlight on how many people need fresh food, so the nonprofit has increased its efforts to harvest the bounty of Portland residents’ back yards. Photo by Michael French

A local grassroots organization is fighting food insecurity with fresh food. The Portland Fruit Tree Project, a community-based urban food recovery project, works with homeowners, orchards and partner organizations to glean and distribute unused fruit.

Food insecurity is up in Oregon. Nearly 25% of households in the state experienced food insecurity in 2020, up from 10% in 2019. Households of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) are especially hard hit, according to a study by Oregon State University.

“There is no reason people should go without good food, especially when it is growing and dropping on the sidewalk,” said Kris Balliet, board of directors chair for the Portland Fruit Tree Project. She is a Concordia resident and the organization’s business office is located in nearby Leaven Community.

“We get there before fruit starts getting bad, gather it and put it into a system that gets it to people experiencing food insecurity.”

To distribute the food, the project works with community organizations, such as Black Mental Health Oregon, Hollywood Senior Center, Friends of Trees, Mudbone Grown’s CSA program, Davis Elementary School and other schools in diverse and low-income neighborhoods.

Kris said the organization, founded in 2006, struggled with finances prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. Since then, it’s turned a corner fueled by strong community support, ongoing demand for services and the hiring last year of director Heather Keisler Fornes.

“The pandemic illuminated how many people need fresh food, and how great the need is. Our expansion has been remarkable over the course of the last year,” Kris said. “We wanted to make sure that fruit was not going to waste, and kids were not going without fruit, even during a lockdown.”

Lately, increased donations are funding new programs.

The organization recently established a new BIPOC work training program in partnership with The Blueprint Foundation, a Black-led green workforce development nonprofit. The program aims to raise wage opportunities for youth and established workers in landscaping or other lower-wage work.

A new service helps property owners care for home orchards. Coaching helps do-it-yourself owners to better care for their trees. A full-service care programs offers comprehensive maintenance for fruiting trees, vines and shrubs.

“We invite everyone in the Portland metro area, and particularly the inner northeast, to participate,” Kris said.

Homeowners can participate by harvesting their own fruit or requesting volunteer help.

The project also welcomes cash donations, in-kind gifts and volunteers to harvest trees or offer skills like legal, grant writing or accounting services. For more information, visit PortlandFruit.org.

Michael French is grateful to live on 28th Avenue in Concordia, a place where neighbors talk to each other and he can get most places on foot, by bike or transit. Contact him at MFrench96@gmail.com.

Urbanism – Neighborhood has essentially no tree code

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Trees

Often, when homes in Concordia are demolished – to be replaced with new, larger homes – any existing mature trees on the site are also removed.

This practice can remove habitat for birds and animals, as well as remove the shading, cooling and air quality services trees provide to help mitigate the urban heat island effect.

But doesn’t Portland have an adopted city tree code that implements the Portland Urban Forest Plan and protects the beloved trees of our neighborhood?

According to research provided by neighbor Jordana Leeb, yes. And no.

Unfortunately, the current tree code exempts sites of under 5,000 square feet in size from tree preservation requirements when undergoing development.

What this means effectively is almost none of Concordia west of 33rd Avenue is subject to the Portland Tree Code:

  • Parcels south of Killingsworth Street tend to have an average lot size of 4,000-5,000.
  • Parcels north of Killingsworth sit on historically platted lots that are only 2,500 square feet.
  • Even east of 33rd many parcels are – or can be – subdivided into lots of 5,000 square feet or less.

For sites over 5,000 square feet, onethird of all on-site trees over 12 inches in diameter are to be preserved, but applicants can choose to pay fees in lieu of preservation for any trees they wish to remove below this threshold.

The fee is only due, however, if the site isn’t eligible for an exemption from the tree code because a tree is:

  • Dead, dying or could be declared dangerous by an arborist
  • “Nuisance species”
  • Exempted by a land use review
  • Tree removals already approved through a land division or planned development
  • Other reasons

Indeed, Portland’s tree code seems to be doing its part to help perpetuate Portland’s nickname: Stumptown.

Data from 2018 to 2020 citywide reports over 33 trees were chopped down that were at least a foot in diameter of the trunk at the breast height of the average person. Additional were uncounted trees with smaller diameter trunks.

The Portland Urban Forest Management Plan lacks any sort of quantitative goals to achieve in terms of tree canopy coverage, urban heat island mitigation or even tree planting.

Plans without goals are easier to achieve, which perhaps explains why this plan, policy and code do very little to actually preserve the trees of Concordia from being cut down during development.

According to the Portland Urban Forest Action Plan of 2020, 30.7% of the city is covered currently by tree canopy, up from 26% in 2002.

The plan does not state a goal for future tree canopy coverage; however, other cities have adopted goals. Nearby Milwaukie has a goal of increasing its tree canopy to 40% by 2040. Farther away, a tree canopy already covers 40% of Pittsburgh, which is still seeking to protect and expand tree coverage beyond that.

Garlynn Woodsong lives on 29th Avenue, serves on the CNA board and is an avid bicyclist. He also is a dad who is passionate about the city his son will inherit. He is the planning + development partner with Cascadia Partners LLC, a local urban planning firm. Contact him at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.

CNA LUTC Meeting, Wed., Sept 15th, 2021: Draft Agenda

Posted on by Posted in Land Use & Transportation
Here’s the draft agenda for the CNA LUTC meeting this coming week.
We’ll have Brandon Spencer-Hartle, with the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, join us to discuss the Historic Resources Code project.
For those with an interest in preserving the century-plus old buildings in our neighborhood that define the character for its built environment, this is a good meeting to attend and give feedback at!
After a summer hiatus, we’re returning all-virtual, not as person as we hoped, thanks to the Delta variant and the other factors you all already are well aware of.
You can join the meeting here:
Web:

Phone:
316-512-3077
PIN:
417604919#
One-touch:
316-512-3077, 417604919#
Looking forward to seeing you then!
cheers,
~Garlynn