|
Northwest District Association Newsletter
September 2012 Edition
After several years of collaboration between NWDA, the City, and Con-way, on August 27, a Portland Hearings Officer approved the Con-way Masterplan for the Slabtown area of our neighborhood. NWDA testified in support of the plan, with several conditions. Con-way incorporated our conditions and requested revisions into the final version of the Masterplan, which is available on the NWDA website at http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org/?p=4479.
So, what is next? Soon, Con-way is expected to begin selling land to the developers that will actually build in the Masterplan area. The first development is likely to be the "grocery block" between NW 21st and 22nd and NW Quimby and Raleigh. The first design review could occur as early as October 2012. This project and all other projects in the Masterplan area will be required to go through robust Type III design review, which will give NWDA and the community another chance to weigh in on development in the area.
NWDA will continue to work with the City, Con-way, and its developers to make sure timely progress is made on the design and development of the neighborhood square, park, and transportation system upgrades. We will also press forward with Con-way and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to establish enhanced clean diesel construction practices for all projects within the Masterplan boundaries.
I would like to personally thank John Bradley, Chair of the NWDA Planning Committee, Don Genasci, and Steve Pinger, as well as Phil Selinger, Chair of the NWDA Transportation Committee, and Jeanne Harrison, along with many others, who generously contributed thousands of volunteer hours to help create a plan that dramatically improves the development that will occur in the Slabtown area of our neighborhood.
The next NWDA Board meeting is Monday, September 17, 6:00 to 7:45 pm, at Legacy Good Samaritan, Building #2 Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 1040 NW 22nd Ave. Please join us.
Sincerely,
Ron Walters
NWDA President
Safety and Livability Committee
Bike-In Movie Night - Join us for a FREE movie! The Committee is hosting a Bike-In Movie Event at Wallace Park, Saturday September 8, 6:30-9pm. The movie will be Pee Wee's Big Adventure and extra entertainment will be provided by the return of the migrating Swifts. To learn more, visit http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org/?p=4439
Financial support provided by the City of Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement and Neighbors West-Northwest.
Street Tree Inventory - Thanks to the 60 volunteers who have helped inventory over 1,000 street trees .
Volunteers are still needed for our next work day, Saturday, September 8, 8:30am-noon. We will meet at Legacy Good Samaritan, North and South Conference Room, Bldg. 2, 1040 NW 22nd Avenue No experience needed. To learn more and sign up, visit http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org/?cat=99
Park(ing) Day - Join us Friday, September 21
as we turn a NW Portland parking space into a park-
for a day. Location and additional information, will be posted shortly at http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org and http://www.facebook.com/nwda.portland.
Financial support provided by the City of Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement and Neighbors West-Northwest.
Annual Neighborhood-Business Area Collaborative Graffiti Cleanup - The City of Portland Graffiti Abatement Program along with the Northwest District Association and the Goose Hollow Foothills League will sponsor a graffiti removal day. We'd love your help! This cleanup will be Saturday, September 22 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. We will meet at the top level of the Fred Meyer parking garage located at 100 NW 20th Place. This cleanup will be a combined effort with City-contracted graffiti removal crews and neighborhood volunteers. To learn more, visit http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org/?p=4462
For more information about the NWDA Safety and Livability Committee, please visit http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org/?cat=56
Transportation Committee
There are major changes in the neighborhood's transit service this month:
- TriMet's Line 17 no longer serves that Northwest District, but its route has been hybridized with the Line 77. Line 77 no longer serves NW Lovejoy and NW 25th Avenue, but follows the former Line 17 route along NW Everett, Glisan and 21st. Service to Sauvie Island, Linnton, St. Johns has been replaced with Line 16. See http://trimet.org/alerts/service-change/ for more information.
- Most Line 15 trips that currently end at Montgomery Park will continue through the NW industrial area to NW Kittridge Avenue via NW 29th, Guam, 35th, and Yeon avenues to make a closer connection to service between Sauvie Island, Linnton, St. Johns and NW Portland. This change will also replace some current Line 17 service.
- Line 15's westbound layover has been relocated from the northwest corner of NW 27th/Thurman to the northwest corner of NW 28th/Thurman. This is in response to an extensive conversation over the past year to enhance safety and minimize the noise impact of Line 15 operations to Willamette Heights.
- The Eastside Streetcar Loop will begin operation on September 22nd, providing a new transportation option between Northwest Portland and the Eastside. This connection, however, will require a streetcar-to-streetcar transfer in the Pearl. A celebration on September 22nd will accompany this start-up.
- The fare structure for TriMet has changed to a flat fare arrangement and the elimination of the Free Rail Zone in the downtown. See http://trimet.org/alerts/farechanges.htm for more information.
- The fare structure for the Portland Streetcar has also changed. See http://www.portlandstreetcar.org for more information.
The NWDA Transportation Committee concept improvement was approved by the NWDA Board and advanced to City staff for consideration.
The Con-way Master Plan was considered by the City Hearings Officer last month and advanced without opposition. There was a last minute misunderstanding between Con-way and the NWDA Transportation Committee regarding a "preferred" streetcar alignment from the Con-way area west along NW Raleigh Street. It had been understood that the Master Plan would not take a position on any streetcar alignment preference, but would simply preserve the options for the streetcar to turn west from NW 21st at Raleigh and Thurman Streets. This misunderstanding was considered at the August NWDA Transportation Committee meeting. The Con-Way team agreed to remove any stated preference and acknowledged that such a consideration requires extensive community discussion.
The NWDA Transportation Committee meets the first Wednesday of each month at 6 pm at Good Samaritan Hospital. The next meetings will be on September 5th and October 3rd. Check the NWDA website for the meeting room. Everyone is welcome. Let us know your Northwest District transportation concerns and your ideas for improving how we get around in our community!
For more information about the NWDA Transportation Committee, please visit http://www.northwestdistrictassociation.org/?cat=4
Neighborhood News
MacTarnahan's Scottish Festival - Welcoming the Noble Scot Scottish Ale.
Join MacTarnahan's Brewing Co. for a Scottish Festival to celebrate our New Fall Seasonal, Saturday, September 8, noon-4pm, at 2730 Northwest 31st Avenue.
Featuring a Beer Garden, Live Music and more.
The event is free to attend and all ages are welcome.
Proceeds benefit Friendly House in Northwest Portland. Learn more at
http://www.Facebook.com/MacsBeer
Slabtown Festival - The annual Slabtown Festival will be held Saturday, September 15 11am-6pm at the NW Portland Public Library parking Lot. To learn more, visit http://slabtownfestival.wordpress.com/
Swift Watch - The Vaux's Swifts return to roost in the Chapman chimney throughout September. To learn more, visit http://audubonportland.org/local-birding/swiftwatch/swifts_landing
Upcoming Events
Neighborhood Cleanup - Join Us!
Saturday, September 8, 9-10:30 am, Food Front, 2375 NW Thurman. Litter clean up and graffiti removal.
Neighborhood Cleanup - Join Us!
Saturday, September 15, 9-10:30 am, Elephants Deli, 115 NW 22nd Ave. Litter clean up and graffiti removal.
NWDA Board Meeting - Monday, September 17, 6-7:45 pm, Legacy Good Samaritan, Building #2 Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 1040 NW 22nd Ave.
For a complete, up-to-date list of NWDA events, please visit the events calendar on our website.
NWDA Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/nwda.portland.
|
