Category Archives: Concordia News

By Garlynn Woodsong | CNA Board Member, SW1 CNA LUTC Chair

What if we were to allow retail on the neighborhood greenway system? Bicyclists wouldn’t need to leave the safety of bicycle infrastructure to visit a bicycle shop, go to a grocery store or visit a restaurant, cafe or pub.

Unfortunately for bicyclists seeking to not get hit by cars while going shopping, Portland’s neighborhood greenway system exists largely within a single-family zoning context, and these zones explicitly ban any sort of retail activities.

Given that single-family zoning was born out of a desire to practice racial exclusion through economic segregation, it’s certainly worth re-examining every aspect of this zoning. That includes its ban on commercial activities beyond home-based businesses that do not receive a significant volume of customers.

There are many existing examples – within our current single-dwelling zones – of buildings built prior to the imposition of the current zoning paradigm that included a retail component originally. They may be in the form of ground floor retail with apartments above, or street-facing retail with a residence adjacent.

Portland was built originally with a mix of the retail destinations people needed, with the residences where they lived in very close proximity. Within Concordia, there are a number of examples of buildings that featured commercial businesses originally, but are currently residential only. Most of these are in the oldest part of the neighborhood – west of 33rd Avenue and south of Killingsworth Street – which was built prior to the automobile boom of the 1920s.

In the racist fever of the 1940s and 1950s, zoning codes were used to separate white from Black populations within cities nationwide. Retail was also deemed to be a blight upon the purity of white-occupied, single-family zones, and they were segregated to retail-focused zones on main streets.

In the same way that accessory dwelling units (ADUs) have been used as the first baby step toward re-legalizing multi-family dwelling to single-family zones, accessory commercial units (ACUs) could be used to re-introduce retail to residential zones.

Accessory dwelling units – at least here in Portland – are confined to back yards, attics, basements and interior areas of houses where they are more difficult to see from the street. ACUs, however, depend on being visible from the street for their commercial success.

They therefore belong naturally within the front setback, taking over area currently allocated to driveways and front lawns. They repurpose the spaces for use as neighborhood-serving destinations that cater to clientele that arrives primarily by foot or bicycle.

The form of ACUs could be similar to that of ADUs: a maximum of 800 square feet and either separated from the main home by sufficient fire separation to satisfy the building code or attached.

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.

By Maquette Reeverts | Alberta Art Works

Started in 1997, Last Thursday was a people-powered solution to bring patrons to the Alberta district. Never advertised, the event grew in popularity and prompted community members to plead with the city to close Alberta Street for safety as crowds started to pour off the sidewalks.

It took several nonfunctioning cars and brazen artists to push them into the street to stop the traffic flow before the city took note.

Alberta arts community was charged with reigning in the event that happened five summer nights, and Friends of Last Thursday was born. The volunteer group raised funds to pay for toilets and security, built street barricades to close off the 15 blocks, met monthly with city stakeholders, recruited volunteers to become community liaisons and got the first permit for the event.

It was mayor Charlie Hales who took the handling of the event away from the community and gave it to his aide to run, and it was later handed to the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) when mayor Ted Wheeler stepped in. Currently Greg Raisman, PBOT Livable Street Program specialist, is working with local leaders and groups to bring the management back into the community.

Last year the pandemic sent Last Thursday events to the internet.

This summer, Lizzy Caston is leading Alberta Main Street and, together with the community, will be guiding the direction of the event. Until the pandemic has passed, Alberta Street will not close. Instead, you will find live performances, community art projects and a few pop-up vendors as the galleries hold their openings on the last Thursdays of each month.

Find out more information and downstream videos of performances at LastThursdayPortland.org.

Michel Reeverts, aka Maquette , holds a master of arts degree in art education, serves Alberta Art Works as director and Alberta Street Gallery as a board member. She is also a practicing artist. Contact her at Maquette@AlbertaArtWorks.org

By Alex Cruz | AmeriCorps

A year ago as a senior in high school, I never would have imagined myself being where I am today. I wouldn’t have seen myself traveling all the way across the country, living with complete strangers, and learning skills far outside my comfort zone to do hands-on service work.

Yet this is exactly what I undertook as a member of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. AmeriCorps NCCC is a service program run by the federal government. Members are ages 18-26, and they spend 10 months serving nonprofits across the country.

I am on a team of nine who have completed three service projects. We cleaned up after a wildfire in California, built affordable housing in Montana, and now we are here serving this community.

Our project entails working primarily with Sabin Community Development Corporation (CDC), a nonprofit that provides low-income housing in northeast Portland. We are beautifying Sabin CDC’s properties by painting and landscaping their exteriors.

We are also assisting with maintenance on the interiors of the properties. This work advances the CDC’s mission of social equity and livability, particularly for the disenfranchised Black population.

We also work with The City Repair Project, a nonprofit that fosters thriving communities in the Portland metro area through placemaking. City Repair facilitates a variety of projects to bring communities together, including street paintings and landscaping.

Through our connections with City Repair, we have had the opportunity to create street paintings, assist houseless villages and learn more about the diverse communities here in northeast Portland.

Additionally, we have helped Portland artist Bobby Fouther – known as “Mr. Bobby” – display his artwork. Born and raised in Portland, Mr. Bobby has an extensive legacy closely intertwined with local history, and he tells this legacy through his artwork.

We greatly appreciated the opportunity to help him with an exhibit that was displayed in the former Albina Arts Center.

I decided to join NCCC to take myself outside my comfort zone by living outside my hometown for the first time. It has developed my independence and, as a result, I feel more prepared for college. It also gave me opportunities to learn more about other cultures while providing valuable service to the national community.

My work with Sabin CDC and City Repair has been nothing but rewarding. It’s always very fulfilling to interact with the residents of the properties the team is working on, and to hear people’s gratitude or comments on our work.

Alex Cruz, from Exton, Pennsylvania, continues his passion for community service with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps.

By Lew Frederick | State Senator, District 22

House Bill 2168 designates June 19 as an Oregon state holiday commemorating the arrival on horseback of the news of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to the cheers of African Americans then enslaved.

The Emancipation Proclamation news arrived in waves to the enslaved Black women and men of my family in Mississippi. Family stories say “joy” was the first emotion. Next “skepticism.” Active and often deadly reactions followed against freed African Americans by whites fearful that they might be treated the way they treated their former slaves.

“Hope” stood at the center of a possible future for my family.

Hope continues to this day. So does the skepticism.

The two dance together in our time. We need to understand how they fit together, and how they create a new world.

My family traveled the country attending science conventions and visiting relatives, conscious of but not bowing to the Jim Crow laws that kept us from staying in motels in the North and South; not bothering with restaurants that might not serve us.

We stopped at every historic marker along the way. I suspect that it was also a way for Dad to rest. He made it a point to read out loud every marker so that we had in our memory his voice, the words on the marker, and a sense of being in a certain place at a certain time.

Celebrating Juneteenth is not just a legal historical marker. It is a memory that lives on in each of us.

Especially now.

This year we faced the racism of the past and the racism of the present.

The murder of George Floyd in front of us, all of us, focused clearly the issues of racism and lack of personal safety. It was no longer a myth of “victimhood.”

The pandemic exposed huge holes in the fabric of our safety net for African Americans and other minority/marginalized groups, while pointing out the essential worker role praised but not compensated.

The year gave us a marker, a touchpoint, on other times. We now, via this bill, this proclamation, can learn from another time. And dedicate to changing the future in real-time without waiting for the news of equality to arrive on horseback.

I recognize efforts to resist the arc of history bending toward justice will always be there. This new holiday recognizes that the people of the State of Oregon, despite our past, can take the veil of ignorance away and each year celebrate Hope on Juneteenth. A marker to read and remember.

Lew Frederick has served in the Oregon Legislature since 2009, first representing House District 43 and now Senate District 22. Professionally, he is a strategic communications consultant, and he worked previously as public information director for Portland Public Schools and as a reporter for KGW TV.

By Erin E. Cooper | Concordia/Vernon/Woodlawn Neighborhood Emergency Team

As Portland heats up for the summer and COV ID -19 restrictions loosen, lots of people will be heading to the beach for vacations and weekends. Although tsunamis – the giant waves caused by offshore earthquakes – are not a concern in Portland, we should be aware of what to do in case of disaster while we’re away from home.

There are two possible scenarios for a tsunami on the Oregon Coast. If the earthquake is far away, like Japan, there will be hours to evacuate and no damage to evacuation routes. In this scenario, you won’t feel the earthquake itself. You’ll be notified about the evacuation by local emergency responders, and they’ll provide instructions on where and how to evacuate.

If you feel the earth shaking, it’s potentially the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Drop, cover and hold on – this the recommendation no matter where you are if the earth is shaking.

If you’re on the coast, however, be ready to move as soon as the shaking stops. There will only be 15-25 minutes to get out of the tsunami zone, so start moving inland and uphill immediately without waiting for instructions or assistance from emergency responders.

Because of damage to roads and bridges, the most direct evacuation route might not be available, and cars may not be useable. On foot, follow the blue and white “Tsunami Evacuation Route” signs. If you visit the same area frequently, download the tsunami flooding maps and evacuation routes. The waters may surge and recede several times before the danger is over, so don’t return to low-lying areas until given the all-clear.

The odds of a tsunami happening on your vacation are low and shouldn’t keep you from enjoying yourself, but it’s always good to know what to do in a disaster.

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.

Summer activities in local parks may not be back to pre-pandemic days, but Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) has plans for an increase from last year’s activities and events.

“PP&R designed summer programming to meet public health guidance and to be flexible as conditions change,” explained Mark Ross, PP&R spokesman. “Precautions to protect public health include employees and participants maintaining physical distancing, and limited capacities in groups and programs.

“At this time we anticipate that all PP&R employees will wear face coverings when conducting summer 2021 programs, inside or outside,” he added in early May. “The same requirements will be in effect for all participants in the age ranges stipulated by public health guidance.”

For updated details on these abbreviated descriptions of activities and events, visit Portland.gov/parks/summer.

Concerts in Fernhill Park are off the table again this year, while Multnomah County navigates the levels of COVID-19 risk.

Lunch & Play returns this summer to continue meals when schools are closed. Details on days, times and parks weren’t available by press time, so keep an eye on Portland.gov/parks/free-lunchplay. Unannounced events – pop-up arts, music and culture – are being planned to surprise participants.

Day camps for children at Fernhill and Khunamowkst parks are also on tap this summer, with plans in the completion stage at press time. Find details for summer camps and nature day camp .

Splash pad hours and operations – depending on risk levels determined by public health guidance – are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily June 11 through Sept. 6. Local splash pads are at Fernhill, Khunamokwst and Woodlawn parks.

Pools are planned to open June 22 at seven outdoor venues and – if COVID-19 restrictions and staffing allow – five indoor pools. Registration opened May 24 for June and July programs, including swim lessons. View details here.

Safety measures at the pools will include limited capacity, one-way traffic flow, increased cleaning protocols and additional hand sanitizing stations, according to the spokesman. “Public health guidance informs our face covering policy. All visitors ages 5 and up must wear one when not in the water, face coverings are strongly encouraged for everyone over age 2 as long as they can remove it themselves and all visitors must remain six feet apart at all times throughout the facility. Restrooms will be open, but locker rooms and showers will be closed.”

Fitness in the Park – group exercise classes – are expanded this summer, with the venues closest to Concordia at Irving and Columbia parks. View details here.

By Peter Keller | CNA Chair

I hope you enjoyed Mother’s Day like I did and were able to spend time with extended (vaccinated) family without masks. It’s only a matter of time, I hope, before we can start meeting together for various events in public again, such as our monthly CNA board meetings.

May was a busy meeting for the CNA board. We approved two letters to send to the mayor and Portland city commissioners.

One asks the city to provide more time and resources for public input into the new Design Overlay Zone Amendments (DOZA) standards being proposed. Garlynn Woodsong wrote about the proposed DOZA standards in his column last month. Our letter is here.

The second letter we agreed to sign on behalf of CNA was presented to us in the May meeting by James Ofsink, of the Police Accountability Network. It asks the mayor and city council to consider several changes to the contract that the council is currently negotiating with the Portland Police Association. You can see it at UniteOregon.org/policing.

The other major item discussed in the meeting was the public auction of the Concordia University (CU) campus and facilities at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, at the Multnomah County Courthouse, 1200 S.W. 1st Avenue.

We decided to take an informal poll of the neighborhood to find out what neighbors would like to see the 24-acre site used for in the future.

As of press time, CNA has learned neither any definitive word on potential buyers, nor any wouldbe buyer’s plans for the CU property.

The city’s Planning and Zoning Code for “Campus Institutional Zones” – in which the campus is located – governs what uses are permitted. Language in the code points out, “The zones are for institutions such as medical centers … and colleges that have been developed as campuses, and for other uses that are compatible with surrounding neighborhoods.”

Any buyer who intends to put the property to a different use would be required to seek a zone change. That process assures neighbors’ input at both the Portland Bureau of Development Services and the Portland City Council.

In the meantime, the CNA Board of Directors wants to hear from you about what use(s) of the campus you’d like to see. Knowing the preferences of the majority of neighborhood participants, if only informally, will help CNA lobby the city government and whomever the new owner becomes.

So, before June 15, visit the CNA poll at ConcordiaPDX.org/CUPoll and offer your opinion. CNews and the CNA Facebook page will report the findings (and hopefully the identity of the new owner).

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.