i am lazy and don't feel like reading her post, what does she say is specifically wrong with the handling of the process?

which regulations in the code and charter are they ignoring? what required steps, in order, are decisions being made without following?

I'm lazy, too, petrichor. So is city council. So are all Portlanders. That's the point I'm making.

The question is: Do we want to elect someone who'll insist on pointing out how lazy we all are, at every possible opportunity? Or do we want to elect someone willing to bully people and get results?

The Portland Business Alliance wants the homeless day access center so the courts will allow enforcement of the sit lie ordinance. So maybe the PBA should come up with a site. We could even "privatize" the public process - the PBA could run it!

(More process is not necessarily better. It would be nice if they complete the public process for the Sellwood Bridge replacement before it falls into the river. One person's public process is another's delaying tactic)

Old Town has publicly owned apartments for people trying to move out of homelessness for the same reason they have reasonably priced private condos. Cheap land.

The reason Block 25 was picked was that the Blanchet House that serves people food so they don't starve to death is right there and doesn't want to move. So maybe the Chinatown developers and condo owners should use the free market to just buy them out?

Also isn't that the Dirty Duck - Crack Press Block? Let's call it that!

Who is bullying anyone in this case?

Sten's inducements to the landlords in Old Town hardly constitute bullying -- he is bribing them with corporate welfare in the form of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increment financing. He is simultaneously promising to dispose of the Grove Hotel,

This is a "public-private partnership" handjob that simply can't lose, unless the Old Town landlords are able to get their URA while blocking the homeless center -- and that is what will take the real back room dealing.

Sorry Toilet. I should have said:

"Do we want to elect someone who'll insist on pointing out how lazy we all are, at every possible opportunity? Or do we want to elect someone willing to give the private sector a good handjob every now and then?"

Amanda is so annoying. She is a loser and just needs to go away. She has no chance in hell to win the race.

Amanda- Once a loser, always a loser!

Petrichor, what's wrong with the process is that some members of the City Council are promising $200m in new urban renewal money if the neighborhood agrees to their choice for the site of the Access Center. The *proposed* new money requires a majority vote of all three of the Portland Development Commission, the Portland Planning Commission, and the City Council, before it is *actual* new money. None of those votes has been taken yet.

The money being promised is from proposed new borrowing that would put the City more in debt. The proposed Urban Renewal Area boundary and timeline changes would keep tax money out of County services for longer than is currently planned. State law requires notice to citizens, public hearings, and votes before making those changes.

Matt, how is it incongruent with the Center being A Good Thing, that many neighborhood folks are saying they want the Center on one block *in their neighborhood* instead of another block *in their neighborhood*? They're agreeing it's needed and that it can be in their neighborhood. Many would prefer it to be not in the location being pushed by the Council.

toilet Joe,

That would be nice. The fact is, there's NO money thus far allocated to Chinatown. The URA redistricting is placing about half of Chinatown into the River District for future URA funds.

The current drafts of funding priorities for the next 5 years have next to no money allocated for Chinatown projects, other than the Resource Access Center.

There's no money. And there is no possible enforcement for there to be money in the future. URA funding will continue in the future the way it does now - the will of the council to fund pet projects.

Chinatown, as represented by the CCBA, PCCG, OTL, OTCTNA, and numerous private individuals, is simply asking that Block 25 be preserved for future development. Place the Resource Access Center on Block U. This is a win-win. The center gets built, and the core of Chinatown doesn't have to absorb the risk of this project upsetting an already precarious balance of social services in the historic district.

PDC and City Council so far seem bent on building a giant single-block project. The only voices that have ever spoken out in favor of this, at ANY forum, are those directly involved with the project. Any opposition to Block U seems to be born of the City or PDC wanting to "save it" for projects unknown.

We are told that 25 would be a boon, but that's certainly debatable and carries a lot of risks.

Do we want to risk the value and investment in OTL?

Do we want to risk the future of Block 26 in concert with 25?

Do we want to risk further alienating CCBA and the Chinese community?

Do we want to risk entrenching and institutionalizing poverty and low-income in the core of Chinatown?

Do we want to give up any possibility of future development on 25?

Do we want to gamble on 25 for the possibility of budgetary concessions for the neighborhood, for which there is no guarantee?

Do we want to risk the investments in PCCG?

RAC is a good thing. RAC on Block U is acceptable (a mere 3 blocks away). RAC+BHH+HAP on Block 25 is not. The Risk/Reward makes no sense.

Alexander

At this point, all objections are like sticking a pin in a stampeding elephant. Am I wrong? In which case, Amanda, why fight this fight?

Alexander, thanks for commenting. I appreciate your concerns and of course they're legitimate. But do you think people are going to ever take them seriously? This center is a done deal, isn't it?

This ain't fair. It's politics.

Thank you for the clarification.

This is a case of "anywhere but my backyard". Block 25 is owned by the City, PDC and Blanchet. So they can do anything they want with it. I bet they will. Block U is right outside the front of Union Station, the rail gateway to Portland, and diagonally opposite the proposed relocation of PNCA. Think Peak Oil - rail travel is going to grow.

I'm curious why the City needs any public input at all. Usually they need public input for planning variances only, height, setback etc. The Council can pass a rezone allowing whatever they want to build, then build it. PDC URA expansion is the same.

Old Town, be smart, just take Sten's offer. I bet it has an expiration date. How are you going to use the money to make things better in Old Town-Chinatown?

Hey Matt. How about a feature on the dream Chinatown private developer theme neighborhood?

ok, so it sounds like the process problem is that the money is being promised before the votes have been made to allocate the money, and that there is processy stuff that needs doing in order to allocate the money and that takes time. do i have that right?

is it possible that the agreement is being made, dependent on the output of that process stuff? the city will then go through the process of securing the funds, including notifications, public hearings, etc? and if that process fails at that point, the deal is over?

"Do we want to risk the value and investment in OTL?"

I may be mistaken but I think that the Old Town Lofts were partially funded by the city. if that is the case, it is bitter irony indeed that these same people are the ones complaining about more city funded housing moving in next door.
also, being as there is nothing of much beauty on that lot right now, what is wrong with putting a nice looking building on it? I dont know for sure, but I imagine that the building will have more in it besides just a resource center and housing? there will be storefronts and the like? maybe the parking lot makes a better view than a clean, new building?
lasty, and maybe there is something that I am missing, has anyone mentioned a whole bunch of cash and a really brilliant idea for an alternative use for block 25, or is it just "we could maybe use this wonderfull block one day, if all these homeless people werent here"?

if the neighbors do manage to push the project away from block 25, let's hope there is someone willing to step up and put their money where their mouth is by developing block 25.

Petrichor, yes, you have the processy stuff right. But the "if this all passes" part hasn't been emphasized. Everyone seems to think it is a done deal. Which leads to Matt's question,

In which case, Amanda, why fight this fight?

Because this is over the top, Matt. It's not just assuming three votes at Council, but also that PDC and the Planning Commission will sign off, after public hearings and independent votes for both raising the money and how/where it is spent. I don't accept that decision-making in Portland is that fixed and pre-determined, and that there is nothing anyone can do about it if it is.

My question is, why aren't more people voicing concern about this? PDC oversight... bloated budget... County shortfalls blah blah blah - then when push comes to shove, Oh yeah, go ahead, change the boundaries, extend the timeline, add another $311 million in debt, it's a done deal, no problem. Let's talk about whether the siting of the Resource Access Center here or there is NIMBY or anti-homeless people or a reasonable request that should be respectfully discussed, not about the $311 million in new urban renewal debt, that's just a process issue.

What's up with that?

I'll tell you what's up with it, Amanda: There's no way in the world Erik Sten would have gone public with his plan if he hadn't already got the votes in the bag.

The council votes.
The PDC votes.
The planning commission votes.

He hasn't spent the last million years on council just pissing about.

I've been covering the neighborhood resistance to the center since Sten announced his plans and at first I thought, "how on earth is he going to overcome this?"

Then I realized that he really doesn't have to. Sten's already got the approval of the Oregonian's editorial board, and the Portland Business Alliance, to build this center.

Why? Because it will eliminate off-street queuing for the homeless, and pave the way for the beautification of Old Town. There's no way anybody in town is going to resist or, in the Oregonian's case, report on, the issue with a goal like that in mind.

As I mentioned, and I'm sure you must have been struck with this as an Englishwoman coming to Oregon: This is a state where an appearance of "good process" is all that counts.

People who really care about it are swept aside in the name of the greater good. Now, I'm not altogether sure I don't like that way of doing things. It means things happens and it means, at the end of the day, that most of us get a piece of the pie.

We just have to accept that this is Oregon. Not the Cotswolds. Things actually get done here, we don't just gossip all day.

Furthermore I'm yet to see a coherent and cohesive opposition to the center in Old Town.

1.We have the Chinese Community, which lost the battle for Chinatown when PDC started "redeveloping" it several years ago, in my opinion. Now, Chinatown is on SE 82nd. That's not right, but it's the case. And they're right to be pissed about it.

2.We we have the Old Town Lofts residents, who are understandably concerned because they live opposite the block. CoughNIMBYScoughcough.

3.There's the Old Town Neighborhood Association, which doesn't seem to be able to figure out its ass from its elbow on any issue, let alone this one. There just doesn't seem to be coherent leadership in that room.

4.We have the Visions Committee, which seems broadly happy with the proposed site.

5.Lastly, the Old Town Neighborhood/Visions Land Use Committee, which includes Old Town Developers, who of course could not be more pleased with the proposed development.

So you have a neighborhood in transition, with various stakeholders, and a politician with the connections and momentum to really lead it through that process. Where's the problem with that?

Matt,

The problem is that it's bad government. To stand by and let it happen without objecting guarantees that "you will never be heard". That's no option at all.

I resent that you continue to paint any of this as a NIMBY issue. It's an extremely shallow assessment. The RAC will be built in Old Town/Chinatown. The homeless density and low income population is going to go up. That's going to happen regardless of a siting decision - ALL THE SITES ARE IN CHINATOWN. I don't know how plainer it can be for people.

Yes, the argument of the neighborhood is that Block 25 can have better uses than this. There was an entire PDC study done to this effect, with EXCELLENT neighborhood participation. It was completely halted, and the RAC project has usurped that whole thing.

GO READ IT:
http://www.pdc.us/ura/dtwf/n-otct-redev-stgy.asp

Yes, the neighborhood wants something better than a RAC on Block 25. Above, someone made the point that "you will get more than a RAC". That's possible, but we may not. The floor space requirements of the RAC and Blanchet, and HAP housing could significantly hamper any community planning attempt for "concessions" within the building. The same study I mentioned above covers lots of alternative opportunities. Go read it.

Someone above also made a point about Block U not being desirable because of the future of Rail. The only reason there is hesitation on Block U, is because PDC wants to kick out the Post Office, add that land to the Pearl, and is still hanging on to the vain hope that Homer Williams planted in their ears a few years ago: "Let me build a multi-block big box scenario on Blocks U & R". You know, Target or Home Depot or something. There are well and truly, NO PLANS for either of those blocks, beyond the above pipe dreams. All they intend to do is study it further. And the truth is they will kick out the Post Office eventually, and there will be a lot more land available in that part of town. A RAC on Block U isn't going to hamper anything.

The same could be said about Block 25, but Block 25 is in the heart of the Chinatown Historic District. This is an area that is in great need of more market rate housing and commercial space. The Chinese Garden certainly needs it, they're barely scraping by. It needs the influx of discretionary income. I know, I've lived in this spot and walked on these streets every single day for the last 4 years.

The plans PDC ran in the above study attack that very issue, and lay out a whole host of development possibilities. Additionally, the owner of the Adjacent Block 26 has publicly stated "If the RAC goes into Block 25, I will leave Block 26 a parking lot for the forseeable future". That's very concerning to the neighborhood. The potential for development will be lost.

And let me be blunt: The city and HAP suck at developing. They like to hold up all their other buildings as great examples (8 NW 8, Civic Apartments replacement) blah blah blah. As buildings go, they're nothing special. No thanks.

And Visions. Visions is completely co-opted by Central City Concern, and it's lead: Richard Harris. CCC is the largest property owner in Chinatown. They're focused on Social Services. They do not represent the community. Richard Harris owns the building TPI would be leaving. He benefits directly from this deal. Again, I can't stress this enough: The Only people FOR Block 25 are TPI, HAP, CCC/Visions, and The City/PDC. Not a single community representative has backed it. And TPI has openly stated they could do their work just as effectively on Block U.

So, yes, Matt, the politics are a mess. But the only way to provoke change is to challenge the status quo. If the status quo is Sten throwing his weight around one last time, then I for one say Enough. He's a terrible leader, and I'm glad to see him go. I'll be even happier if his stupid decisions can be rectified because of our action. In-action is not an option.

Alexander

I am unconvinced that Block 25 is in the heart of Chinatown. Between Flanders and Glisan, 3rd and 4th, and up against Glisan, which at that point is very difficult to cross, it is on the fringes of Chinatown. North of Glisan does not relate to Chinatown. The heart of Chinatown is the parking lot, the 4th, 5th, Couch, Davis block, which will hopefully become a Uwajimaya grocery, with parking and housing, continuing Old Town's Chinese-Japanese rapprochement.

Given the nightlife in the area, it would be great to have good Chinese restaurants open until 3 as does Seattle's International District.

thehomelessarenotenemies,

Chinatown extends well past Glisan. Block 25 is specifically inside the Chinatown/Japantown Historic District. Those are the most significant set of blocks in the neighborhood, and make up the central core.

Link:
http://www.portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?&city=PORTLAND&place=NO%20ADDRESS%20AVAILABLE&neighborhood=OLD%20TOWN%2FCHINATOWN&state_id=1N1E34CA%20%20600&noheader=1&action=Zoning&y=685428&x=7644956&histdistrict=CJ&intersection_id=&dynamic_point=1&propertyid=R140391

The Uwajimaya project is not a done deal. Indeed, it currently has zero money allocated to it in the budget discussions. You could make an argument that that's a direct effect of the money being spent on the RAC instead. It could change, but right now it doesn't seem likely.

From what I've heard in public meetings, if the PDC URA money isn't inked for 2008, it might not happen at all.

Alexander