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| Image by Mike Houck; on Intertwine.org |
Central City Plan builds on momentum of '72 plan. "Perhaps the plan's biggest focus is on waterfront development. Like the [Central Eastside Industrial District], this area was named in the 1972 plan as a prime location for new construction. 'Waterfront Park has been a failure,' Leeson said. 'That was supposed to be a really big people area. There was talk about doing a Tivoli Garden thing. I don't think it was ever envisioned as a big, open field.' The 2035 plan outlines goals to open the waterfront to the city's core. This could lead to more commercial development - perhaps a small, commercial cruise line facility, [senior city planner Troy] Doss said. It also could mean more boat launch areas and public amenities. 'Right now, most of our urban form runs on both sides of the river north to south, and it always has its shoulder turned toward the Willamette,' Doss said. 'We've made these investments in terms of new bridges and retrofits of bridges, so how do we get people down to the bank itself?' Of course, substantial work will be needed to create policy changes. But the city has a head start, Doss said." DJCOregon.com, November 20 (subscription req'd to view entire article)
South Waterfront apartments to convert retail space into more units. "The Matisse Apartments, which was completed in 2010, will convert 16,000 square feet of its ground-floor retail space into 19 new apartments. The retail space has not had a tenant since the building opened." DJCOregon.com, November 21
Green roof business has room to grow. "...what started as a desire by building owners to make rooftops prettier has evolved into a strategy to avoid fines related to stormwater runoff. 'Some (owners) are paying $10 million a year having to do with combined sewer overflows, and stormwater departments are fairly clever about figuring out where that all comes from,' [chief operating officer and board member Greg] Love said. Until December 2011 - when crews finished the $1.4 billion, 20-year Big Pipe project - people frequently were advised to stay out of the Willamette River because of CSOs. 'We don't have the river issue as much anymore because CSOs have all but stopped with the Big Pipe system,' said Matt Burlin, an environmental program coordinator for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. 'But that pipe system's integrity needs to be integrated into the green roof system for long-term sustainability.'" DJCOregon.com, November 16
Biomimicry Oregon gets Bullitt funding. "Biomimicry Oregon, one of 12 regional nonprofits recognized by the national Biomimicry 3.8 organization, is working on a way to solve the region's stormwater problems by learning from nature." Sustainable Business Oregon, November 19
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West Hayden Island annexation decision put off. "The Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission decided Tuesday night to devote more time - perhaps three months - to review a host of unanswered questions about the project." Portland Tribune, November 27
Decision on West Hayden Island delayed into 2013. "Portland's Planning and Sustainability Commission capped a 3 ½ hour meeting by voting to create a new timeline for the controversial proposal, which would enable eventual development of a deep-water marine terminal by the Port of Portland." OregonLive.com, November 27
Press ahead on Hayden Island compromise. "If there's a place where environmental and economic values can co-exist, it has to be the Columbia River's West Hayden Island - which offers the Portland region a rare piece of land to accommodate both new jobs and important wildlife habitat. Portland Tribune Editorial, November 15
West Hayden Island Public Hearing With Planning and Sustainability Commission Draws Large Crowd. "The Planning and Sustainability Commission (PSC) held a special hearing on the West Hayden Island Planning proposal on Nov. 15 in the Portland Building. At the evening meeting, more than 200 attendees filled a conference room and overflowed into the auditorium, where they could watch the hearings via closed circuit television." City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, undated news update.
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The bridges of Multnomah County, newly honored, shouldn't cost more for it "...four older Willamette crossings took their place on the National Register of Historic Places last week. This is a good thing in that the bridges -- the Broadway, Burnside, Hawthorne and Morrison -- wear official plumage for their roles in connecting halves of a city always trying to join and grow in commerce, fellowship, culture." OregonLive.com, Editorial, November 29
12-story apartment building planned for Burnside Bridgehead. "Another project has been approved as part of the Burnside Bridgehead Framework Plan. The Portland Development Commission has come to an agreement with Key Development Corporation, a Hood River-based developer, to redevelop a portion of the four-acre bridgehead site, which is bordered by Northeast Second Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard." DJCOregon.com, November 30 (subscription req'd for full article)
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| Image: TriMet |
Gallery: TriMet joins first Portland-Milwaukie tracks. "The Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project reached another milestone Monday morning when crews welded together the first section of rail, connecting two 80-foot lengths at Southwest First Avenue and Lincoln Street in downtown Portland." OregonLive.com, November 26
BridgeView, Episode 10: A Tower Rises. "This episode ... details how the two pylons of a Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge tower are constructed." TriMet YouTube channel, October 30
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Expanding natural areas expands benefits for wildlife and people, oversight committee reports. "Benefits for wildlife and people are multiplying as Metro continues to invest a 2006 bond measure in natural areas across the region... Metro has spent 62 percent of the $227.4 million that voters set aside, but has already met its goal of protecting 4,000 acres of high-quality habitat across the region... New analysis shows that as Metro natural areas expand, water quality and wildlife habitat improve more dramatically than they would on individual parcels of land." Metro news, November 16
Metro Council could vote Dec. 18 whether to send natural areas levy to voters. Metro news, November 27
The Intertwine Alliance Completes Regional Conservation Strategy. "The Intertwine Alliance completed the region's first conservation strategy and biodiversity atlas. The work was developed collaboratively, with over 135 contributors, and released at the October 25th Intertwine Summit. With participation and support from dozens of Alliance partner organizations, the plan was completed at a fraction of the cost of a typical regional plan." Latest from Intertwine update, November 19 Image: Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge by Mike Houck on Intertwine
Smith and Bybee Lakes re-open to the public. "Coordinated response and recovery efforts at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area limited the impact of a recent disease outbreak of avian botulism - saving the lives of thousands of migratory birds. The lakes were closed to the public during the outbreak, which is now over." Metro News, November 20
USGS Study Looks At Impacts Of Urbanization On Stream Ecosystems, Includes Portland. "The loss of sensitive species in streams begins to occur at the initial stages of urban development, according to a new study by the USGS. ... Although urban development creates multiple stressors, such as an increase in concentrations of insecticides, chlorides, and nutrients, that can degrade stream health-no single factor was universally important in explaining the effects of urban development on stream ecosystems. ... The study can be found at http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1373/" Columbia Basin Bulletin, November 16
Emerging Contaminants in the Columbia River Basin. "USGS scientists measured a wide range of emerging contaminants in wastewater-treatment-plant ... effluent and stormwater-runoff in the Columbia River Basin." U.S. Geological Survey GeoHealth Newsletter, Vol. 9, No. 3 - 2012. Click here for study.
Planned port development would be too quiet for birds. "ODFW officials want the lark listed as threatened on the federal list of endangered species.'This is not the kiss of death for development,' [Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Cat] Brown said. The streaked horned lark actually thrives when humans disrupt its environment ... 'They need a certain amount of disturbance to keep the habitat open ... They thrive in these places where there are a lot of man-made disruptions.' That includes airports and Columbia River islands used for dredge dumping. The birds' habitat is mostly in the upper Willamette Valley and southwest Washington. However, they seem to have a particular fondness for the Port of Portland and its bustling properties." DJCOregon.com, Nov. 27
Autumn Wildlife on Johnson Creek. "...Revegetation ... working at the Schweitzer Natural Area,...saw lots of evidence that wildlife appreciate the enhanced Johnson Creek stream channel and floodplain." City Green Blog, November 26
Image: Portland Environmental Service Bureau--beaver dam on Johnson Creek
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