By Steve Elder, CNA Media Team

It started when neighbors of a house on 35th Avenue got notice that a development group had applied to demolish the house.

A permit is issued in 35 days if no one appeals. There is a $1,318 filing fee to apply for delay unless a neighborhood association seeks a waiver. Concordia Neighborhood Association Board members unanimously went along, and a neighbor, Tricia, signed as appellant to seek the delay.

You must closely follow the rules to successfully pursue a demolition delay. Start by reading the appeal application carefully. Read the guide by Restore Oregon and Portland Bureau of Development Services. Attend a hearing or listen to an online recording of a previous hearing.

There are four requirements for a successful delay appeal, which must be met or the appeal will be denied without a hearing.

1. Notify all permit applicants by certified mail. Ask for a meeting. Keep copies for the appeal.
2. Show the property’s significance. This was tricky. The target looked ordinary but was affordable by first time homebuyers.
3. Describe a plan to save the house. The target was ready for occupancy – maybe remodel the kitchen or add an auxiliary dwelling unit.
4. Show you can afford to buy the house. The sale to the developer was not recorded, so Tricia had to guess the price. She used the tax value plus an estimate for a kitchen remodel and ADU. Tricia is an investor and showed she could borrow against of the value of her property on short notice for enough to buy and improve the target house.

If your written appeal meets the four criteria, a hearing date is set. In this case, the hearings officer was polite, but very firm. Your hearings officer may only consider the four core issues, and courtroom procedure is followed. In this case, the developer didn’t object, so Tricia’s evidence was accepted by default.

She won the delay, so no permit could be issued for 60 days. The ostensible purpose of the delay is to let parties seek an alternative to demolition, but the developer isn’t required to negotiate.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a CNews series of stories about local housing challenges and solutions. If you have ideas for future installments, send them to CNewsEditor@Concordia.org.

By Nancy Varekamp, CNews Editor

Last spring’s reports about lead in the water at local schools heightened awareness about lead poisoning risks.

But exposure from lead solder in home plumbing systems is more likely to appear in homes built after 1970. The threat in the older housing stock in Concordia – and an estimated 80 percent of Multnomah County – is from lead-based paint that wasn’t banned until 1978.

“Homes built before 1940 have a 90 percent chance of containing lead-based paint,” estimated Sherrie Pelsma, Community Energy Project (CEP) program director. The nonprofit organizations works to empower people to maintain healthier, more livable homes.

CEP offers workshops year round to help Portland-area residents understand the risks and reduce of lead exposure.

Children from the womb to age 6 are especially vulnerable because lead in the blood can affect brain development. Recent studies concluded lead-related cognitive decadence in children can lead to:

• Brain and nerve damage
• Learning disabilities
• Behavior and/or attention deficit disorders
• Organ, blood, muscle and/or bone damage
• Hearing loss

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 535,000 of the country’s children ages 1-5 have lead poisoning. Blood tests are recommended for children ages 6 to 12 months and again at 24 months.

Lead settles anywhere
According to Pelsma, lead dust – from paint and even gasoline fumes prior to 1986 – can settle anywhere. From paint, that’s most likely below a roof’s drip line, and from gas fumes it’s in gardens near street curbs. In the soil, lead never breaks down.

Newer paint wears through at points of friction, like double-hung windows. Even mini blinds manufactured before 1997 contain lead and shed the dust as they deteriorate.

“Lead that is inhaled, is absorbed at 100 percent strength by children and adults,” Pelsma said. “If consumed – in foods or liquids – adults absorb 10 percent and children 50.
“The only way to be sure of recent lead exposure is to have your blood tested.”

Lead workshops abound
CEP delivers about 80 “Lead 101” workshops per year and 15 “Lead-Safe Home Projects” sessions for do-it-yourself remodelers. (Workshops open to the public can be found on the events calendar.)

They cover much more than lead poisoning risks. They feature detection, prevention, and basic lead-safe work practices. They also introduce the several organizations that partner to help residents and businesses mitigate hazards.

Check back with CNews next month for details on tips and services to help you curb lead in your home.

Here’s help for you and your home

Community Energy Project
503.284.6827

Multnomah County Health Department
503.988.4000

Oregon Health Authority
971-673-0440

Portland Water Bureau
503-823-1547

Alberta Main Street’s Equitable Placemaking Historical Marker Outreach Project is seeking stories that document the history of the African American community on Alberta Street.

Stories will be included on the Alberta Main Street website, and selected stories will be the basis of historical and cultural markers on Alberta Street between 10th and 31st avenues.

If your story is selected for a historical marker on Alberta Street, you will receive a $500 stipend to participate in the marker design process.

Business owners, residents, and visitors are all invited to submit stories. You may submit a written story, photographs or other documents: on AlbertaMainSt.org, send them to Stories@AlbertaMainSt.org or 1722 N.E. Alberta St., 97211. All stories require a signed Life History Form and Informed Consent and Copyright Permission Form, available at AlbertaMainSt.org.

Oral Histories may be recorded at a Wednesday, Nov.9, community meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Cerimon House, 5131 N.E. 23rd Ave. RSVPs may be made at AlbertaMainSt.org. Other oral histories may be uploaded electronically at AlbertaMainSt.org or by scheduling an appointment by calling 503.683.3252, ext. 2.

For details and/or to ask questions, Kenya Budd, Alberta Main Street Equity and Engagement coordinator, may be reached at that phone number and at Kenya@AlbertaMainSt.org.

Contributed by Alberta Main Street

By Carrie Wenninger, CNA Media Team

This month’s featured mural is unusual because its canvas is not the side of a building, but the blacktop!

Mural location: Intersection of Sumner Street and 32nd Avenue

Artists: This mural was created in conjunction with the Village Building Convergence (VBC), part of the City Repair Project. Good neighbor Taylor Nehrling spearheaded the effort, bringing the community together to paint a tribute to Brook Irwin, who lost her fight with cancer the year prior, and to honor Brook’s husband and son, who reside in the family home at the corner of this intersection.

What the artwork represents: In a word: community. The design was inspired by the things that Brook loved… from stones for her affinity for geology, and hibiscus and waterfalls representing her affection for Hawaii. Even her name runs through it as moving water. The dragon motif evolved spontaneously as neighbors worked together on the design.

Age of mural: It was painted in spring 2015 with donations from VBC, Concordia Neighborhood Association, local realtor Mark Charlesworth and neighbors.

Fun fact: The stepping stones running through the brook offer both the idea of safety as well as a playful, skipping opportunity for passersby.

By Riley O’Boyle

Living in Portland for two decades, photographer Geoffrey Hiller rarely rode the bus until last year.

When he lived in New York back in the 1980s, he had worked on a photo essay featuring the A-Train. But it wasn’t until returning home to Portland from a 2015 trip to Myanmar that he really noticed Bus 75.

“I wanted the energy from the trip to keep going, so I began The Hidden Portland project, which captures life along the 75 route, and it developed organically,” he said.

In May 2015, Geoffrey boarded the 75 – the bus closest to his home – getting on and off at different stops to strike up conversations at various businesses, as well as focusing his camera on the cityscape.

With a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, he produced a blog and exhibit, featuring locations within a city block of the bus route, a 20-mile stretch between downtown Milwaukie and St. Johns. That includes the length of Concordia neighborhood on 42nd Avenue.

Hiller brought on board writer Tom Vandel to contribute text to the work, and the pair published an illustrated post every Monday on Bus75.org.

“While I certainly acknowledge there’s an aspect of the project that focuses on the disappearing Portland, I didn’t intend to make overt commentary on it,” Geoffrey explained. “A lot of people are trying to pick up on the gentrification aspect of the project, and we can’t deny that. We know it exists. We allude to it.

“But at the end of the day, we are trying to get at something beyond that,” he added. “I’m looking for a different angle, something that will fill in the blanks between the story of gentrification and the celebration of the old Portland.

“There are ideas and themes that a photograph can hint at, even when words fail to describe them. That’s what I seek out.”

The project blog will continue until the end of December. The Hidden Portland exhibit is on display in the George R. White Library Learning Center at Concordia University through Dec. 18. It includes several photos that never made it into the blog.

Riley, certified engineer in training, graduated from Oregon Institute of Technology with a degree in civil engineering, with an extracurricular focus and interest in community engagement through written and visual media. New to Portland, he pursues a career in stormwater management, while he continues the practice of written and visual media production. Contact him RSOBboyle13@gmail.com.